It was a beautiful weekend in Corvallis, and the discs were certainly flying. Both Division 1 and 3 of the Cascadia section were in full attendance ready to earn a bid to the Northwest regionals. There were plenty of big plays and big playmakers. I am going to break it down by the top 4 teams of each division.
Division 1
Oregon: There was no one player who stood out above the rest, only because they were too many to count. Dylan Freechild was all over the field, Aaron Hohn was pooping on defenders in the air, John Bloc was catching everything thrown at him and throwing it anywhere he wanted. Jay Janin and Dusty Becker are doing a great job shaping this championship caliber team. I am excited to see what they are going to do over the couple months.
Washington's Eric Wallig earns himself a Conference Championship playmaker award.
Washington: One would think to insert the generic “what’s the matter with UW” joke here, but not this time. The Dawgs were running hard, and showing that they deserve more respect on the national scene. Michael “O-Fro” Capeloto was putting up great hucks, and Fearghal Gunning was catching a great majority of them. However the Conference Championship playmaker award goes to Eric “Righty” Wallig, for his shut down defense, and strong intensity on the field.
Victoria's Kevin Underhill with his Skyd Playmaker juice.
U Vic: The team that provided the biggest upset of the weekend, as UBC became U Vic’s latest victim. This team worked hard all weekend long, their universe win over the T-Birds showed us that they are not to be underestimated. They were led by the athletic plays of Kevin Underhill, and his performance on the weekend earned him a Conference Championship playmaker award.
Western's Alan Laviolette looking thirsty.
Western: This is a strong Western team, with some amazing talent. Coached by Todd “Obelisk” Sliva, he has the Bellingham boys working hard and putting up great numbers. Their game against UW was a hard fought battle, and while UW won in the end, Western was the better looking team in that game. Great play from Casey Bateman and Allan Laviolette. Allan was putting dimes all over the field, and earned a Conference Championship playmaker award.
Division 3
UPS' Ky Lewis says, "Blood is my favorite flavor!"
UPS: They were hands down the best DIII team this weekend, and emerged the victors with ease. While they were tested by cross town rival PLU, they were able to defeat Reed in the championship game handily. Coached by mastermind and master bracket complainer Adam Lerman, the Postmen are in great position to make some serious noise at DIII nationals. The pin point accuracy throws of Ky Lewis earned him the honors of a Conference Championship playmaker award. Consider Tacoma defended.
Reed's Andy Lynch hydrates like a playmaker.
Reed: The surprise team of the DIII tournament this weekend, partially because they were virtually unseen during the regular season. They did not manage to play 10 games during the regular season, which is a shame, because they could have earned the NW another bid. This team was very systematic, with very few mistakes. Their double game point victory against Lewis and Clark was the game of the tournament, and exciting for all spectators. They are a team that should not be underestimated. Without a doubt, the Conference Championship playmaker award goes to Ballard local Andy Lynch. He made many big plays for Bezerker over the weekend.
Ben Lohre is a man who likes his juice playmakerey.
Lewis and Clark: The other half of the best game of the weekend, Lewis and Clark proved that they indeed lead the way on the Oregon Trail. This team was very athletic and had big plays at big times. They unfortunately had a throw away at the end zone on double game point against Reed. The big story for them was that they were competing without Kelly Van Arsdale, who has been sidelined with a knee injury, but will be back for DIII nationals. However, they still did have Ben Lohre, who had the disc in his hands every other throw. His performance earned him a Conference Championships playmaker award.
PLU: This is a very talented, very athletic, and most importantly, very young team. They were the only team to put up strong numbers against UPS’s starting line-up. However their inexperience showed against Reed and L&C. This is a team that has potential to make some serious noise in the 2013 season, and you heard it here first. Ryan “Beanz” Mitchell had an amazing layout bid that he had no business catching. He proved that size isn’t what matters, earning the Conference Championship playmaker award.
...Beans
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