Recap
Rush Locks down West Championship for Gray
On the weekend of July 12, soccer/football fans worldwide were counting down to the FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil. However, despite its worldwide exposure and glamor, it played second fiddle to a much more exciting and popular sporting event.
On the weekend of July 12, soccer/football fans worldwide were counting down to the FIFA World Cup Finals in Brazil. However, despite its worldwide exposure and glamor, the World Cup Championship played second fiddle to a much more exciting and popular sporting event unfolding that same weekend in Torrance, Calif. Quidditch players hailing from numerous high-profile regions across the nation and world packed themselves onto floors, couches and cuddle-sized beds across the greater Los Angeles area to compete at the inaugural West Fantasy Tournament.
Previously, the West region had offered a summer draft-style mercenary tournament called Firemercs hosted by Natalie Stottler and Dyllan Fernandez. Evan Bell and Dan Hanson took over the duties of hosting a summer tournament and rebranded it as the first official West Fantasy Tournament. The directors changed the draft format to feature GMs instead of captains to match the format of THE (original) Fantasy Tournament, and West Fantasy became the first tournament to publicly display player prices during the draft and incorporate Rulebook 8. In addition to creating a more exciting and detailed live-draft experience, Bell and Hanson successfully organized a 15-team tournament spanning over two days that featured talented Global Games players and teams preparing themselves for the international exhibition, West athletes seeking glory in their home region and many out-of-region players hoping to show that the West could not match their talents. In addition to 14 GM-created teams, Bell and Hanson provided the means for Team Australia to join the tournament.
At the end of two days filled with dreadful Southern California summer heat and closely contested competition, Andy Marmer’s Misty and the Grays (Gray Team) became the unexpected West Fantasy champions after defeating Hanson’s (the Lost Boys) extremely talented Moose squad (Brown) in the finals 90*-70 and compiling a 7-1 record along the way. Seeker/chaser Margo Aleman (University of Texas) of the Crimson Chins won MVP and took home the symbolic pineapple trophy. How, though, did the tournament end in a surprising scene in which Misty and the Grays’ seeker Tye Rush (Riverside Quidditch) glistened in the sunset, triumphantly holding a yellow memento of victory, as a jubilant Gray squad celebrated while Hanson fell to his knees screaming, “MARMER!”? One must examine both days of gameplay to appreciate the tournament’s unpredictable final results.
SATURDAY’S MARTYRS
The tournament format allowed 12 teams from three pools to advance to bracket play on Sunday, meaning an unfortunate early exit for three teams. Ethan Sturm’s (Tufts University) Cyanide (Cyan) team was eliminated by the end of Saturday with an 0-4 record. Sturm used an intimidating drafting strategy: he bought two-time world champion and offensive powerhouse Simon Arends (University of Texas) for 300 galleons and paired him with Team USA beater Kyrie Timbrook (Silicon Valley Skrewts) and Chandler Smith (Oklahoma Baptist University) to protect him from opposing beaters. After drafting only three players, Sturm also held the most money going into day two of the draft; however, his personal absence from the draft (Arends picked in his stead) prevented him from realizing his two-day drafting strategy. Cyan managed to pick up some value picks, including Jason Winerip (formerly Silicon Valley Skrewts), but Sturm’s team finished the draft with the minimum amount of players. Still, Cyan landed in the “Pool of Life” (ironically coined by Sturm) with Gray, Red, Black and Australia, and the team was expected to fare well. However, starting keeper Justin Dugie (Cougar Quidditch) had to drop the day before the tournament and could not be replaced. Cyan played toe-to-toe with Black is the New Orange (Black) for the opening half of its first game, but it was playing with less than the tournament’s minimum player-per-team total. Stamina became a factor, and Black finally pulled away with a relentless offensive attack to win 240*-140.
