Northeast Fantasy Preview: Part 1 of 3
On Saturday August 3, the much-anticipated Northeast Fantasy Tournament returns to Randall's Island for its second installment. This preview is part one of three.
Tournament Organizers:
Jenna Jankowski - Tournament Director-Macaulay Honors College
Ethan Sturm - Tufts University
Clay Dockery - New York Badassilisks
Michael Clark - Polner-Steel City Quidditch Club
Casey Sabal - New York Badassilisks
Kyle Sanson - University of Rochester Thestrals
Indiana Kuffer - Macaulay Honors College
Tournament Format
With a whopping 267 players attending, this will be the largest fantasy tournament to date. To accommodate such a large volume of players, the tournament will feature 15 teams, each to be headed by a GM selected by the tournament organizers. These GMs drafted their teams during a two-night, auction-style draft with a budget of 1000 galleons. The teams are split into three pools of five, with pool play consisting of one game against each of the other four teams. After this, the top six seeds will enter bracket play, with the top two earning first round byes.
The Teams
Pool 1:
State of the Pool: This is perhaps the weakest overall pool in the tournament, yet it should be able to send two teams to the playoffs based on its players' records. This pool features good seeking and beating, but not as much offensive firepower or physicality as the other pools. These teams are built to win close games, which may help them once they make the playoffs.
Game(s) to Watch: Ethan vs. Zach. This should be the matchup to determine first and second in the pool, but both teams should be able to advance to the playoffs nonetheless.
Zach D'Amico's Blue Team
Zach D'Amico, Chaser, Q.C. Boston: The Massacre
Amanda Dallas, Beater, NYDC Capitalists
Max Havlin, Utility, Boston University
Devin Sandon, Chaser, University of Rochester
Joe Huggard, Keeper, Villanova University
Julia Fillman, Chaser, Villanova University
Edward Inzauto, Beater, No Affiliation
Kristin Lamonte, Chaser, Macaulay Honors College
Nick Murray, Chaser, No Affiliation
Brittany Bissonnette, Beater, Hofstra University
Paula Garcia-Salazar, Beater, Macaulay Honors College
Robert Dacey, Chaser, CAMPS
Emily Pertz, Chaser, New York Badassilisks
Michael March, Chaser, Miami University
Adam Sicklick, Chaser, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Chris Chan, Utility, Not Affiliated
Rowan Baluta, Chaser, New York University
Chris Pavlovych, Chaser, George Mason University
The Team: D'Amico drafted his team well and was really able to get some impact for his galleons. He has Devin Sandon chasing alongside himself, and the passing between these two is expected to be some of the best at the tournament. Beaters Max Havlin, Brittany Bissonnette, Chris Chan, and Amanda Dallas should have little issues in this pool, and they seem to be one of the strongest beater lineups present. D'Amico also drafted a few of his old Villanova players, and they should bring good depth and chemistry to the lineup. D'Amico left himself well-positioned on Day Two of the draft as well, and was able to bully his way into getting good players like Rowan Baluta and Robert Dacey when no one else could afford them. The only perceived weakness is at seeker, where D'Amico will rely on a committee to make the catches needed.
Prediction: This is the strongest team in the pool, from top to bottom. Great chasers up front and an incredible beater line should mean this team will have few issues scoring or playing defense, and they should be able to put many of the other teams out of snitch range early on. If the game is close, it will come down to beaters, and this corps has the skill to outmatch all others and win a close game if needed. I see this team going 4-0 in pool play and winning the group.
X-factor: Max Havlin. Whether he chases or beats, he will still be a top-five athlete at the tournament. He can single-handedly neutralize an opposing beater pair with his mix of aggression, arm strength, and amazing catches. He will win at least one game for this team by himself.
