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Fall Brawl 2009
Bowling Green
magnUM2k10 headed south to kick off its 2009-2010 campaign not far from where the last one ended in Columbus, Ohio. The first of two tournaments in two weeks, Fall Brawl was a chance to test out the 2/3 of the new roster, measure who’s hot and who’s not, and the first tourney for a big crop of new rookies.
Saturday morning saw us open play in near freezing weather against Bowling Green. Apparently mother nature forgot summer in the Midwest in 2009, as players were bundled in layers for most of the day Saturday. Whether from nerves, the cold or just a new roster getting together, it was one of the most low-key 13-9 victories a team can have. We won, and that was that.
Pitt “Y”
Pitt’s split squad teams offered the chance for magnUM returners to test their mettle against a fellow 2009 Nationals quarterfinalist. The game was very evenly matched, occasionally chippy but relatively well played. Rookies also were exposed to their first zone of the season, but that zone quickly went away when it was broken down a couple of times. The game ended when Pitt broke an 8-all tie not long after the hard cap horn sounded.
Cincinnati
Part 2 of a four part tour of Ohio schools saw magnUM match up against Cincinnati. After two games where the ghost of captain no fun seemed to rule the play and the sidelines, magnUM woke up, and by golly there were even a few smiles on the sidelines. Rookies with memorable moments included Yoni “haiku” Rafael going deep and getting one of his already patented ‘screaming skies’ and Carson ‘one of my Amherst buddies is on their team so I better play well’ Mailler.
Ohio State Y
When your highlight of the game is the pregame cheer, you know you didn’t do well. magnUM vs Ohio State Y was not another great installment of the rivalry nor a fitting continuation to last season’s epic Regionals conclusion. That said, most of us greatly enjoyed Derek Moen DEREK MOEN DEREK MOEN! That is of course, except Derek Moen, who two points into the game told OSU Y where their cheer could go while getting a nice layout score off a huck. Unfortunately, the rest of the game was not nearly as interesting. Whether it was the strict 3 line rotation, or the fact that Purdue absolutely owned Tyrell Pryor on the football field, OSU Y seemed content as we cruised to a 13-5 win and a 3-0 start vs Ohio.
Virginia Tech T
Ohio State wasn’t the only school whose concerns split was between the grass of Columbus and a faraway football game. Va Tech T said as much before the game. FACT: worrying about your football game means you will lose and then your football team will lose. Anyways, Alex Fegert had a really nice incut layout D during this game as magnUM closed Saturday play 4-1 in pool play to take second in the pool. The sun finally shone during our cooldown stretch, and the guns game out.
We then proceed back to the hotel for much needed warmth. Dinner at a local pizza establishment proved entertaining as Ohio State waitresses have not yet realized that the invention of pen and paper can greatly reduce the mental strain involved in memorizing orders. That or they don’t know how to read or write yet in Columbus.
SUNY-Buffalo
Sunday morning opened colder, with abundant frost on the grass. Summer 2009, seriously, where were you? But magnUM spirits were up 100%. The pregame warmup feature plenty of laughter, including bursts such as “it’s never sunny in Buffalo.” We were also treated to the list of funny jokes by Tom Haynes and sage advice from Alex Fegert (combined length = 0).
Oh, and the game. SUNY Buffalo was not ready for magnUM, and we cruised to a 13-3 win, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Pitt “X”
We say Pitt “X” rather than Pitt X because a handful of the faces seemed mighty familiar from Saturday. That said, this really isn’t a big deal to us. It’s a fall tourney and we relished the added strength they provided. And certainly they may have been juggling their squads to find the best team for their program. Their Ultimate, or at least their desire was greater. We struggled more than most of the weekend getting the dump off, and had no answer for their deep game. After a tight first half that saw Pitt take half 7-6, they pulled away from us in the second and advanced to the semifinals.
Virginia Tech V
In the 5/6th semifinals, magnUM matched up against the other half of Virginia Tech. The start of the game seemed to be a repeat of Saturday afternoon, as magnUM got a Brandon Beeler Callahan early and stormed out to a three break lead. But with their football loss behind them, Virginia Tech stormed back to play a tight game late. After a huge goalline stand, magnUM won their first universe point of the season when Tom Haynes found Spencer Jolly in the back of the endzone with a hammer.
Miami (OH)
The boogiemen seemed only marginally interested in playing this game. magnUM, seeing a strong need for reps and a short drive home, insisted on playing the full game. It was however, not a very long game. The boogiemen, as if trying to expedite their near interminable drive home, managed only 3 points as magnUM took 5th place overall. With a 4-0 finish over teams from the host state, the following was proven: Michigan > Ohio. See you next week in Merrillville, IN for Glory Days Aught’9.
