DAY THREE
FINALS
By: Chris Spittal
Photos by: Matt Lane
Head of an ox, feet of a bear, back of a dinosaur, and tail of an alligator, the Wisconsin Hodags were the better team in the 2008 Open UPA Championship Sunday, and their superiority was apparent from start to finish. Both teams showed their dominance throughout the tournament and seemed destined to meet all year for a rematch of the 2006 UPA Open College Championship.
The conditions were a bit windy, to say the least, but the hills that ran alongside the field did their part to cut down on the crosswind and make the conditions a little more bearable. Wisconsin received the first pull and patiently worked the disc downfield, but turned it on a drop. Florida tried to take advantage of the gift, but Brodie Smith’s forehand huck to Kurt Gibson was pushed from right to left out of bounds. Florida would get the disc back again, but seemed a little anxious at the start, and turned it over yet again, which would be a common theme for Florida throughout the game. Wisconsin’s Tom Annen was able to cut through the wind with a backhand huck to take the first point.
Florida struck back quickly as Smith found Gibson with a long forehand huck, but that would be the last point Florida would score until Wisconsin built a 5-1 lead. The Hodags went up 2-1 on a backhand huck from Matt Rebholz to Tim Pearce, to go up 2-1, and would take advantage of a couple of Florida’s unforced turns to build their lead. After falling behind 3-1, Florida understood it needed to score quick to get back in the game, but tried to do so by forcing hucks to players not more than a few steps open, which often resulted in turns and dug them an even deeper hole. Florida was lucky enough at times to get a Wisconsin turn, or force a D, but they couldn’t convert against the tough Wisconsin D.
After falling behind 5-1, Florida took a time out and found a sense of urgency to stop the bleeding. It only took a few throws for Gibson to find Jeff Yeakel with a forehand huck, and Yeakel to easily find Cyle Van Auken for the quick score, as Florida finally showed signs of its efficient, flowing offense. Florida came at Wisconsin with its four-man cup, later switching to man, but Rebholz, Annen and Kevin Riley easily worked the disc back and forth as they patiently moved downfield, and answered to make it 6-2.
Though it was in control, the Hodags seemed concerned with the ease at which Gibson and Smith were getting off hucks, and switched to a backhand force, forcing Florida to work the unders. Florida’s receivers were getting open with relative ease, but were still playing a little tight as GIbson turned the disc on a dump to Van Auken. Florida was able to get the disc back, though, thanks to a few turns on hucks from Wisconsin, and Yeagel hauled in a tough read at the goal line and easily found Jonathan Windham for the score over Wisconsin’s Ben Feldman. Wisconsin again was able to answer as its handles worked the disc down field to gain big yards, and Pearce connected with Jon Gaynor, who would pull in a game-high six scores. After answering with a big score of its own, Florida again threw man, which Wisconsin easily broke over the top and got the disc to Will Lokke on the sideline, and Gaynor snuck behind Gibson to haul in a backhand from just before midfield to take half 8-4.
Florida was receiving after half, but Van Auken dropped the first throw at the goal line for another unforced turn, and Wisconsin quickly converted for a 9-4 lead. At this point, Florida was really feeling the pressure and started to play a smaller rotation, and the Hodags, who were perhaps tasting victory, made things much harder on Florida with their defense. Florida fell back into its pattern of looking deep for scores, which resulted in turns, but helped their defense find their legs a bit and step up its intensity. Some would say it was a little too intense, as its aggressive four-man cup called a number of travels, was called for numerous double-teams, and Florida received a team misconduct foul after Cole Sullivan kicked Rebholz's hand while the disc was still in it to prevent a swing. This only fired up the Hodag sideline, who decided to add to the chippiness of the game by taunting Florida for having to run so much in what was shaping up to be a futile attempt at a comeback.
After Lokke, Rebholz, Riley and Gaynor walked the disc downfield to take a 10-5 lead, Florida started to show their fatigue and appeared to be losing hope. Gibson again relied on his flick to move the disc to Sullivan at the goal line, and Yeakel helped Florida answer with a catch to make the score 10-6.
After trading to 11-7, both teams continued to put up high-risk throws as Wisconsin was looking to close out the game, and Florida was looking to crawl back in it, but the wind was not being kind to the disc. Florida was able to end the string of turnovers after Gibson and Van Auken clamped down on the dumps and Smith stalled Lokke near the goal line, and Van Auken hit Sullivan for a quick score.
