Mid-Atlantic Fantasy Preview

by Steve Minnich | June 27, 2013

The condensed schedule of the “Mid-Atlantic Region Presents: End of Season Fantasy Tournament!” comes to a close this Saturday, June 29, after a frenzied month of preparation and only one week between the draft and the games. It has recently been announced that a Snitch Academy will run between games during this tournament as well, as Snitches prepare to get re-certified or newly certified for the upcoming season. In the condensed planning period, a few small hiccups were sure to be expected, but all is set now for a smooth tournament to take place this weekend. Such a quick turnaround from last Saturday's draft to gameplay this Saturday is sure to make it hard for the general managers to organize their teams and determine strategies, but that won't stop us from analyzing these rosters and speculating on what each team will come up with in these games.

Photo by Deanna Edmunds

Pink Team

Roster (beginning with GM, then in order of galleons cost; defers to order of selection if multiple players were purchased for the same amount):

• (GM) Alex Amodol, beater/chaser, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Steve Minnich, chaser/keeper, QC Carolinas

• Jason Rosenberg, chaser, Penn State University

• Ren Young, seeker/chaser, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Julia Fillman, chaser, Villanova University

• Chad Estep, chaser/beater, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Marina Montenegro, beater, Horn Tailed Horcruxes

• Will Messner, keeper, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Foley Akinyemi, beater, Penn State University

• Luis Cruz, chaser/keeper, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Dan Cull, chaser, Ohio State University

• John Bridstrup, chaser/keeper, Philadelphia Honey Badgers

• Corey Kientz, beater, Horn Tailed Horcruxes

With the roster Amodol put together, the Pink Team was termed “Honey Badgers and friends” by one of the opposing general managers towards the end of the draft. With the ‘friends' he added to the roster, it looks like he aimed for a lot of speed to pair with the big bodies from Philadelphia's community team. His roster seems to have something of a “big three” vibe to it, as 56% of his funds went to securing three players, and all at relatively equal values. The first two of those three is the chaser duo of (yours truly) Steve Minnich and Jason Rosenberg (spending 50 and 45 galleons, respectively, of the general managers' 250 galleon budget). While these two have worked well together before as members of  mercenary squad Bad Wolf at the Shell-Shocking Spectacular in the spring, I'm unsure if the duo will be able to provide enough offensive presence to outscore the other rosters here, particularly as the rest of this roster seems to have a defensive focus in both quaffle and bludger play. Minnich and Rosenberg are going to need to gel quickly with the Honey Badger quaffle players to get a good passing game going if Pink is to have a chance here.

Clearly going for speed with his beaters, Amodol has a chance to win bludger control off the bat every game if he starts both himself and Akinyemi. Unfortunately, I can't see this corps maintaining bludger control very long after that – three of the four beaters have a penchant for looking lost with a bludger in their hands, and another of the five is primarily a chaser. During the draft it was evident that Amodol was willing to spend whatever it took to get the third piece of his puzzle, securing Ren Young (45 galleons) to be his seeker; while Young didn't fetch quite as high a price, Amodol might have had a higher value on him than he did on Team USA seeker Billy Greco. Young might have to work for the snitch against a constant bludger presence if the beaters of Pink are unable to maintain bludger control, so he'll definitely have his work cut out for him in proving his worth. Green Team

Roster (in order of galleons cost):