Cyan still played solid games in the afternoon, but depth and fatigue contributed to a 160*-30 blowout loss to Red. Arends was basically Cyan’s only offense throughout the day, with additional contributions from Tyler Bryce (L.A. Gambits) and Winerip. Bryce, who is still fairly new to quidditch, displayed natural athleticism and repeatedly made strong charges to the hoops. However, the emerging talent’s close range shots and finishes were inconsistent. Timbrook had to split time at beater and chaser due to a lack of experienced chaser substitutes, which lessened her impact at beater. Even without Dugie, Cyan expected to fare better
Sequoia Thomas (n/a) drafted BlueSA (Blue), finishing with a 0-4 record in heartbreaking fashion. Keeper Victor Viega (Q.C. Boston: The Massacre) and chaser De’Vaughn Gamlin (University of Northern Colorado) were Thomas’ expensive purchases, and jack-of-all-trades Dakota Briggs (Utah Crimson Fliers) turned out to be a steal at 40 galleons. Blue opened the day by suffering a snitch range loss to Forest Green (90*-40) and a lopsided defeat to Brown (170-80*), and the team seemed to be headed for more discouragement when Pink opened its match against Blue by building a 50-0 lead. Blue took advantage of Pink’s substitutions to mount a comeback, eventually tying the game at 70. This was in no small part due to Briggs’ hustling and converting what should have been turnovers into prolonged possessions and last-second goals, as well as transition goals from Viega and Gamlin. However, Pink caught the snitch to win 100*-70, pushing Blue to 0-3. Its final game was against Orange and Blue managed to catch the snitch to erase a 30-point deficit. Blue went to overtime with the opportunity to set up a three-way tie with Pink and Orange at 1-3 records, but Orange dashed those hopes by catching the snitch to eliminate Blue by a final score of 140^-100*. Ultimately, Blue’s quaffle game suffered from a lack of cohesiveness as Briggs, Viega and Gamlin did most of their scoring by making individual plays. Furthermore, the output from Blue’s talented off-ball female chasers Alessandra Pisaño (Long Beach Funky Quaffles) and Yaneli Gutierrez (Santa Barbara Blacktips) did not match their potentials. As both are strong off ball players, this is an indication that Blue’s passing game just wasn’t in sync. Blue still managed to hold games within snitch range, but its seeking game couldn’t convert its efforts into a win as it posted a 1-4 SWIM record. Although Blue didn’t win a game, its players can take pride knowing they undisputedly had the best uniforms at the tournament.
Sean Pretti’s (Arizona State University) Lavender Town Phantoms (Lavender) ended up in the “Pool of Death” with Lime Green, White, Maroon and Tie-Dye. Chaser Justin Peters (University of Arkansas) and keeper Ian Strickland (Cougar Quidditch) combined to sell for 420 galleons and appropriately carried the offensive load for Lavender. Pretti drafted a team of muscular players known for physical and offense-oriented play, and the strategy looked like it could pay off in a pool where aggressive play would be a necessity. Talented Arizona State University beaters Josh Mattison and Kaylee Buchholtz were tasked with protecting the chaser line. Tie-Dye dealt a huge blow to Lavender’s plans of contention by dismantling Lavender 150*-40 in both teams’ tournament opener. The day worsened for Lavender when Mattison broke his thumb during brooms up in Lavender’s second match, ending the star beater’s tournament prematurely. The rest of the tournament had a positive slant: Mark Stethem (University of Arizona) filled the gap left by Mattison, and the 10-galleon Wildcat played well above his selling price. Lavender lost against the Maroon team in a snitch range game 100*-80. Lavender reversed its fortunes by upsetting the eventual pool winner, Lime Green, with a closely contested 80*-70 victory. The White team ended Lavender’s Saturday on a sour note, though, by beating it handily 170*-70. Lavender was disappointed to discover that it had tied with Tie-Dye at the end of the day with identical 1-3 records. Lavender was eliminated by the head-to-head tiebreaker and missed out on bracket play after a promising showing.
FIRST ROUND FINISHES
Brad Armentor (formerly Louisiana State University) set a quidditch record when he drafted Team USA’s former UT world champion Stephen Bell (Lone Star Quidditch) to his Victorious Secret (Pink) team at a jaw-dropping price tag of 400 galleons. Though he had spent 40 percent of his budget on one player, Armentor still managed to acquire some past and present All-Star talent to support Bell, including keeper Ryan Parsons (formerly University of Southern California), beater Sarah Kneiling (formerly Louisiana State University) and chaser George Williams (Utah Crimson Fliers). Armentor also added a physical utility player by drafting Mitch Cavender (the Lost Boys) and an established female chaser, Katelynn Kazane (formerly UCLA). It was difficult to predict how Pink would perform as Armentor had assembled a strong front line that had potential to compete with most teams at the tournament, but the GM didn’t have much funds left over to purchase supporting depth. Pink’s performance indicated it was somewhere in the middle of the pack. Eventual pool winner Brown handily defeated Pink 170*-50. Pink regrouped, though, and went on to play three consecutive snitch range games. After losing 120*-80 to Orange and 120*-90 to Forest Green, Pink won its sole match of the day, defeating Blue. In a match between two winless teams, Pink jumped out to a 50-0 lead thanks to Bell’s decimation of the Blue defense, assisting and scoring seemingly at will. Pink played a strong defense against Blue, highlighted by Williams’ tough point defense. As Pink wore down, though, Blue came back and eventually tied the score at 70. However, Pink pulled the snitch and finished pool play with a 1-3 record, qualifying for bracket play with the No. 12 seed. Pink matched against No. 5 seed White in the first round where its opponents demonstrated that it’s no Secret a team needs depth to be Victorious. White outlasted Pink, winning 160*-80 and eliminating Armentor’s team. Ultimately, Pink looked like a strong team at several points throughout the day but didn’t have enough depth to compete with the upper-tier teams, suffering from too much reliance on Bell.