The Hodags remained confident after Florida got back a break, but quickly turned the disc again as Lokke tried to hold back a forehand, but the disc barely slipped free into the ground. Gibson took every other throw to make sure Florida got the important score to pull within two at 11-9. After a timeout to regroup, Wisconsin put a stop to the run and put themselves three points from the Championship. Florida again fell back into their old habits as Gibson put a huck to Sullivan but had trouble reading the disc in the wind. Smith got the disc back on a huge deep D and ripped a 55-yard hammer to Gibson, but Lokke got to it first. The Hodags worked it up to Feldman, who put a 50-yard forehand to Lokke for the bookends and a 13-9 lead. Florida again tried to force a huck, which Wisconsin turned into a score, and turned the disc out of bounds near its own goal just after the pull. Wisconsin’s Brandon Malecek picked up the disc and only needed one throw, a forehand break, to hit Annen for the win, and giving the Hodags their second straight Championship. finals score 15-9.
“I can’t tell you how great it feels,” Wisconsin’s Shane Hohensteinn of the back-to-back titles. “Especially after 2006, and to have all the hard work over a long season, it’s a great feeling.”
Hohenstein, who provided the defensive fireworks for the Hodags and led the defensive pressure that troubled Florida for most of the game, said getting out to a fast start was important against a Florida team who didn’t face much of a challenge all tournament.
“It definitely worked to our advantage to come out like that, make them play a little tight and put them in that position,” he said. “One thing we always know we have an advantage with is our depth, and to be able to use that with the lead, forcing them to play a tighter rotation and wear them down, it was huge.”
Florida had the firepower to match up against Wisconsin, but after falling behind, couldn’t find its rhythm to put in the take advantage of Wisconsin’s turns, and were instead left with many missed opportunities. Gaynor, whose offensive performance played a huge role in building and keeping the lead, spent time after the game enjoying the back-to-back titles he earned with his team.
“It feels amazing,” he said. “It’s so special to be a part of a program. To have so much work throughout the season, throughout the cold winter in Wisconsin pay off, it’s just really special.”
DAY TWO
By: Chris Spittal
Photos by: Matt Lane
PREQUARTERS
While the pool winners slept Saturday morning, there were a number of teams vying for the chance to take them out that were already battling it out in Boulder.
Arizona v. Dartmouth
An early surprise, Dartmouth was able to take advantage of a few careless Sunburn turns and jump out to a 4-2 lead. Pain Train’s Sam Haynor and mike Zargham were able to help Dartmouth answer Arizona’s explosive offense as the teams traded to 7-5 before Dartmouth went up a break to take half. Arizona was showing signs of fatigue and relied too much on their deep game, which resulted in turnovers Dartmouth patiently worked downfield to take a 10-7 lead. Arizona started throwing zone off the pull, but Dartmouth was able to easily get past the cup behind Zargham and Haynor and put in easy scores. Arizona’s Joe Kershner, David Husid and Austin Gregerson helped Sunburn find its groove offensively, and they were able to keep the score close at 13-10, just in time for Arizona’s D to make a move. “We were tired all game and were really trying to put it up in the first half deep, and it wasnt working out,” said Kershner. “They were having their way in the first half and were getting whatever they wanted. The second half we got our sidelines into it, started forcing middle and came up with the pressure and came up with the plays.We buckled down and started doing the work.”
After Dartmouth turned the disc on a huck, Erik Gafni and Gregersen took control to make sure Sunburn put in the big score. Gregersen also got a big D on an upline cut, and caught the score for a bookends to bring it to 13-12. After reaching 13s, Dartmouth finally found the endzone again as Misha Sidorsky found a streaking Matt Mackey in the back corner with a forehand. Kershner helped direct Arizona’s offense to bring it back even, a following a 
dropped dump by Dartmouth, Chris Shepard found Billy Keating with a cross-field forehand to take the lead. Dartmouth regained the lead by mixing a huck to Carson Thomas with patient offense, and Kershner reached back to steal the disc from two Dartmouth defenders on the goal line and found Gafni with a low backhand that sailed just under the reach of a laid-out Derott McHugh, who supplied tough D for Dartmouth all game. With the sidelines cheering for “Boring Ultimate” to ease the disc in for the win on double game point, an untimely drop by Dartmouth at midfield gave Arizona the disc, as Kershner calmly picked up the disc, and with no hesitation unleased a sky-scraping hammer to Gregersen, who came down with the disc for the win between two defenders. So much for “buckling down and doing the work” . . .