Ethan Sturm's Purple Team
Ethan Sturm, Chaser, Tufts University
Billy Greco, Seeker, Villanova University
Heather Knoch, Beater, No Affiliation
John Gaffigan, Keeper, New York University
Michael Sanders, Beater, Tufts University
Brandon McKenzie, Keeper, University of New Haven
Alyssa Giarosso, Chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology
Tim Binns, Beater, University of Richmond
Sean Rogan, Chaser, Ithaca Hex
Kyle Polacco, Chaser, No Affiliation
Sophie Mintz, Keeper, Ringling College of Art and Design
William Messner, Chaser, Philadelphia Honey Badgers
Jessica Warne, Chaser, Ithaca Hex
Joel Johnston, Chaser, CAMPS
Marina Montenegro, Beater, Horn Tailed Horcruxes
Olivia Bascle, Chaser, George Mason University
Aidan Wilcox, Beater, Vassar College
The Team: As usual, Sturm followed his tried-and-tested fantasy recipe of drafting strong seekers and beaters early and letting the rest fall into place later. With his first two picks of seeker Billy Greco and beater Heather Knoch, Sturm is trying to rekindle his winning magic from last year's event, where these two were the centerpieces on his championship team. Sturm continued to make sure his team was strong at the top, as he spent heavily for keeper John Gaffigan and beater Michael Sanders with his next two picks, creating a potent lineup built for when the snitch is on pitch. Yet Sturm spent an astounding 880 galleons on these first four picks alone, leaving him scrambling to find some talent on Day Two of the draft with a limited budget. Thus, the biggest question mark will be how well Sturm was able to fill out his roster with such few funds, and the role players he drafted will have to step up to warrant his spending spree early.
Prediction: In such a weak pool, Sturm has a team built to win close games. Even though it lacks the offensive prowess of many other teams in the tournament, Sturm's team should dominate games when the snitch is back on pitch and, as long as Greco is on his game, should win any close game they are in. The onus is on the chasers to put enough points on the board for Greco to matter, which in this pool they should be able to do. I see this team coming in second in the pool, at 3-1, with their sole loss coming to D'Amico's blue team.
X-factor: John Gaffigan. If he is off of his game, this team might find itself out of games early. The beaters will do their part, but Gaffigan must score for this team to have success.
Samy Mousa's Pink Team
Samy Mousa, Beater, University of Kansas
Daniel Daugherty, Chaser, Bowling Green State University
Jeff Sherman, Keeper, Rochester Institute of Technology
Colby Soden, Chaser, University of Kansas
Kari Anderson, Chaser, Macaulay Honors College
Dan Hanson, Keeper, The Lost Boys
Martin Pyne, Chaser, Silicon Valley Skrewts
Matt Panico, Chaser, Steel City Quidditch Club
Meredith Taylor, Chaser, Bowling Green State University
Ralph Palmieri, Beater, New York Badassilisks
Todd Mitchell, Beater, Boston Riot
Kara Levis, Beater, UCLA
Kerri Donnelly, Beater, New York Badassilisks
Rita Patel, Beater, Steel City Quidditch Club
Kaitlin Jones, Beater, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Rob Walsh, Seeker, Hofstra University
Jonathan Paré, Beater, No Affiliation
Nathan Archer, Seeker, George Mason University
The Team: Mousa stuck with what he knows here, drafting many of the best Midwestern players for good value, including chasers Daniel Daugherty, Meredith Taylor, and Colby Soden. These three will provide a solid chaser line and should work well together. On the beater front, Mousa has himself and an exceptionally talented Kara Levis, also drafted for significantly less than she is worth. Mousa filled out the rest of his lineup pretty well, including keeper Jeff Sherman and beater Kerri Donnelly for some defensive help. Mousa's one major weakness is lack of depth at seeker, with Rob Walsh being the only primary seeker on the team. If someone steps up behind Walsh to log some minutes and make a catch or two, Mousa's team should not be overmatched in this pool.
Prediction: Mousa's team is solid. They have an offensive line that should work better together than most others at the tournament, and they have a decent beater line. There is nothing too flashy here, but also very little that can be considered a crippling weakness. I see Mousa's team keeping every game close en route to a 2-2 group play record and third place in the pool.
X-factor: Male beater. Mousa himself will have to step up and play well alongside Levis, or else she may find herself overmatched by better beater pairings throughout the pool and the defense may begin to crumble.
