Preview
Midwest Monday: No. 10-8
As USQ prepares for its “inaugural” season, the three of us decided it would be interesting to write a small article highlighting the top 10 teams in the organization’s largest region: the Midwest. This week, we discuss the three teams who just snuck into the top 10.
As USQ prepares for its “inaugural” season, the three of us decided it would be interesting to write a small article highlighting the top 10 teams in the organization’s largest region: the Midwest. As most things concerning Midwest analysis tend to go, we ended up writing more than enough to give you all no less than five articles, which will be released each week leading up to the Midwest’s two kick-off events: Ohio State’s Tournament of the Stars 2 and the Illinois State Firebirds Opening Day on Sept. 20. After the season gets underway, we’ll occasionally revisit these rankings and update them as the first half of the season gets closer to the Midwest Regional Championship on Nov. 9.
This week, the three of us discuss the three teams who just snuck into the top 10, featuring 2012 Regional Champion Marquette University, the new kid on the block, Blue Mountain Quidditch Club, and Central Michigan University, a squad looking to rebound from graduation.
#10 - Marquette University
David Hoops: A disclaimer: Neither myself nor Eric voted to have Marquette anywhere in the top 10. Trevor put this team high enough on his own list to keep Marquette out of the dark horse article; therefore, we’re going to let Trevor begin the discussion here.
Trevor Campbell: After a dismal performance at World Cup VI, where Marquette was projected to destroy its pool and instead was nearly eliminated before bracket play, the Golden Eagles suffered numerous drops. And by that I mean there were only two returning players: Caroline Villa and Matthew Fiebig. With an almost completely new team, no one was expecting much from Marquette at last year’s Midwest Regional Championship, yet it shocked the competition. Not only did Marquette qualify for World Cup, it advanced far in bracket play, defeating the University of Minnesota in overtime, and then losing to the University of Kansas (the runner-ups) in snitch range. Marquette proved that if you can give Villa and Fiebig athletic talent, they can bring together a competitive team. After not being able to attend World Cup VII due to insufficient funds, I feel things will be different for Marquette this year. With a year of experience under their belts, the returning members of Marquette now have a better understanding of the rules. If the team can take that talent and apply it to a productive strategy, Marquette can definitely earn its spot in the Top 10.
Eric Wasser: Personally, I think Marquette is going to have an extremely tough time building back up from last season. Not only do the Golden Eagles have to deal with trying to retain players who were disappointed by not getting to go to North Myrtle Beach, S.C., this team did not play any official matches after Midwest Cup. Given that quidditch teams are constantly plagued with retention and recruitment problems, having a group of returning players with barely any experience and quite possibly a dismal opinion of the previous season, puts the team in a compromising position for what needs to be a rebuilding year. I think if Marquette can assemble a committed group of athletes, then 10th best is the perfect spot for them. However, that is going to be a long, arduous task.
DH: I’m also really not big on Marquette right now. Last season’s surprising Midwest Cup run was marked by a team that really struggled to put points on the board. Marquette only broke the 10-goal barrier once all season against the Mighty Bucks, an Ohio State B team that had a roster of only nine players at the time. The rest of the teams in our top 10—and, to an extent, our dark horses—showed an ability to score at a much higher rate. Even if the team’s entire roster stays committed this season, Marquette missed its biggest opportunity to get better by not being able to attend World Cup VII. Every World Cup gives teams a chance to learn how quidditch is being played all over the world, and now Marquette has one less World Cup of experience than it should. The second issue is the main reason why Marquette needs to come out strong in order for me to consider it one of the 10 best teams in the region.
#9- Blue Mountain Quidditch Club (BMQC)
DH: This is easily the team in the Midwest I want to see most at the beginning of the season. For a team that has not played an official game together, there sure is a lot of hype surrounding BMQC in its inaugural season. The Midwest finally has its own “premier” community team, and my feelings about this team vary widely. Looking at the roster, BMQC will certainly not lack in talent. The biggest addition is Team USA and ex-Central Michigan beater Ashley “Crashley” Calhoun, who will be expected to lead the team’s defense. Calhoun could be paired with Andy Hopkins (Utah Crimson Fliers), Anthony DeCapite (Bowling Green State University), Tom O’Neil (Central Michigan), or team captain Luke Changet (coach of Michigan State University). Almost any of those beaters with Calhoun will create a beating duo that rivals the best in the region. Alex Leitch (Hofstra University) joins the team as a utility player and another top-notch beating option. Nic Dziadosz (Michigan State), Graham Giles (University of Toledo), and Alex Scheer (Toledo/University of Missouri) give the male chasing line a physical punch, as do keepers Devon McCoy (Ball State University) and Isaac Mitchell (Illinois State University). Krystina Packard (Michigan State) and Sara Makey (Ball State) give BMQC solid offensive female chasing options, while Katie Milligan (Bowling Green) brings a defensive skill set along with vast knowledge of the game. Capping off the core of the team is Jack Norgren (Michigan State), who has been one of the better seekers in the Midwest for the past two seasons.