“I picked it up and thought, ‘I bet they buckle down, but give us a hammer.’ I saw him going, and their guy looked for the flick and left it over there, so I just put it up,” Kershner said with a smile. “I knew he would pull it down.”
Harvard v. North Texas
In a game that started out not nearly as entertaining as it finished, North Texas and Harvard traded to 3s. North Texas got two quick breaks as Matt Randall skied for a huge D in the endzone and ripped a full-field forehand huck to Dan Emmons, and followed that with another huck to Emmons off a turn for a 5-3 lead. David and Kevin Richardson helped North Texas become the aggressors and seemingly demoralize Harvard, as they rolled to a 8-4 half. The second half started with the same look as the first, but Harvard’s Zirui Song, George Stubbs and David Lipson helped put in scored to keep within striking distance at 12-8. And just in time, Harvard made an impressive run off pressure defense and turns from North Texas, which had trouble adjusting and executing its offense, to bring it to 14s.
“We made a couple of tactical adjustments that came from our coaches,” Lipson said. “We made some adjustments with our match ups, our marks, our downfield defenders
. We made them work a lot harder underneath. Our man defenders and our man defenders on the handlers were getting blocks and forcing turns.”
The teams traded to 15s, but a careless turn by North Texas on its own goal line gave Harvard an easy score for the one-point lead. After another turn by UNTill, Stubbs looked to go out big as he let go a 65-yard backhand to Chris Stephens for the win. “The offense found their legs a bit in the second half and played a little more composed,” said Lipson. “You’ve got to play every game like its your last one, and you always have legs for that last one.”
Pittsburgh v. Carleton
Pittsburgh and Carleton both came out ready to p[lay Saturday morning, as teams were matching each other punch-for-punch. Just as Carleton would go up a break, David Vatz, Nick Kaczmarek and Josh Suskin would work the disc down the field for the answer, and tied it at 7s before Cut’s Grant Lindsley hit Patrick Bayliss with a 40-yard back hand to take half. In the second half, Pittsburgh did just enough to stay close at 12-11, but soon began to fade. “We feel we have a pretty deep D line, so we were able to throw a lot of fresh guys at them with a lot of legs, and keep running them,” Bayliss said. “They were playing a little bit shallower than we were.”
With Lindsley, Bayliss, Sam Kanner and Sam Roberts running things for Cut, En Sabah Nur just couldn’t keep up. Carleton took advantage of some easy drops by Pittsburgh, and Patrick Roberts came down with a floaty huck in a crowd of 8 for a huge D that led to the winning score as Cut pulled away 15-11.
“They have some really great players, but if you have fresh legs running at you point after point, you’re going to make some mistakes and start turning the disc,” Bayliss said. “So we were able to keep throwing some bodies at them and get some turns.”
Michigan v. Illinois
Early on in their Pre-Quarterfinal match up against Regional rival Illinois, Michigan seemed to still be feeling the effects of a their last game Friday against Texas that went to double game point, as they were a bit careless with the discs and creating turns that allowed Illinois to jump out to a 5-2 lead. Magnum fought through its struggles and put a few in, but Illinois rode its early cushion to take half 8-4. While Michigan may have started slow, Illinois was ready to seek revenge, said captain Joel Koehneman.
“We really felt that we owed them something for Regionals,” he said of the sizeable loss in conditions much windier than in Boulder. “There, we didnt play our best game, so we knew if we came out fired up, jacked up and played our game, we could take it to them early.”
After half, Magnum still looked like they were a step behind their opponent, and usually reliable players like Ollie Honderd and Will Neff were pushing throws out of bounds or past their receivers. Illinois kept its form as Koehmeman, Pat Stephens and David Abrams had their offense clicking and their defense fighting off a late charge by Magnum before pulling away to a 15-11 win and the right to play Colorado.
“Everyone was really fired up and playing as well as we can,” Koehneman said. “They made a couple tactical adjustments (by forcing straight up to force swings), and they got a couple deep shots. But we were able to get around their marks and open up the deep cuts we wanted.”
QUARTERFINALS
Carleton v. Georgia
Probably the most anticipated match up of the Quarterfinals once the schedule was set was Carleton v. Georgia, a rematch of a Centex game that went to double game point, and the teams did not disappoint. Both athletic teams with speed to burn, the final score of 15-13 would equal the biggest lead of the game.