Dye Hard (Tie-Dye)’s GM Luke Changet (Blue Mountain Quidditch Club) suffered the most at West Fantasy from spending a large sum on a single player. Tie-Dye faced heavy doubts after the draft when it landed in the “Pool of Death,” but it demonstrated it had its sights on competing after routing Lavender 150*-40. Tie-Dye was optimistic until Vanessa Goh (the Lost Boys) was injured in its game against White, which Tie-Dye eventually lost on one of Steve DiCarlo’s (L.A. Gambits) many snitch grabs (110*-80). Goh attempted to play through the injury in Tie-Dye’s next game, but she was noticeably absent from the pitch in Tie-Dye’s last two games. Luckily, Changet had finished the draft with seven female chasers, so substitutes were available, but no one could really fill the 310 galleon void left by Goh. Jayke Archibald (Q.C. Boston: the Massacre) was left to lead Tie-Dye and provide most of its offense. Archibald made a great effort to do so, mixing drives and accurate distance shots throughout the tournament. Teams could not stop the tall keeper, and the stronger teams considered limiting his impact to be a success. Tie-Dye acquired keeper/chaser Duncan Lewis (Northern Arizona University) in the supplemental draft, and he was able to supply strong support to Archibald by using his quickness to drive to the hoops and score when a defense focused too much pressure on Archibald. Lewis’ regular season teammate, Porter Marsh (Northern Arizona University), provided a physical presence at beater, and Paxton Casey (Lone Star Quidditch) worked well alternating with Marsh to provide a stable beating presence. Despite losing Goh, Tie-Dye kept the eventual pool winners, Lime Green, in snitch range but lost 130*-70. Tie-Dye lost its final game of pool play to Maroon by the lopsided score of 140-50* when it decided to rest most of its starters. Tie-Dye tied with Lavender at 1-3, but Changet’s team advanced to bracket play via a head-to-head tiebreaker with the No. 11 seed. This matched up Tie-Dye with the No. 6 seed—and eventual tournament champions—Gray. Lewis opened the match against Gray with a brooms-up dunk, but Tie-Dye failed to score for a long time thereafter. Gray’s defense prevented Tie-Dye from driving to the hoops often, and the offense frequently had to settle for Archibald’s long shots. In the meantime, Gray slowly built up an insurmountable lead with a balanced passing game. Tie-Dye never let the score get out of hand, but by the time its offense started clicking and Archibald’s shots started falling, Tie-Dye had too large of gap to overcome and lost 140*-50. For his efforts, Archibald was one of three players to receive major consideration for the MVP award.
Black is the New Orange’s (Black) final tournament record (1-4) does not do justice to the quality team Brandon Scapa (UCLA) and Harrison Homel (n/a) put together. The two GMs assembled an intimidating front line featuring Team USA keeper Tony Rodriguez (L.A. Gambits) and UCLA alum utility players Missy Sponagle (the Lost Boys) and Jeff Lin (the Lost Boys). The only downside was that the trio cost a combined 780 galleons. The GMs then opted for instant chemistry by frugally purchasing UCLA and Wizards of Westwood players to fill out their team, with a few exceptions. Rodriguez led Black’s offense, displaying a variety of ranged shots and highlight reel dunks. Black’s games were typified by Rodriguez’s energy and tenacity, as well as Sponagle’s and Lin’s relentless hustle and fundamental skill at numerous positions. Black also picked up a great value pick in Nate Cortazzo (Arizona State University) who provided a physically intimidating presence and strong point defense for only 75 galleons. Black also employed a strong defense, especially when Rodriguez prevented long shots at the hoops while Lin and Cortazzo played a menacing dual point defense. Black’s defense was strongest when it employed this formation anchored by Sponagle and Devin Pearson (UCLA) at beater. Black started off with a convincing victory over Cyan, but then lost back-to-back games in the most frustrating fashion possible. First, they lost 100^*-70 to Red before losing a 70-point lead en route to falling 180^*-140 to Gray. Black could have been undefeated going into its last game had it not been for its 0-4 SWIM performance, but it still had a chance to even its record and get a decent seed if it defeated Team Australia. However, Australia became the third team to defeat a tired Black squad on a snitch grab, 90*-70. Black finished the day with a surprising 1-3 record and the No. 10 seed. As if those losses hadn’t been frustrating enough, Black had to rematch No. 7 seed Australia in the first round. If Black won that match, its reward would have been to face No. 2 seed Red and Aleman again. However, Black never got that opportunity as Australia seemed to get even stronger overnight to become the first team to outscore Black in quaffle points as it won 110*-50. Despite finishing 1-4, Black looked to be an extremely strong and talented team, finishing the tournament with a +100 quaffle point differential. Unfortunately for Scapa’s and Homel’s crew, an 0-6 SWIM record doomed the team to an early exit.