TC: I am perplexed by this team, but I doubt I am alone. In terms of beating, having Calhoun and a supporting partner is definitely a coup, but I am worried about offense. Sure, they have a lot of firepower with players such as McCoy, Scheer, Dziadosz, Giles, Changet, and even Leitch. However, all I see are a bunch of “hero ball” players. If you can get someone to slow down these players and bring beaters up on them, I see them scrambling a lot. If this team wants to connect on offense, Makey and Milligan, who are great passing options, are going to have to step up and show their new teammates just how beneficial passing can be. Having Blue Mountain in the Top 10 without them even having a practice together, let alone a tournament debut, puts me on edge. BMQC has to earn its spot.
EW: BMQC can’t get buckets. Giles is a heralded defensive machine, but the acclaim is mostly unfounded; Scheer puts good hits down and can take long shots, but he struggles with offensive leadership, and BMQC’s best offensive threat, McCoy, lives in Florida and can’t train with the team. Changet, who has spent the summer developing himself as a utility player, is lacking enough experience in highly organized quaffle play to lead the team’s offensive charges, and is also coming off a year where he didn’t play. This team will never lose a game to younger, less seasoned teams due to star power alone, but they won’t be organized enough to break through tougher teams’ defenses. Its beaters will keep the other teams scoring low, but if BMQC gets down by 50, it may be game over.
#8- Central Michigan University (CMU)
EW: Because of the completely unpredictable beating on this team, it has the largest potential of any team to either win a lot of surprising games, or lose games that should be an easy win. With one of the top shot-stopping keepers in David Prueter, the Centaurs will easily be able to force teams close to the hoops to score. Furthermore, Brandon Booth spent the last year emerging as one of the top quaffle players in the region, giving the team heavy offensive artillery. However, CMU is going to be more than vulnerable to driving offenses this year. The huge losses of Team USA beater Calhoun, O’Neil, and Andrew Derry not only leaves it without one of the more dominant beating teams in the Midwest, as it had last year, but also without the teachers and mentors to raise the new beating corps. If the new beaters can’t establish a viable system to force long shots into Prueter and Booth’s hands, the team will consistently be forced into shoot-out games. However, if CMU can get things together, the team is going to be a definite quarterfinalist, and an adequate replacement for Jef Fisher could take them through to the semifinals.
DH: Central Michigan intrigues me going into this season. The quaffle game will definitely still be intact, as CMU’s offense last season didn’t get a lot of help from its beaters. I don’t expect the chasers and keepers to score at alarmingly different rates. However, it’s not a secret that CMU heavily relied on its beaters and shot-blocking keepers to keep points off the board on defense. I’m a little more skeptical about CMU’s level of play, especially early in the season. The new captains can try to force its new beaters to play in the old conservative style that Calhoun thrived under, but I’m not sure that is the best course of action. This team is one of the most physical in the Midwest. A new beating strategy that highlights that strength by letting the beaters roam more often may fit this new team better. For the time being, my questions about CMU won’t let me place it much higher than eighth or ninth on my own list, and I don’t see this group advancing past the Round of 16 at the Midwest Regional Championship.
TC: I definitely see CMU taking a huge blow coming into this year, mostly on the defensive side. Last year’s defense had the perfect set up: Prueter and Booth blocking the long shots, David Wilber slowing any forces down, and the duo of Derry and Calhoun sweeping out any chasers near the hoops. Speaking from personal experience, they really perfected this system. With all three of CMU’s top beaters leaving, it obviously creates a huge gap in the team’s strategy. It will definitely be interesting to see if CMU can find people to fit the mold of last year, or if it can recruit and devise a new strategy. As far as seeker goes, I think CMU is set in that department with Booth. He proved at the 2014 Midwest Fantasy Tournament that he is an all-around utility player by excelling at chaser, keeper, and seeker. That being said, offense is going to carry this team. The question is whether or not their defense will step up to the plate.