After Jojah took an early lead, Cut scored two in a row as Anthony McElligot connected with Patrick Bayliss from about 30 yards out to tie it at 3s. Georgia answered quickly, and regained its two-point lead after Cut overthrew a huck to Grant Lindsley, and Jojah patiently Greg Swanson and Peter Dempsey helped patiently walk the disc in to make it 5-3. Georgia’s tough defense seemed to be frustrating Cut a bit, as they relied too heavily on hucks early to Lindsley, Nolan O’Brien and Jerome Potter. Cut abandoned its deep game, though just for a short time, and was able to use its speed to separate from Jojah defenders and easily tie it at 5s, before taking advantage of some miscues to take half 8-6.
After half, Cut tried to expand on its lead, but Georgia would get a turn and Charlie Herrig hauled in a huge huck over Josh Thorn to pull within one. But every time Georgia scored, Cut had the answer as Bayliss, Roberts, Thorn and Potter would move the disc with short, quick throws, and set up huge hucks to Lindsley and Patrick Roberts. With such a small lead, though, Cut had to keep its intensity on both sides of the disc, which led to tough D from both sides and an urgency to score that made for huge bids and exciting scores. One break was all Carleton needed, as the teams traded to a 15-13 finish.
Colorado v. Illinois
Illinois came away with big victory early in the season against Colorado at Trouble in Vegas, but while those were both very different teams than the ones that met in the Quarters, it would still be interesting to see what type of game a rematch would produce. Both teams looked to set a tone early, but big hucks sailed long or into defenders, and neither team took advantage of the turns as they traded to points early. The poor execution soon affected not only hucks, but routine passes were dropped and open receivers were missed, but the teams found themselves trading to 4s.
“I kind of set the tempo for the team offensively, and I was not chilly with the disc,” said Colorado captain Jolian Dahl. “I was a little too excited, and that followed through to the rest of the team with bad decisions and trying to rush things. Then we realized all we had to do was use our legs, run and pound them into the ground, and everything started clicking.”
Mamabird turned the corner after going up one, as Daniel West pulled down a huck between a crowd of defenders at the goal line and finding Dan Gruber for an easy break and a 6-4 lead. Colorado seemed to be more patient and settle into an offensive groove behind Dahl and Mac Taylor, but Joel Koehneman and Pat Stephens kept Illinois within striking distance at 8-5. While Illinois’ offense was getting on track after half, its defense was struggling to keep up with Colorado’s offense, as it easily moved the disc and Mamabird was connecting on its hucks. After trading points to 13-11, Taylor found Kevin Schipper from 45 yards out to go up 14-11, before winning 15-12.
“We were taking easy shots, did a good job of getting those breaks,” Dahl said. “Once we settled into the offense and realized all we had to do was run our fundamentals, it was easy.”
Florida v. Arizona
Arizona took the first point of its Quarterfinal game against Florida, but didn’t have much in the tank after that. Florida quickly answered quickly and proceeded to produce scores off blocks and turns. Florida’s Kurt Gibson, Cyle Van Auken and Brodie Smith led Florida on both sides of the disc and took half 8-4 against a Sunburn squad that just couldn’t get things going on offense, and couldn’t keep up with a rested Florida team. Maybe on another day (like, maybe sometime in Las Vegas) the game would have been much closer, but it’s hard to match one of the best teams in the country after grinding out a win where you close the game with a 7-3 run just to win by one point.
After half, Arizona reverted to the style of play it escaped from to win its Pre-Quarter game, as they looked to score quick on high-risk throws, but ended up being eaten by Florida’s deep defense. Florida converted its turns to go up 12-4, and there was little fight left in Sunburn as its exciting season came to an end with a 15-7 loss.
Wisconsin v. Harvard
Unfortunately for another team that needed some late fireworks in order to advance to the Quarters, harvard also found themselves tired and facing one of the best teams in the nation in Wisconsin. Harvard was able to keep its legs moving early, though Wisconsin went up 5-3, and extended its lead at half 8-4. Coming out of half, Harvard was getting open underneath, but Wisconsin’s D stepped up to control the deeps. Harvard overthrew its deep receivers a number of times, which Brandon Malecek looked to instantly turn into points with a bomb of his own as Wisconsin pulled away 11-4. Harvard had little answer for the Hodags on offense, couldn’t stop them on defense, and Wisconsin moved on with a 15-8 win.
SEMIFINALS
Colorado v Wisconsin
The first Semifinal match-up was a rematch of last year’s UPA Championship final between Wisconsin and Colorado. Mamabird set the tone early when Wisconsin looked to strike first with a big huck, but Martin Cochran came across the endzone for a huge layout D. Jolian Dahl and Mac Taylor worked the disc downfield, and Taylor found Kevin Schipper for a break on the first point of the game, and would get a second on the next point. After a time out, Wisconsin regained its composure and put in its first score to make it 2-1.