John Glynn's Gray Team
John Glynn, Beater, Rochester Institute of Technology
Nathan Love, Chaser, QC Carolinas
Jessica Klein, Chaser, New York Badassilisks
Robert Vorthems, Beater, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Jesse Ellis-Wexler, Seeker, SUNY Geneseo
Harry Clarke, Beater, University of Rochester
Kyle Savarese, Chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology
Brian Herzog, Chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology
Sandi Westover, Beater, University of Rochester
Max Desmond, Chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology
Frieda Haerter, Chaser, Rochester Institute of Technology
Erin Macallister, Beater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Steven Gambino, Chaser, University of Maryland
Tom Aroune, Beater, Ithaca Hex
Toby March, Chaser, Ithaca Hex
Brian Stieglitz, Chaser, Hofstra University
Jenna Dubin, Chaser, Franklin and Marshall College
Aaron Pinzer, Keeper, Rochester Institute of Technology
The Team: Otherwise known as “Rochester and friends,” Glynn went with what he was familiar with in the draft, comprising the majority of his team from upstate New York. That being said, he spread his money out well in the draft and never paid more than 150 galleons for one player. Chasers Jessica Klein, Steven Gambino, and Kyle Savarese were all good, inexpensive buys, with Gambino being one of the steals of the draft. Beater Harry Clarke will be relied upon heavily to combat the other strong male beaters in the pool, and he should work well with his Rochester teammate Sandi Westover. Keeper Brian Herzog should anchor this team's defense well, but he will also have to get involved in the offense to add some scoring punch. Seeker Jesse Ellis-Wexler will need to be at the top of his game, as any win this team gets will most likely be on a snitch catch.
Prediction: Despite the value drafting by Glynn, he was not able to get any superstars. This may hurt the team if things start to go south, as they will have no one to rely on to right the ship at the end of the day. The chaser and beater lineups are strong, but will most likely get outmatched by stronger ones within the pool. I see John's team going 1-3, good for fourth place in the pool.
X-factor: Chemistry. If the large number of Rochester-based players can work together, they may be able to beat stronger teams based off of teamwork and effort.
Patrick Sheehy's Green Team
Patrick Sheehy, Chaser, Boston Riot
Konstantinos Plakas, Chaser, Stony Brook University
Walter Makarucha, Chaser, New York Badassilisks
Leeanne Dillman, Chaser, Boston Riot
Max Blaushild, Chaser, Emerson College
Edderic Uggadan, Beater, Richmond University
Emily Crouch, Beater, New York Badassilisks
Joanne Lam, Chaser, Emerson College
Frank Gao, Utility, Boston Riot
Justin Brown, Chaser, New York University
Shirley Lu, Beater, Wellesley College
Josh Miller, Chaser, No Affiliation
Seamus Peterson, Chaser, Stony Brook
Ryan Smythe, Chaser, Boston Riot
Emily Hickmott, Chaser, Tufts University
Brandon Xing, Keeper, Ithaca Hex
Carly Shulz,, Beater, Ives Pond/Buffalo Quidditch
Chris Galarraga, Beater, Ives Pond/Buffalo Quidditch
The Team: Sheehy has a very uniquely-crafted team at this tournament. Where others drafted star power early, Sheehy went for less well-known players, but unfortunately may have overpaid for many of them. Keeper Max Blaushild is easily the biggest name on the roster, and he is surrounded with good chaser depth coming from Leeanne Dillman, Joanne Lam, Walter Makarucha, and Konstantinos Plakas. Beater is definitely the weak point on this team, with none of the big names at the tournament and only five on the team. Sheehy will thus rely on his physical chasers to play good defense, as I see this team rarely having bludger control. Seeker is also a weakness, with Frank Gao, primarily a chaser, being the best seeker on the team.
Prediction: I see this as a relatively weak team. While the chaser line has some punch, they will need to carry this team and find ways to score on defenses often carrying both bludgers. Other beater lineups in this pool are much stronger, and I see Sheehy's beaters being outmatched in every single game. That being said, this team will be physical, and may prove to be greater than the sum of its parts. I see them going 0-4 in the pool, with only a close game to the Grays.
X-factor: Blaushild. He will be relied on to do it all for this team. If he is not at the peak of his game, the Greens will struggle on offense, defense, and overall.