• (GM) Drew Beliveau, beater, University of New Haven

• Bryan Hall, seeker/chaser/beater, New York University

• Walter Makarucha Jr., chaser/seeker, NY Badassilisks

• Andrew Garber, chaser, Villanova University

• Michael Bolock, keeper/chaser/seeker, Q.C. Pittsburgh

• Lindsay Rosen, beater, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

• Casey Schmidt, chaser, University of Richmond

• Edderic Ugaddan, beater, University of Richmond

• Rich Martino, chaser, New York University

• Melannie Williams, beater, University of South Florida

• Eric Wasser, keeper, Michigan Quidditch

• Michael Malakoff, keeper, University of South Florida

• Geoff Hughes, keeper/chaser, Ohio State University

• Collin Lease-Thompson, seeker/chaser, Penn State University

Beliveau clearly had a strong sense of where he had each player valued for this auction draft, and spent a good portion of the draft driving the other general managers to spend more than he thought they should on particular players. As a result, he bought up a lot of players at the second and third levels of spending (eight players between 20 and 32 galleons, his highest purchase) where the other general managers didn't feel they had enough galleons in reserve to compete with his bids, having spent so much on the elite talent in the pool. Beliveau also benefitted from a minor gaffe by the tournament director, which gifted him some extra galleons to work with later in the draft. With no big star, the Green Team is a well-rounded team made up of many of the out-of-region players. He also secured the services of a female chaser who may be the strongest in the tournament in Schmidt, but she'll have to shake off the rust from a quidditch-less semester in Ireland to prove her worth in galleons.

Carrying four keepers, the Green Team showcases a strong physical presence in quaffle play, highlighted by the likes of Makarucha Jr., Hall, Garber, Wasser and Malakoff. However, with the make-up of this roster, it wouldn't surprise me if Hall is reserved for beater play. To pair with him, Beliveau paid a heavy 25 galleons for the speedy Ugaddan to compete with the Pink Team off the starting rush, as well as an unproven pair of female beaters in Rosen and Williams. Lease-Thompson was also a very nice pick-up in the post-draft distribution, as he was assigned to Beliveau's team after confirming his attendance too late to be included in the draft. The pickup of this solid Penn State seeker allows Hall to swap in at seeker for fresh legs or to remain at beater to provide a strong bludger around the snitch. I expect this team to be physical in quaffle play, attempting to stifle the opponents' offense with wrap tackles and then using beaters on offense to provide one-on-one situations for the chasers to win with size and skill.

Black Team

Roster (in order of galleons cost):

• (GM) Carrie Franchino, chaser, Villanova University

• John Gaffigan, keeper, New York University

• Amanda Dallas, beater, New York University

• Jonyull Kosinski, chaser, Lock Haven University Quidditch

• Mo Haggag, chaser/seeker, NY Badassilisks

• Jimmy Pritts, beater, University of Maryland

• Kevin Edelmann, seeker, University of Virginia Whomping Wahoos

• Austin Nuckols, chaser/seeker, University of Richmond

• Jeremy Boettner, chaser, Ohio State University

• Brook Schulze, keeper, N/A

• Pat Ciboldi, chaser/keeper, Virginia Tech

• Serra White, seeker, Lock Haven University Quidditch

• Zach Whitsel, chaser, Lock Haven University Quidditch

This is an exciting team. I wonder if Franchino's first purchase, Amanda Dallas, was a bigger purchase than just a stellar beater. I have a good feeling that Dallas had a hand in helping Franchino find some unheralded talent in this pool, and in her noticeably confident bidding on players from the Northeast region. First, before I get into the exciting talent on the roster and how it might play out, I do have to address a concerning issue. While four players in the draft were officially given the status of highest bids according to the confirmed purchase amounts, Gaffigan was actually bought for a higher price (61 galleons!) before he was awarded through error to Franchino's Black Team at the same price as the other three players (by draft order: Greco, Dallas, and Minnich went for 50 each). Before any fans cry foul, though, it should be noted that Franchino didn't even notice her good fortune and had already marked Gaffigan as bought for the higher amount – she conducted the rest of the draft as though she had spent the full price for her elite keeper. Now, after a congratulations to Gaffigan for fetching the highest auction price, let's take a good look at what this Black Team is made of.

While there are only two beaters on the roster, the pair of Dallas and Pritts has the experience and skill to play the whole tournament. It will be interesting to see how well they play together since New York University and the University of Maryland play with drastically different beater strategies, but I expect them to have the experience to learn how to play off of each other pretty early in pool play and develop a strategy that complements them both. Even with the low numbers, this looks to be the strongest set of beaters in the tournament and it will only be a test of endurance to see if they can stay strong to see the team through bracket play.