There were turns on both sides before the offenses found their grooves, but that only turned up the D as Colorado fought to keep its lead and Wisconsin wanted to stay close. After Wisconsin’s Brandon Malecek got a huge layout D on an in cut to give the Hodags a chance to pull even, Schipper had an even bigger layout D on a strike cut at midfield, and Taylor rewarded him with a huck for the bookends where he absolutely skied Wisconsin’s Tom Annen for the score to make it 6-4.
The Hodags answered and walked in a Colorado turn to bring it to 6s. After Colorado went back up one, Wisconsin’s Matt Rebholz and Kevin Riley patiently moved the disc downfield to get an important score to bring it to 7s. On the next point, Wisconsin’s Will Lokke came through with a huge layout D in the endzone, and the Hodags were able to get back a break to take half 8-7.
Colorado turned the disc coming out of half, and Malecek ripped a floaty forehand from goal line to goal line, and was saved by Shane Hoehenstein, who hauled it in over Taylor to go up 9-7. Down by two, and in need of a score to stop the bleeding, Dahl and Taylor had a bit of a miscommunication and Dahl turned it over on a short throw upfield. Wisconsin again showed its patience until Rebholz saw Malecek with separation upline, as he layed out into the back of the endzone for the 10-7 lead.
Colorado was able to answer on the next point, and even get turns after throwing zone and keeping its tough man D on, but seemed to self-destruct a bit once they found themselves down. After forcing a huck to Dahl that sailed out the side of the endzone, Mamabird gave up a big backhand huck from Rebholz to Ben Feldman, who had snuck behind the defense, and earned his team a 13-9 lead. Colorado tried to answer quickly with its deep game, but couldn’t connect against Wisconsin’s D. Hoehenstein put an exclamation point on the game with a layout D in on Taylor, and then ripped a forehand from midfield to Seth Meyer for the 15-10 win.
“If we can find somebody we can poach off of and get that help deep, we can get two people on one,” Hoehenstein said about controlling Colorado’s deep game. “ They came out a little more fired up, but finally our depth just caught up to them. That was the main factor in that win.”
Florida v. Carleton
To say that Florida came out on fire against Carleton would be an understatement. Florida’s Kurt Gibson got a hand on Carleton’s first throw to get a turn and quick score that seemed to demoralize Cut right off the bat. Florida would get turns from its D line on the next five points and convert on long hucks over the smaller Cut roster, through running its efficient offense through Gibson and Cyle Van Auken. Cut was finally able to break through as Patrick Bayliss hauled in a huck over Van Auken at the goal line and ran a give and go with Luke Powers. Florida would easily answer, and continue its pressure D to get yet another turn and take half 8-1.
Again, Florida was up against a team that had been exhausted by a long previous game, but Cut continued to fight as Jerome Potter connected on a goal to goal huck to Patrick Roberts for an easy score. After Florida emptied its bench, Cut made a bit of a run, but it was much too little too late, as Florida eventually went up 13-5 before winning 15-6. The difference, Gibson said, was how fresh Florida was, which led to a quick start.
“I think they just kind of got a little rattled and we were really fresh, really on our toes. After their Pre Quarters and Quarters game, they were a little winded and tired. Especially in this hot sun, and they’re not used to that so we were just able to capitalize on that,” he said. “You have got to win your pool if you want to win the championship, otherwise that pre-quarters game is killer.”
Looking ahead, fans will be treated to a game that seemed inevitable for most of the year, and a rematch of the Final from 2006 that saw a dominant Florida team cruise past the Hodags. “This is what we trained for all year – It’s almost like it’s meant to be,” Gibson said. “They’re a very good team and play defense like no other, so it’s going to be a battle.”
DAY ONE
By: Chris Spittal
Photos by: Matt Lane
If someone proposed a bet to you this fall that after the first day of the UPA Open Championships that two teams from the New England Region would be in Pre-Quarters while two teams from the Northwest would find themselves in the consolation brackets, would you have taken that bet? It might have seemed like a safe bet seven months ago, but when a crazy day of play ended Friday, Harvard and Dartmouth found themselves still in contention, Stanford found themselves without a win, and Georgia showed just how good teams from the Atlantic Coast Region can be.