Augustine Monroe (University of Texas) and Becky Schmader (University of Texas) combined forces to create the O-Rangers (Orange). These GMs terrified their opponent GMs by waiting for a lengthy amount of time to purchase anyone until finally selecting Willis Miles (Silicon Valley Skrewts) for 160 galleons. They continued to build a strong beater corps by adding utility players Alyssa Burton (Riverside Quidditch) and Michael Mohlman (the Lost Boys). The Orange GMs proceeded to fill out their offense by drafting players who appeared to be tall, sizable, or extremely athletic. With this strategy, Orange acquired burly defender Dakota Bloom (UC Berkeley) and newcomer Barima Ackah-yensu, who turned heads with both his gargantuan build and ability to quickly assimilate into the game. Orange opened its tournament with a disappointing loss to Forest Green (150*-40), which was attributed to the quaffle players and beaters not being in sync with each other. However, Orange managed to regroup and turn its tournament around. In its next three games, Orange only dropped a match to the eventual pool-winners, Brown. Orange’s draft strategy to pick up players based on their athletic background paid off against Pink and Blue when NCAA track athlete Austin Goodheart (Santa Barbara Blacktips) preserved two 10-point leads by pulling snitches against Pink (120*-80) and Blue (140^-100*) and finishing 2-1 in SWIM situations. Orange finished third in its pool with a 2-2 record, which was good enough to earn the No. 9 seed on bracket play and a first round match against No. 8 seed Maroon. Etefia Umana (Loyola University New Orleans) led Orange’s offense, using his height and quickness to slash through defenses on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for Orange, the star chaser/keeper could not attend Sunday and missed bracket play. While no one can be certain of the impact Umana would have had, Orange did not have enough offensive firepower to contend with a strong Maroon team on Sunday. Orange fell to Maroon (170*-50) to complete its weekend with a 2-3 record.
QUARTERFINALISTS
USQ correspondent Jack “ThePhan” McGovern drafted a team that many thought might contend for the title. The Castaways (Maroon) paired keeper Alex Browne (the Lost Boys) with chaser/keeper Ben Harding (Santa Barbara Blacktips). Browne is an immensely talented keeper and a prolific passer, and Harding, a rising star who just finished his first complete season, excels in an off-ball role where he can use his size and vertical jump to convert passes into incontestable dunks. Putting those two players together instantly made Maroon formidable. McGovern also added two standout former Long Beach Funky Quaffle players by drafting the hard hitting chaser/seeker Alex Richardson (L.A. Gambits) and utility player Kyle Epsteen (L.A. Gambits). Maroon also featured the talents of established Lost Boys Andrew Waldschmidt and Madeleine Wojdak as well as Gabrielle Hooper, a reliable female chaser from Northern Arizona University. Maroon found out its potential would be judged quickly on Saturday when it landed in a pool of potential frontrunners. The Castaways, featuring an iconic handprint on their “Maroon-ed” jerseys, started off by playing an even match against Lime Green but lost when their opponents pulled the snitch to win 90*-60. Maroon rebounded against Lavender to win 100*-80 only to fall short against White’s seeker, DiCarlo, and lose 120*-90. After a day of frustratingly close games, Maroon dismantled Tie-Dye 140-50* to secure third place in its pool and the No. 8 seed. Despite a mediocre record, Maroon still looked to be a threat going into bracket play. It lost both of its games on snitch grabs, so it was clear Maroon had no problem competing. With the promising rookie Richardson fulfilling seeking duties, Maroon had a viable chance to make a run for the trophy. Sunday morning started well for Maroon as it cruised in its opening game against No. 9 seed Orange, but its next opponent was the undefeated No. 1 seed Brown. Brown had no shortage in size, featuring three chaser/keepers well over 6 feet and a deep line of talented beaters. Maroon was undeterred by Brown’s aggressive scoring; Brown seemed to constantly hover at a 10 or 20-point lead but could never pull out of snitch range. Browne played phenomenally, delivering hard hits and defensive stops that the No. 1 seed hadn’t seen all tournament all while facilitating Maroon’s offense by driving and dishing assists. Maroon was dealt a huge blow, though, when Richardson received his second yellow card and was removed from the game. Even though Maroon managed to pull even with Brown at 60-60 when the snitch was on field, its best seeker could not participate. Maroon eventually lost 110*-70, marking its third snitch-range loss, and Brown survived the first team that looked like it could be on equal footing. Perhaps the game and the entire tournament would have played out differently if Richardson had still been eligible to seek, but Maroon had to settle for a 3-3 record and a quarterfinal exit.