In quaffle play, I'm really excited to see the fresh combinations of size and speed that Franchino put together. While Gaffigan will solidly hold down keeper for the majority of the tournament and can control a defense on his own, what will happen when the new-to-quidditch Schulze steps in? He's a monster of a natural athlete, but having never played a game before he's unproven and likely in for a surprise with how strategically complex the game can be. If he meshes with the rest of the team, he could prove to be the steal of the tournament at 7 galleons. Then there's Kosinski, Haggag, Nuckols, and Ciboldi.  While Boettner will likely be a solid addition, I think the fate of the team lies on the performance of these four players. While Kosinski and Haggag fetched too high a price to be considered steals (35 and 31 galleons, respectively), they're both unheralded players in a position to impress: Kosinski as a demanding physical presence, and Haggag as a ridiculously speedy finisher. Haggag might be one of the fastest players in the sport, and I feel confident in saying he's the fastest in this tournament. If he can stretch the field, that should open up driving lanes for Kosinski and Ciboldi, a 5 galleon purchase who is another physical presence and has been thrust into the spotlight as the captain of a squandering Virginia Tech team, after only a semester of experience. Nuckols, on the other hand, isn't particularly fast or strong, but after becoming an elite snitch runner in the region over the last couple years he has turned his talents to chasing, and early indications are that it's paying off. I expect him to perform better than his 12 galleon purchase, as he can use his snitch skills as an aggravating holding defender, while on the offensive end he gets into position to take advantage of his height to finish at the hoops on a quick catch-and-shoot play. Franchino herself showed promise at a few tournaments for Villanova, and we'll see if she can prove herself at this tournament as a solid chaser.

While the Black Team's beater play is comprised of a solid veteran pair and its quaffle play is defined outside of Gaffigan by unproven and exciting talent, its seeker play confuses me. With the way her roster is built, it seems likely that she doesn't plan on ever being within range of losing by snitch catch, and that will be a hard task in a region that focuses so much attention on defense and keeping games close. Fans should keep an eye on how Franchino handles the seeker situation in a tight spot; with two pure seekers on the roster, it seems easy to say that she will stick with them at all times. However, the best seeker on this roster is the speedy and lanky Haggag, and it will be interesting to see if she uses him in the role in a pinch, especially against such competition as Greco and Young, and the formidable pair of Hall and Lease-Thompson.

Red Team

Roster (in order of galleons cost):

• (GM) Michael Parada, chaser/keeper/seeker, Penn State University

• Billy Greco, seeker/beater, Villanova University

• DJ Lynch, chaser/seeker/keeper, Chestnut Hill College

• Kyle Jeon, beater/chaser, New York University

• Scott Axel, beater, Penn State University

• Thomas Byrne, keeper, Penn State University

• Rowan Bulata, chaser, New York University

• Sean Sullivan, keeper, Horn Tailed Horcruxes

• Leah Levine, beater, Penn State University

• Alex Garancheski, chaser, Lock Haven University Quidditch

• Nick Chan, chaser/beater/seeker, Lock Haven University Quidditch

• Justin Melendez, chaser/seeker, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

• Sam Medney, chaser, University of Maryland

As exciting as Franchino's Black Team is, and as tactically sound as Beliveau's draft strategy for the Green Team was, the favorite for this tournament has to be Parada's Red Team. Unfortunately losing Lock Haven's Garancheski to injury between the draft and the writing of this article, this squad is still solid up and down the board. Parada clearly had the right idea in understanding how this region plays defensively to force close games, making sure to spend top galleon (50) in securing his friend and Team USA teammate Billy Greco to close games at seeker. I expect Greco to blow the other seekers of this tournament out of the water, despite the relentless pairing of Hall and Lease-Thompson, the improvement of Haggag, and the potential of Young. Particularly of this group in terms of pure seeking, Young is probably the closest to Greco, but I don't see him being able to out-seek Greco in-game due to the evident beater advantage of Parada's Red Team here.