Pool D
Things started with a bang on a cool, calm Friday morning, as a somewhat timid Michigan squad quickly found themselves falling behind Jojah 2-4. Little by little, Magnum was able to battle back, get back some breaks and regain the lead at 7-6 behind the leadership of Will Neff and Ryan Purcell. The teams traded 
points after half until Georgia’s Greg Swanson connected with a huge backhand huck to put Jojah up 13-12. Both teams had deep rosters full of amazing athletes helped kick up the intensity of the last few points, but Jojah’s offense was too much for Magnum. And when Swanson found ripped a perfect huck in-stride to Matt Bailey, Michigan became the first No. 1 seed to fall.
“We’ve taken the stance that were the underdog and we have a lot to prove,” said Georgia captain Peter Dempsey. “We know we have the stuff, but nobody else thinks we do, and its pretty easy to play in that situation. It takes a lot of the pressure off, and were just playing our game.”
At the same time as Michigan had its struggles, Texas found itself in a barn burner against Harvard. Up 4-2 early, Texas let Harvard back in it a bit after losing some intensity running into Harvard’s high-pressure defense, and found themselves knotted at 4s, trading to 7s, and down 8-7 at half thanks to George Stubbs’ ability to run down a huck that was almost certainly a turn. The teams were locked in a slug-fest after half, as Stephen Pressley and Chase Hudson just couldn’t shake a Redline team that was earnng contributions from its entire roster.
“Something we talked about at Regionals was everyone being ready to step up when their moment comes, and we had a couple great blocks and throws for scores,” said Harvard captain Dave Lipson. “Whether it was a freshman getting a block, or a fifth year grad student getting a block on double game point, they were ready.” That fifth year grad student was Zirui Song, who D’d an in-cut about 10 yards off the goal line, which allowed Stubbs to find Obi Ugwu-Oju for the 17-16 win.
Every game after would be close in Pool D, as Michigan could only muster one break against Redline in the first half, and a huge grab by Harvard’s Mitch Hunter would pull the teams even at 9. Magnum patiently worked the disc down and went up one on a scoober from Purcell to Armand Conti. The teams would trade scores through their deep games until Magnum’s Dave Fumo stepped on with a big D on a full-field huck, and Neff hit Matt Marcum to go up 13-11. Add another break after Harvard turned it near their goal line, and Michigan eased to a 15-12 victory.
Georgia was able to continue its run into the second round, outlasting Texas 15-13. Pressley was controlling the game early, as Tuff was able to capitalize on some careless mistakes by Jojah to go up 5-3. Georgia quickly found its rhythm behind Dempsey and Swanson, and with big plays from Benjamin Morrisey and Charlie Herrig. The teams matched intensity on D, and yet both offenses at times made it look like no D could stop them. After Texas pulled even at 13s, its D found yet another level, but was unable to convert after getting the turn it needed. Georgia cleaned up its offense to go up one, and after Dempsey got a big D on an in cut, its handles worked the disc easily down field for the win.
One would think two extremely close games would leave a team almost empty for its third match up, but Georgia had a lot left in the tank, which is good for them, because Harvard held nothing back. The teams mostly traded until Jojah took half 8-6, but Harvard’s Song and Stubbs stepped up again, connecting on a 30-yard huck to reach 10s. After falling behind yet again, Redline pulled even at 14s. Georgia patiently worked it down and went up one on a cross-field hammer from Herrig to Louis Gutschenritter. Harvard was unable to answer on the next point, as Georgia turned the Harvard turn into a 16-14 win to take the pool. Dempsey said Georgia was playing well, but they’ll need to improve to continue its run.
“We’ll come out tomorrow morning, and hopefully well have gotten some rest and talked about some things we need to work on,” he said. “Nobodys perfect, but well try to get there.”
It its final game, Michigan seemed to have things under control against Texas once it broke Texas to go up 7-5, eventually taking half 8-5, as Tuff looked exhausted and on its last legs. Both teams looked tired on D, which made for easy scores, and the teams traded to 14-12. Though it seemingly gave everything it had in its two hard-fought losses, Texas dug in, absorbed Michigan’s body punches,and finally decided to punch back as Hudson got a huge layout D and Andrew Chapman hit Andrew Vickers from 30 yards out to make it 14-13, and an unforced Magnum turn allowed Texas to tie it up. Both teams started to rely almost exclusively on their deep games, trading turns until Neff made a huge layout grab on a 50-yard huck from Purcell to go up 15-14.