Team Australia attended West Fantasy to prepare for Global Games, and despite being a national team, there weren’t a lot of high expectations for the only non-GM team in the tournament. Expected to be behind US players in both skill and physicality, the Australian athletes arrived with something to prove. By the end of Saturday, Australia showed it was a legitimate threat. Australia opened the tournament with what many would have thought to be a demoralizing loss to Red, 110*-20. Australia met with Gray in its second game, a team that had beaten Red earlier. Initially, there was no reason to think Gray wasn’t going to supply Australia with more of the same as the Australians found themselves in an early 20-point deficit. The margin oscillated from 10 to 30 points throughout the match, and Gray could not get out of range. When the snitch returned to the pitch with a 20-point margin, Australia’s physical beaters were able to repeatedly regain bludger control and set up many scoring lanes for their chasers. This helped Australia tie the game at 80 before grabbing the snitch to shock Gray and win 110*-80, making it the only team in the tournament to defeat Gray. After the game, multiple Australian players facetiously suggested that they should head home so as to end on a high note. As it would turn out, Australia was nowhere near done impressing. In its third game, Australia managed to beat Cyan on quaffle points and grab the snitch to win 70*-20. Australia followed that with another shocking victory by playing even with Black in the final game of the day and won another SWIM situation to emerge victorious 90*-70. Australia showed that its level of quidditch is far above what skeptics expected on Saturday when it finished the afternoon with a 3-1 record. This was good enough for the Australians to be part of a three-way tie for first in their pool with Red and Gray. After tiebreakers were applied, Red won the pool and earned the No. 2 seed, Gray took the No. 6 seed, and Australia earned the No. 7 seed. This set up a rematch with Black, and Australia proved on Sunday that its performance had not been a fluke. Australia looked even stronger, beating Black 80-50 on quaffle points and grabbing the snitch yet again to advance to the quarterfinals. In another rematch, Australia fared much better against Red in bracket play. However, Australia had been surviving throughout the weekend on timely snitch grabs to secure victories, and it finally ran out of luck against Red’s Aleman who grabbed the snitch to secure a 90*-80 come from behind win and eliminate Australia. Australia finished the tournament with a 4-2 record and an impressive 4-1 SWIM line thanks to the effort of seeker Emmanuel Berkowicz. Female chaser Hannah Monty played exceptionally well, and quaffle players Dameon Osborn, Rajtilak Kapoor, James Osmond and James Hyder all stood out as chasers or keepers who could play at a very physical level. Losing only to Red all weekend, Australia demonstrated it was capable of playing at a much higher level than anticipated.
Tad Walters (Loyola University New Orleans) put together Flora’s Finest (Forest Green), which featured Team USA’s Audrey Wright (University of Texas) and Tiffany Chow (the Lost Boys) as a strong dual female chaser pair. This allowed Walters to group his starting quaffle carriers with two absolutely outstanding male beaters in Chris Seto (the Lost Boys) and Freddy Salinas (University of Texas). Salinas had to drop after the supplemental draft, though, and Forest Green essentially lost 245 galleons. This made many people wonder how Walters’ team would fare, and as it would turn out, Flora’s Finest would more than hold its own. Andrew Murray (L.A. Gambits) had an excellent tournament, and the combination of his offensive output, fundamental play and stingy point defense garnered him MVP votes. Seto, one of the quickest players in the West, used his speed, beating accuracy and footwork to cover plenty of ground and create havoc against opposing offenses. The Team USA beater has embodied intelligent beating all season, and he displayed his same methodical performances at West Fantasy. Josh Vinson (Silicon Valley Skrewts) also played exceptionally well at beater, making the loss of Salinas more bearable for Forest Green. Vinson, a regular season substitute for Miles, displayed both high velocity and fantastic accuracy throughout the weekend. Forest Green’s offense, fueled by Murray and Wright, was on display early as Flora’s Finest routed Orange 150*-40. Justin Fernandez (Santa Barbara Blacktips) showed promise at the close of his rookie season by pulling two snitches in SWIM situations against Pink (120*-90) and Blue (90*-40). After starting 3-0, Forest Green faced a fellow undefeated team when it played Brown with its pool on the line. Flora’s Finest struggled against its talented opponents and ultimately lost 120*-70. However, Walters’ squad earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament, giving it a bye. In an odd twist, Flora’s Finest played a lower seeded team that, strictly speaking, had a better record. The No. 5 seed, White, had a 4-1 record coming into its bracket game against Forest Green by virtue of its first round victory. As expected, the two teams played a very physical and even game, but DiCarlo grabbed the snitch for White to eliminate Forest Green 120*-90. Flora’s Finest played a very strong tournament, considering that Murray was not at 100 percent on Sunday and the team had no consolation for losing its 245-galleon pick.