Led by Parada's teammate Scott Axel and Dallas's running mate Kyle Jeon, Leah Levine and Nick Chan look to bring depth to a beating tandem that should be second only to the Black Team's formidable pair.  That being said, I see the depth on the Red Team favoring this group deeper in the tournament. The quaffle play for the Red Team also looks more rounded than can be found elsewhere in the tournament, in large part due to the general manager's free acquisition of himself as a roster player. While Byrne's presence might have Parada playing himself more at chaser in this tournament than he'd like, the Team USA veteran can't complain with having Lynch as a running mate, and Chan adds better depth than his purchase price (3 galleons) indicates. The loss of Garancheski will definitely hurt the depth of quaffle-playing males on this roster, but the rotating duo of female chasers here in Bulata and Medney is better than Parada could hope for, being gifted the consistent Medney in the post-draft distribution of players who were late to confirm attendance. With its sound overall roster and the leadership of the stellar Parada, I expect this team to dominate a couple games and have the advantage in closer games with the clutch seeking prowess of Greco coming in to close games.

Blue Team

Roster (in order of galleons cost):

• (GM) Billy Rothert, beater/keeper, University of Richmond

• Patrick Rardin, chaser, University of Maryland

• Julie Fritz, beater/chaser, Ohio State University

• Nick Romano, chaser, Penn State University

• Nick Murray, keeper/chaser, N/A

• Derek Roetzel, beater, University of Richmond

• Katie Rothert, beater, University of Richmond

• Chris Champitto, seeker/chaser, QC Carolinas

• John Clikeman, chaser, University of Richmond

• Kyle Savarese, chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology

• Brittney Midlarski, seeker, Lock Haven University Quidditch

• Carlos Metz, beater, University of Richmond

• Garrett Fundakowski, chaser, University of Richmond

• Justin Bogart, chaser, UPenn Quidditch

I find this roster frustrating to get a hold on, for a number of reasons. Going through his draft strategy, it was evident that Rothert was aiming to hold a strong defense and win his Blue Team some games through clutch seeking. However, I'm not sure that strategy worked out as well as he'd planned, and I wonder if he'll be able to adjust his game-day strategy accordingly. While he bought Rardin, Fritz, and Romano for their defensive capability, he lost Rardin to a late drop from the tournament (a huge blow, being his largest purchase at 42 galleons) and put Fritz into the emidst of a beater corps that is made up entirely of University of Richmond teammates besides the addition of Fritz. While Fritz has the potential to be the best beater at this tournament, the fulfillment of that potential will be decided by Rothert's ability to determine where she will play (either having her at her strength in beater, or using her at chaser) and her own ability to mesh with the comfortable Richmond teammates.  If she works in well with the conservative approaches of Katie Rothert (the general manager's talented sister) and Metz, and can back up the hyper-aggressive Roetzel, she can hold this team together.

On a similar note, while General Manager Billy Rothert would definitely prefer to play beater, he should recognize quickly that his underappreciated ability to hold his own at keeper will be necessary for this team to succeed in the tournament because the only other keeper on the roster has minimal experience and still needs to prove his talent. Furthermore, while Rothert was planning on having a good closer for close games, I wonder if he got that in Champitto. I highly doubt that Rothert was expecting the cricket-chirping silence when he put Champitto up for auction at 15 galleons in the second round. Whereas he thought he was putting the only second-level seeker on the table, he must have quickly realized that he was missing some information that the other general managers had. That missing information comes in the form of Ren Young, Bryan Hall, and the quick improvement of Haggag; where Rothert thought he was snatching the far-away second-best seeker of the tournament, other general managers had a beat on some other strong candidates. It's up to Champitto now to prove Rothert's trust in him as a seeker, but Rothert might be wont to utilize his abilities as an underrated scoring chaser to run up the Blue Team's quaffle scoring numbers. Beyond these immediate concerns with Rothert's draft, his ability to use the speed and tactics of his gifted players will also be of extreme importance in how the team ultimately pans out. I expect him to be willing to embrace the change in playing style of Bogart (given in exchange for the loss of Rardin) and the very speedy Savarese (given in exchange for the post-draft distributed Lease-Thompson, to ensure that certified referees will be able to oversee every game of the tournament) and adjust his game-plan accordingly, instead of abandoning them to his game-plan of imposing defense, which looks to be hard to hold now given the many questions surrounding the Blue Team's final roster.