Pressley, Hudson and Darroh, who was battling cramps near the end of the game, did all they could to make sure Texas would not die. After Pressley tied the game with a score, Tuff took the lead after a Michigan turn on a huck form Jay Lane to Jeff Loskorn, who made a huge grab over Neff. Magnum pulled even at 16, and Fumo came away with a big D in the end zone over Texas’ David Campbell on double game point. Purcell, Neff and Ollie Honderd got back to what works best for Magnum, as they walked it down field for a score that seemed to easy to be the last point of the game.
“I think we made it a little tougher on ourselves than it needed to be, but we pulled it out and showed some guts in the end. I can’t believe how Texas was fighting,” Purcell said. “I still don’t feel like we’ve played our best. We’ve seen glimpses of it, which is encouraging, but I know we can play a lot better.”
Pool B
With Wisconsin, Arizona, Stanford and Pittsburgh, Pool B was appeared to be the toughest of the four pools. At the end of the day, Stanford found out just how tough it was.
Stanford’s day started against Wisconsin in what almost became the game of the day. It was close from the first pull, as the teams were tied at 3, and Stanford
was able to jump ahead 6-4 on a Wisconsin team that was still searching for its swagger. Stanford was able to move the disc against the Hodags for most of the game, as Mark Sherwood strapped the team to his back early as he dominated both sides of the disc. Bloodthirsty held the lead late at 10-9, but it was only a matter of time before Brandon Malecek and Will Lokke pulled the offense together, and the Hodags stepped up their D. Wisconsin’s Tom Murray started it off with a big layout D, which led to an 11-10 lead. After the Hodags went up 13-12, Malecek came up with a poach D that turned into a 14-12 lead, and the Hodags finished off Stanford on a huck from Jim Foster to Tim Pearce.
“Our offense started off well, but our defense was kind of lackluster. A lot of what hap-pened were there were miscommunications in the backfield, our cutters weren’t really sure of their cuts, and were still trying to figure out the air out here,” said Wisconsin’s Chris Deode, noting the Hodags were having some trouble with their throws early. “There’s no real excuse to coming with that malaise, but we were still figuring it out.”
Deode said he had hoped the game would light a fire under the Hodags, and once Wisconsin got the first game under its belt, it was the Wisconsin everyone expected to see. The Hodgas were still not playing as clean as they could have in their game against Pittsburgh, but they were getting the turns they needed from Shane Hohenstein and Drew Mahowald, and the Hodag offense continued to click as Wisconsin took control early 6-4, eventually taking half 8-5. Pittsburgh was able to get its scores in, but Wisconsin’s D only got stronger as the game went on, allowing just two points in the second half to finish with a score of 15-7.
Wisconsin seemed on a collision course with the match up almost everyone was eager to see against Arizona, a rematch of the thrilling final at Trouble in Vegas. Sunburn started off strong in its first game against Pittsburgh, but let En Sabah Nur back in it before half. Arizona’s Joe Kershner said after half, Sunburn came out in the second half looking to focus on its defense 
and cleaning up its offense and unforced turns. Once Arizona went up 11-9, it didn’t look back and cruised to a 15-10 win.
“We sorted some stuff out, got our D back on the field and they took care of the rest of the game after that,” he said. “They got us back up and we pulled away.”
Before taking on Wisconsin, Arizona face Stanford. It wasn’t the prettiest game early, as the wind had just begun to pick up, but Sunburn took a 6-4 lead behind the play of Kershner, David Hustid, Billy Keating and Austin Gregersen. Stanford fought back to tie it at 8 after half, but Arizona’s offense was setting the tone and Stanford stumbled in keeping up. Sunburn easily worked the disc up field to take a 13-10 lead after a Stanford turn, and while Bloodthirsty answered with picture perfect hucks to Steve Scardato, Arizona answered with hucks to Kershner and Erik Gafni to take the game 15-12. Sherwood, the long threat against Wisconsin, had little affect on the outcome of this game.
“I think we’re in better shape than a lot of teams because that’s what Stanford does. We came out, and Arizona was tired, and we didn’t take advantage of turns,” he said. “We tried to do more with our throws than with our feet, and that hurt us down the stretch.”
If Wisconsin seemed to be hitting its stride against Pittsburgh, it was in a full sprint against Arizona. The Hodags took a 3-2 lead on a huck from Malecek to Foster, and they never looked back. Sunburn seemed to be playing a little more tense in its earlier games, and though it showed flashes with Kershner and Gafni making huge grabs, they had trouble establishing a consistent deep game thanks to Wisconsin’s smothering D. The Hodags took advantage of almost every turn and took half 8-4. It was more of the same in the second half as Malecek, Rebholz and Lokke helped the Hodags roll over an overwhelmed Sunburn team 15-6.