Beto Natera (formerly Lone Star Quidditch) created Team Mexico (Lime Green) and picked several players from his championship Snow Cup team, including Nebraska Huggins and Brandon Rylee from Thundercats Quidditch, Grant Daigle (University of Kansas) and Team USA’s Hannah DeBaets (Tufts University). Natera also added two very talented chasers, Tylor Mclaren (Oklahoma Baptist University) and Brian Zanghi (Q.C. Boston: the Massacre), as well as solid utility player Kyle Campbell (San Jose State University). Natera’s squad boasted depth and had an extremely effective general strategy: Rylee would aggressively tackle or beat one of his opposing bludger-wielding beaters to allow Mclaren or Huggins to drive to the hoops. More often than not, this aggressive tactic paid dividends for Team Mexico, but it also made the team vulnerable to counter attacks and fast breaks. This led to numerous close games, but Lime Green managed to come out on top most of the time. Lime Green opened its tournament with a close victory against White (90*-50) and continued to win SWIM situations by beating Maroon (90*-60) and Tie-Dye (130*-70) before being upset by Lavender (80*-70) in its final game of the day. At the end of Saturday’s gameplay, Lime Green was tied for first with White in the “Pool of Death” and won the pool by virtue of its head-to-head victory. Lime Green was granted the No. 3 seed and a first round bye. This instantly put the team in the quarterfinals where it met the seemingly innocuous Gray team. Lime Green built a small lead at the opening of the game, but Gray adjusted its beater line to handle Lime Green’s physical strategy more effectively. While Rylee played an outstanding game, Gray’s Kara Levis (Q.C. Boston: the Massacre) managed to maintain a sorely needed defensive presence in her first game at beater in the tournament. Gray’s Tyler Walker (Ball State University), Ricky Pasquier (Riverside Quidditch) and Julia Thomas (Free Agent) also provided stability under Lime Green’s tenacious pressure, and Lime Green’s lead slowly dwindled. The two teams traded goals in a thoroughly exciting game where Lime Green’s Huggins, McLaren and Zanghi scored repeatedly. Gray utilized Jake Tieman’s (the Lost Boys) size, fast breaks from Matt Williams (formerly Utah Crimson Fliers), four goals from Walker and Rush’s strong finishes to eventually build a 30-point lead. Just when Gray seemed like it might finally pull away, Campbell made the crowd erupt with a diving snitch grab to tie the game and send it into overtime. Five minutes of back-and-forth scoring ensued as Gray’s seekers and beaters refused to let Campbell get another good look at the snitch from a combination of timely beats and driving the snitch toward their own hoops. Meanwhile, Lime Green scored in multitudes, but Gray’s defense made some great stops and managed to match Lime Green’s goals. Finally, when Gray had a 10-point lead, Huggins attempted to recover a missed shot from his teammate near Gray’s hoops in the final 30 seconds. Huggins was met by a pack of Gray defenders, and as more Lime Green players joined, a (seemingly legal) dogpile ensued where players ferociously wrestled for control of the quaffle at the base of Gray’s small hoop. During the scuffle, the overtime period expired with Gray clinging to a 10-point lead. Literally inches away from double overtime, Lime Green found itself eliminated after a hard fought game and a very impressive tournament. Team Mexico finished 3-2 in five snitch-range games, won its pool and barely lost a wild game to the eventual tournament champions. Even with a quarterfinal exit, Natera’s team was certainly a force at West Fantasy.
SEMIFINALISTS
Kevin Oelze’s (Silicon Valley Skrewts) Betty Whites (White) were considered a strong contender after the initial draft. Oelze was able to break his curse of being eliminated by Steve DiCarlo’s deft snitch pulls before the tournament even began by drafting the former All-American seeker/utility for 160 galleons. DiCarlo exemplified Oelze’s strategy: Oelze did not spend more than 190 galleons for any of his players and picked up star talent at very reasonable prices. While many GMs were dishing 200-300 galleons for top talent, Oelze managed to pick up two previous All-Americans for under 200 each. He also acquired a wide selection of depth that gave the team the ability to be flexible and survive stamina issues that plagued the majority of other teams. White dropped its first game, surprisingly in a SWIM situation, to Lime Green 90*-50. DiCarlo literally left the pitch bloodied and bruised after pursuing the snitch, but his and White’s fortunes would soon be reversed. DiCarlo broke one tie by grabbing the snitch against Tie-Dye (110*-80) and caught the snitch against Maroon to win 120*-90. White finished Saturday with a convincing 170*-70 victory over Lavender and a tie for first place in its pool, but it had to settle for the No. 5 seed after Lime Green won the pool via tiebreaker. White began Sunday with a convincing 160*-80 victory over No. 12 seed Pink in the first round before Alex Makk (Silicon Valley Skrewts) made a clutch snitch pull to defeat No. 4 seed Forest Green 120*-90. In the semifinals, White faced its biggest challenge yet when it played the undefeated No. 1 seed, Brown. However, Brown had shown signs of vulnerability in its quarterfinal round. In a highly anticipated semifinal match, Brown jumped out to a sizable lead. White began to come back, but Brown grabbed the snitch to advance to the championship and seal White’s fate. Throughout the tournament, White succeeded based on a strong chasing game coupled with strong seeking to convert close games into victories. Makk and Andrew Covel (Silicon Valley Skrewts) in particular had very strong tournaments and displayed their shooting skills while Hank Dugie (Cougar Quidditch) provided a Texas-style physical defense to boost White. Despite failing to advance to the championship, White’s record (5-2) indicated it was one of the stronger teams present.