Overall Predictions

For beating offense, it's a toss-up between the Black Team's strong beating duo, which has the ability to push the attack, and the Red Team's corps, which if Axel is given the lead could have the aggression to create lanes for easy fast break points. I think I'll shade to the beaters of the Red Team for offensive beating as I think the beaters of the Black Team will sit back a little more as they try to conserve their energy. On defense, I like Rothert's Blue Team here.  While the same Black Team duo has the ability to shut down a team on their own, the Blue Team already knows how to play off each other, and the addition of Fritz will help to solidify their defense. Overall, I have to give the beating edge to the Black Team's duo; later in the tournament, though, I worry if their endurance will hold up.

For quaffle defense, I love the physical presence of the big boys of the Green Team paired with Schmidt's tenacity. I must say that if Parada and Byrne pair up often for the Red Team, they can work a pretty airtight defense if they have the right beaters working with them – which they do. I also think the Black Team will post a strong defense with Gaffigan holding the back line and Nuckols, Kosinski, Haggag, and Boettner pushing the front. I really think Nuckols' defensive ability paired with his finishing around the hoop might make him hard to take off the field, regardless of his low galleon purchase. Overall, I think this is a strong defensive tournament in a strong defensive region, and if all cylinders are firing on Saturday then I think the Black Team's quaffle defense could prove the hardest to score against. On the offensive side of the quaffle, I'm finding it hard to argue against a lineup that pairs Parada with Lynch, Byrne, and Medney. Minnich, Rosenberg, and Young might be able to give them a run from the Pink Team, but I think the Red Team is too strong and too deep. Offensive quaffle advantage goes to Parada's Red Team. Overall, if Byrne and Parada are clicking with Lynch, Medney, Bulata, and Chan, then the Red Team is the team to watch on quaffle play.

On closing games, the advantage has to go to Team USA seeker Billy Greco of the Red Team. Nothing has shown that the other seekers of this tournament can compete with him. While Pink's Young has shown flashes of brilliance, it will take a solid beater effort from his team to make a case for him here. After Greco, it comes down to how Young responds to pressure on the snitch from opposing beaters. He might prove to be the only seeker on the step below Greco if he can overcome that pressure. If he can't, then I imagine he'll be joined by Green's duo of Hall and Lease-Thompson, and possibly Blue's Champitto, who is a competent snitch runner but has a lot to prove yet as a seeker. If Franchino uses him correctly, Haggag might prove to be the only seeker on Young's level, or even between Young and Greco depending on how the tournament goes. How Franchino plays out the seeker game will decide everything there.

Combining all these elements, Parada's Red Team has to be the team to beat with its depth at beater, strong front chaser line, and elite finishing game.  I expect that team to at least carry to the finals match-up, if only because they have a clear advantage in close games. While Beliveau's Green Team is an easy choice for second given his plethora of tier-two talent, I expect Franchino's Black Team to pull together and give them a run. They could find enough chemistry to land themselves in the final match. 

Bold Predictions

Pool Play

Red Team : 3-1

Green Team : 3-1

Black Team : 2-2

Blue Team : 1-3

Pink Team : 1-3

Semi-Finals

Red (1) over Blue (4)

Black (3) over Green (2)

Finals

Black (3) over Red (1)