The Monday Snitch: June 17

by JackthePhan | June 17, 2013

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of the IQA.

At the second annual Midwest Fantasy Tournament, Colby Soden's Orange team defeated Ian Hoopingarner's Gray team in the final 130-100*. It was no coincidence that two of the top seekers at the tournament faced off in the final, with Bowling Green State's Sam Roitblat donning orange and Dan Takaki of Villanova clad in gray. Soden's drafting strategy, which included taking great seekers and beaters and surrounding them with undervalued chasers and keepers, worked, he said, "better than I could have ever hoped for."

The chaser/keeper trio of Soden, Grant Daigle, and Wil Kenney, all from the University of Kansas, had great chemistry, and led the Orange team to average 124 points per game. It also provided a glimpse of what the Jayhawks will look like next season. Daigle especially stood out in a defensive role, often marking and neutralizing the opposing team's best player. Soden also credited beaters Joe Pavlik (BGSU) and Chad Hemmerling (Crimson Warhawks); he noted that the duo "really set us apart from most of the teams.” BGSU chaser Sam Elgin's ferocity and finesse were also impressive.

Although the Orange team lost their first game of the day 80*-50 to the Pink team, captained by Luke Changet, they rebounded to go 3-1 in pool play, catching the snitch in all three of their wins. The Orange team headed into bracket play as a number two seed. Against Matt Eveland's Teal team in the quarterfinals an overtime snatch gave the Orange team a 140^-110* victory.

A marquee matchup against Alex Scheer's Blue team, a tournament favorite, followed. Scheer avoided playing star chasers Dan Daugherty (BGSU) and Lawrence Lazewski (Michigan State) simultaneously, instead working them into a speedy chaser/keeper rotation that included Ben "Snowman" Ackland (Michigan State), Samantha Hageman (Grand Valley State), Meredith Taylor (BGSU) and Scheer himself. Scheer said, "Our rotational mix really helped push us forward to win our pool and play with such a high-octane mentality."

In the Blue vs. Orange semifinal, the Blue team's quaffle players took too many bad shots and were left vulnerable to fast breaks several times. In addition, defensive beaters were neutralized by offensive beaters and distracting chasers. Orange capitalized on Blue's mistakes, winning 160*-90 and advancing to the finals.

On the other side of the bracket, Ian Hoopingarner's Gray team gained momentum after a weak start. Hoopingarner explained his draft strategy, saying that he prioritized drafting a playmaker, a closer and a strong defender. Getting keeper Connor Drake (Kansas) as his playmaker, seeker Dan Takaki (Villanova) as his closer and beaters Jacob Bobeldyk (Michigan State) and Amanda Lofgren (Loyola) as his defenders, everything looked good for the Gray team on paper. However, a 1-3 record in pool play was a tough and unexpected start. "One of the first lessons that I learned as a GM," said Hoopingarner, "was that a player's individual skills are not all that matters...I made the mistake of ignoring the systems that allowed players like Drake and Takaki to excel."

Switching to a double point guard system and a normal seeker rotation, the Gray team became very successful, knocking off Changet's 4-0 Pink team in the quarterfinals 90*-80. Changet's Pink team was formidable, never falling out of snitch range and only finding themselves behind twice in pool play. Chaser Evan Adkins (BGSU) and keeper David Prueter (Central Michigan) shone. "Our chasers and keepers performed as well as any at the tournament," Changet noted.

Nevertheless, the Gray team defeated Pink with a snatch by Dan Takaki and moved on to play Will Hack's Purple team. Purple was 4-1 at that point and had caught the snitch in every single game. They looked as if they had all the right pieces to win the tournament, and seeker Tyler Macy (Ball State) was exceeding expectations. Macy was red carded for language against Gray, though, and an inexperienced Purple seeker mistakenly pulled a suicide snatch to lose 140-130*. In these crucial bracket play games, the duo of Drake and Hoopingarner carried the Gray team, combining for a majority of their points. Pink GM Luke Changet stated that Drake was "hands down" the tournament MVP. "[Drake] and Ian Hoopingarner were absolutely lighting it up in bracket play," he quipped.

By the time the finals between the Orange team and the Gray team were underway, it was dark and both teams were tired, having already played 6 games. Soden's Orange team outplayed Hoopingarner's Gray team, winning 130-100*. Hoopingarner congratulated Soden, saying, "Colby put together a fantastic team. Orange was deep, talented, and determined."

Soden echoed many other successful fantasy GMs. "The key to us winning the tournament was everyone improving as the day went on and learning from each other," he remarked. "Everyone on our team played exceptionally."

Dan Daugherty contributed reporting.

Pool 1

Pool 2

Bracket Results

Quarterfinals:

Blue (1) v Maroon (4): 150*^-110

Purple (2) v Green (3): 150*-10

Pink (1) v Gray (4): 80-90*

Orange (2) v Teal (3): 140^-100*

Semifinals:

Purple (2) v Gray (4): 130*-140

Blue (1) v Orange (2): 90-160*

Finals:

Orange (2) v Gray (4): 130- 100*

Consolation:

White v Red: 100*-30