Michael Binger’s (UCLA) Crimson Chins (Red) made a very successful run to the semifinals. Even from game one, the Crimson Chins had unexpectedly strong chemistry. Amanda Nagy (the Lost Boys) and Ryan Donahue (UCLA) were a formidable beater pair who were able to consistently slow down opposing offenses when Nagy wasn’t busy contributing offensively as a chaser. Chewy Shaw (Silicon Valley Skrewts) had a breakout tournament as he developed into a key piece of Red’s scoring throughout the tournament. Rich Hatch (L.A Gambits) put up strong scoring numbers, Corey Osto (UCLA) rather quietly led Red’s offense using his quickness to beat defenders and score frequently, and Ryan Seaton (Wizards of Westwood) provided accurate mid-range shooting. However, the heart and soul of Red was tournament MVP Aleman. Before the snitch was on pitch, Aleman literally threw himself at opposing ball carriers to bring them to the ground, and he heroically lifted Red to victory on several occasions. Red opened its tournament with a loss to Gray (120*-60) in which it lost control of a small lead. Nagy gave the team a rousing pep talk that inspired Red to win the rest of its games that day. Red immediately decimated Australia (110*-20) before matching up with Black. Black was favored to beat Red throughout the game, but Red managed to keep the score close enough to allow Aleman to send it into overtime with a snitch grab. The overtime was very quick as it only took Aleman ten seconds after the seeker floor to catch the snitch a second time and give Red a climactic 100^*-70 victory. Red finished Saturday with a convincing 160*-30 win against Cyan and won its pool after tiebreakers settled a three-way tie. Red was given the No. 2 seed in bracket play and a first round bye. Hatch was unavailable to play on Sunday, and Red seemed to have less offensive punch without the flashy chaser. Australia gave Red a scare in the quarterfinal game, but Aleman again salvaged victory by pulling his third SWIM snitch to give Red a 90*-80 victory. This put Red in the semifinals and created its second rematch of the day. Having only played teams from within its own pool throughout both days, Red met Gray in the semifinals. While Red and Gray had enjoyed a closely contested pool matchup, this semifinal match was much different than their pool meeting. Gray had much more refined chemistry at this point and, despite a valiant effort from Red, put up a large early lead. Red lost (170*-60), making its final record 4-2. Aleman finished the tournament 3-1 in SWIM situations, and Red made sure it was one of the most thrilling to watch throughout the weekend.
THE FINALS
After all the attendees quit watching the World Cup finals early in order to get back to the pitch and see action twice as exciting in the West Fantasy semifinals, it came to light that Hanson’s Moose squad (Brown) would be facing Marmer’s Misty and the Grays (Gray). The two teams had taken drastically different paths. Hanson had drafted a significant amount of United Kingdom players for cheap prices, and it turned out to be a great move. Ren Bettendorf (L.A. Gambits) led Brown’s offense, and with the beating support of Peter Lee (the Lost Boys) and Cy Torrey (Santa Barbara Blacktips), Bettendorf charged essentially uncontested through many defenses. Brown took advantage of having strong female chasers and primarily utilized a two-male beater set. Bettendorf had strong offensive support from the UK’s Luke Twist (Oxford University) and Stew Driflot (Boise State University), and Brown enjoyed depth at all positions including physical male chasers and a set of female chasers who were all capable of scoring. For beater depth, Brown featured the talents of 2013 regular season starters Tanna Helm (L.A. Gambits) and Michael Aguilera (Long Beach Funky Quaffles) who played alongside one another for the Funky Quaffles . Brown exhibited a strong passing game and demonstrated early that its offense would rely on more than just Bettendorf charges. Brown was the only team to remain undefeated on Saturday and obtained the No. 1 seed in bracket play. After enjoying a bye, Brown beat two very tough teams in Maroon and White to advance to the finals with a 6-0 record. Lee’s outstanding performance at beater earned him runner-up in the MVP voting, and Brown was a heavy favorite to win the tournament.