The last game of pool play ended up sending Stanford, a team in the Semifinals just last year, to the consolation bracket. Pittsburgh not only hung with Stanford early, but went up and traded points with Bloodthirsty to take half 8-6. After half, Sherwood was ready to take over as he completed a full-field huck to Ben Kenigsberg to pull within one, and capitalized off a quick turn to tie it at 9s. Stanford’s Nicholai Schlag came up with a poach D, and Sherwood found Tom James to go up one. Just as Stanford was making its charge, En Sabah Nur responded with three in a row to regain the lead. With Pittsburgh receiving the disc at 14-13, David Vatz went for it all with a 50-yard backhand, and Josh Suskin made the grab over Sherwood for the win.
Pittsburgh’s Nick Kaczmarek said it all finally came together for Pitt against Stanford. “We had a lot of individuals trying to make plays the first two games, and it really hurt us. In this game, we came together as a team,” he said. “We had a rough day getting there, but it’s a hell of a lot better than going out on a loss and slipping out of Pre-Quarters.
Pool A
While it seemed that Pool A would be Florida’s to lose, early on it wasn’t so easy to call. Florida established its deep game early against North Texas, but UNTill came right back with a deep game of its own. North Texas’ athletic lineup of David Ryan, Jacob Anderson, Dan Emmons, David Richardson and Matt Randall took advantage of some early Florida turns and inconsistent play, and were hoping to be this year’s Delaware in
going up 6-4. While Florida battled back to take half 8-7, North Texas faded in the second half as Kurt Gibson, Cyle Van Auken, Brodie Smith and Jeff Yeakel ran the show for Florida as they cruised to a 15-10 win.
“We were saying we didn’t want to pull a Delaware like last year,” Gibson said. “We were fired up for that game. We knew they were a good team. They had the intensity at the beginning, but our endurance helped us through, and they kind of let up a little bit and spent themselves in the first half. That was a good win.”
For the second straight year, Florida found itself in a match up against Delaware, but this game went nothing like last year’s game. Florida was able to establish their game early and never let up, cruising from a 8-4 half to a 15-9 win. Florida also came out on top against Illinois, but it wasn’t as easy. Illinois Joe Koehneman kept it close early playing all over the field on offense, and Charlie O’Brien and Pavan Sarguru chipped in with tough D to help keep Florida in check as the teams traded points to 6s. After taking the lead 7-6, Gibson got a poach D and Florida was finally able to break serve to take half. After half, Florida’s big three took control of both sides of the disc, outlasting Illinois 15-10.
The rest of the pool shaped up with North Texas posting an impressive win against Illinois, and making a late charge to overtake Delaware, who had been leading for most of the game.
Pool C
Colorado and Carleton came out early in pool play and showed they deserved to be the top two seeds, and seemed on a collision course for a late round battle. Colorado took on U.C. Santa Cruz and Dartmouth in their first two games, and their height and athleticism proved to be too much for both to overcome. While Mamabird handled UCSC 15-10, it easily beat an overmatched Dartmouth team 15-6. Looks, however, are deceiving, said Colorado’s Mac Taylor, as Mamabird was yet to reach its potential.
“We’re going to have to step it up to move further. Those were probably our easiest two games of the tournament,” he said, noting they could still step up their defense and clean up their throws.
The story was similar for Carleton, as CUT just seemed to be able to outrun both teams to every disc. Carleton did a good job taking care of the disc, and were able to make quick scored out of turns behind Patrick Baylis, Sam Kanner and super-freshman Grant Lindsley. Carleton beat Dartmouth 15-5, and took out UCSC 15-7.
The Colorado-Carleton match up had all the anticipation and potential of the Wisconsin-Arizona game, and it lived up to it about the same. What Colorado did, though, was im-pressive. They picked apart a team that had spent its day doing the same to other Championship qualifiers.
CUT seemed to struggle against Colorado’s taller roster, and Mamabird’s tough defense forced Carleton to make the extra throw and take away others, which frustrated the normally patient team. Mamabird was able to take advantage of turns and jump out to a 5-2 lead. Wherever Cut was looking to put the disc, a Colorado defender was there to get the D. Colorado really took advantage when CUT started forcing throws, which resulted in more turns, and Colorado ended an error-free half with a huck from Jolian Dahl to Taylor from 60-plus yards. Mamabird continued its 8-2 half by cruising to a 10-5 lead and eventually a 15-8 win and a spot in the quarters.