In contrast to Brown, Gray didn’t have high-priced superstars. Gray also didn’t enjoy continual landslide victories. In fact, Gray found itself barely surviving many games. In its opening game against Red, Sam Fischgrund (Silicon Valley Skrewts) pulled the snitch against Aleman and the Red team to give Gray an opening 120*-60 victory. After a convincing 120-80* win over Cyan, Australia shocked Gray by beating it 110*-80. Gray faced Black in its final game of Saturday, hoping to rebound from its loss. Black jumped out to a 50-point lead and eventually held a 90-20 lead. Gray slowly mounted a comeback in an extremely lengthy game. As the snitch was handicapped to having both arms behind his back, Gray pulled within 30. Fischgrund went from seeker-blocking to making a miracle snitch grab to tie the game and complete a 70 point comeback. In overtime, Gray’s Chris Lock (Silicon Valley Skrewts) charged the still handicapped snitch and used his long reach to snag the game-winning snitch. Gray’s comeback victory marked a turning point, as a much stronger and more reliable team showed up on Sunday. After two convincing victories, a thrilling overtime victory in the quarterfinals and a little luck on Sunday, Gray was headed to the championship to face Brown. Like Brown, the Gray squad had a large amount of depth and a strong passing game. Chaser/seeker Rush played tenacious defense and found multiple ways to score and assist throughout the tournament, Tieman consistently powered through hordes of defenders for goals and stepped in at beater at several occasions, Williams created and finished many fast breaks with strong dunks, Leeanne Dillman (Emerson College) and Kara Levis (Q.C. Boston: The Massacre) both played impressively at multiple positions and Walker provided both quick offensive scores and defensive relief at multiple positions. The beater corps, anchored by Spencer Gold (formerly University of Southern California) and April Gonzales (formerly Northern Arizona University), rotated seamlessly without showing any defensive weakness. Lock used his versatility to fill in all gaps for the team, anchoring the backline at keeper while leading drives in his role as distributor and providing seeking as needed. Like Brown, many more unnamed players made great contributions off the bench.
Prior to the game, both teams were dealing with injuries to key players. Brown’s seeker Robbie “Dugald” Young was out of the tournament with a broken nose. Gray’s starting beater, Gold, could not participate due to an injured leg.
As the sun began to set, so did West Fantasy’s final match. Brown was making its trademark “Mooooooooose” noise that made the pitch sound like a domed arena, and Gray left its huddle chanting, “US Gray! US Gray!” Before brooms up, most spectators expected a lopsided Brown victory. What happened instead was an extremely close contest.
The beginning of the match was either marked by strong defensive showings or offensive miscues. Bettendorf tried to pass over the hoops to a teammate on the opening drive, but 2013 regular season teammate Lock intercepted the pass. However, Bettendorf didn’t wait long to return the favor and intercepted Lock’s bounce pass to Rush on Gray’s ensuing possession. It took the teams a long time to score, and the scoreless tie was not broken until Bettendorf was wrapped from behind on a drive. After players were reset due to advantage, Bettendorf scored a quick chip shot to give Brown an early 10-0 lead. However, Dillman tied the game after she tracked down an errant pass and scored a fast shot from behind the hoops. The teams continued to battle back and forth: Lee and Torrey successfully stagnated Gray’s offense, but Walker played exceptionally well as a beater substitute for Gold. Neither team could pull more than a goal out of range of the other until Twist made clutch back-to-back scoring drives. Near the end of the game, Brown managed to briefly pull out of range, 70-30. However, Gray slowly mounted a comeback. Gray trailed 70-40 with the snitch on pitch and scored two unanswered goals on consecutive fast breaks. Immediately after Gray came within 10 points of Brown, Rush snatched his third snitch of the day to complete the comeback and upset victory, 90*-70.
With that, West Fantasy began to conclude. Marmer’s Misty and the Grays were unexpected champions, and Hanson ate the traditional “you tried” watermelon for the second year. Marmer exhibited a thrifty and clearly effective drafting strategy by selecting strong players from both past and present seasons at relatively cheap prices as opposed to expensive phenomenons. As a result, the Gray team was generally underestimated, but Marmer’s squad ultimately demonstrated the underrated importance of drafting depth and the impact of a team’s heart. All in all, the tournament featured many teams that were in close competition as indicated by the numerous snitch range matches. The finals featured a very competitive match that came down to a snitch grab that, in all honesty, could have gone either way.
Chris Lock who plays for the Silicon Valley Skrewts was a member of Misty and the Grays (Gray) at the West Fantasy Tournament.
Update: This article originally reported that Steve DiCarlo caught the snitch for White against Forest Green. This snitch was caught by Alex Makk. The article has been updated to reflect this. USQ regrets this error.
