The 2008 UPA National Championship are Complete

And Wisconsin, not Florida, will get to add another one of these.....

2006, Florida
2007, Wisconsin

2008, Wisconsin does it again, taking down Florida 15-9

The 2008 UPA National Championships

A couple months back, this blog made it known Joe Kershner, the demon of the desert, was blasting all over the college Ultimate scene. Some college blogs, looking to follow the lead of this blog, hopped on board and made similar posts and remarks. Well, needless to say, this blog had it right.

The Arizona Sunburn's frontman was being touted as one of the best in the nation. Doing more (making Quarters at Nationals) with far less of a supporting cast, Kershner was crowned today as the nation's top player, the Callahan Award winner.

Congrats to Kershner, as he his now immortalized in Ultimate history.

In other National Championship news, the Great Lakes has had a moderately disappointing weekend. Michigan, the Pool D #1 seed started on a stellar note dropping their first Friday game to Georgia....whoops. Michigan rallied to take the next two games (Texas and Harvard) and put themselves in position to play early in the Pre-Quarters round on Saturday.

Illinois, playing in Pool A, also had a less then memorable Friday. Yea, they were supposed to lose to Florida. And they beat Delaware like they were supposed to, but the loss to North Texas sure didn't help things for the Great Lakes. Not only did it give Illinois a losing record on Day 1, but oh whammy, it pitted the two GL teams against each other in the Pre-Quarter round on Saturday.

Though many Ghetto players picked Michigan (correctly) to take down Illinois for the GL Championships....most didn't see the Illinois revenge comeback coming to fruition at the Championships. Needless to say, Illinois has gone from nearly losing the Sectional Championship game to North Park, to working their way to 2nd place at Regionals, to grinding it through to the Quarters at the National Championships. Where, while facing Colorado sans Beau, they put up a strong effort in a 15-12 loss.

Which left Colorado to face Wisconsin and Florida against Carleton in the two Semis. Textbook? Predictable? What other word can you use? It all played out to plan like clockwork. Wisconsin took their game 15-10 and Florida made quick work in a 15-6 routing. Leaving us an '06 Championships Final rematch. With then Callahan Tim Gehret leading Florida in '06, and Dan Heijman leading the Hodags last year, both finalist squads are in the 'ship without their respective Callahan winner (which probably has surprised more than just Rook and Florida).

No difference, it'll be the best game of the tournament, and I'll just come out and say it right now, best game of the year.

You heard it hear first....no matter what any other college blog writes.

Welcome To The Show

Ladies and Gents.
Young and Old.

Welcome, to the biggest weekend of the year! Oh yes, it's that time again. When Spring is always warm, when grass is green, and the Ultimate....oh the Ultimate!

The 2008 Regional Championships are upon us, and as it is every year, the most magical weekend is sure to produce excitement!

With 16 of the Midwest's finest converging on Harland, Michigan. From teams in the Top 10 of the nation, to teams making their first Regional appearance, to teams looking for vengeance...Regionals got just a little bit of everything. Think I'm exaggerating? Think again.....have a sneak peak at a couple of the scripts unfolding this year at the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Championships:

1. Michigan - ranked number one in the Region...they may have the most impacting and important win of the entire season, across the nation...they broke Wisconsin's perfect record, and are looking to have a go with them again at Nationals.

2. Illinois - just a couple questions arose after Illinois won the Sectional Championship....on double game point...at 17-16...after being down 13-9...yea, there are just a few questions floating about one of the strongest teams in the nation.

3. Notre Dame - with only 5 losses, those in the know are still claiming Notre Dame is underrated...however, they showed signs of being susceptible to defeat when North Park took them down in the Central Plains Semifinals...the 3rd seed has just a chip on their shoulder coming into the tournament.

4. Ohio State - Nationals last year. Check. Nationals this year. Most don't seem to think so...however, Pb's got as much talent as anyone in the Region, and they always look primed for success after Sectionals...can they make it two in a row?

6. North Park - Nearly winning the Sectional Championship made a lot of noise. They've got a wealth of veterans looking to go out with a bang...can they wear the Cinderella slipper?

8. Miami of Ohio - Two top-tier collegiate and club players, Josh Findley and Matt Mastrantuono are wrapping up their college careers this year...they're surrounded by youthful excitement and plenty of speed...can they make a final push? Many think they could be a dark horse.

10. Indiana - Um, yea. National Championships last year...this year, they about didn't make it out of Sectionals. Yet this Central Plain 6th place finisher has a lot to prove...especially since they're ranked in front of 6 other Regional teams. Has Indiana dropped off? Or is Indiana back for more?

There's so much to be looked at and analyzed, but when it comes down to it, everyone in the Region is going to have to bring it. No matter how much people debate Series formats, the bottom line is teams have to win. If you want to make it through, you've got to beat teams. This year's GL is primed to be exciting, and no matter how things pan out, everyone is hungry....

For all your Regional needs, check out this site:

The 2008 Great Lakes Open Regionals Site

2008 Great Lakes Regional Teams

As of Sunday, April 20th, the final teams to receive bids for the Great Lakes Regional Championships were confirmed. These 16 squads, coming from the East Plains, Central Plains, and Michigan Sectionals, will converge in Detroit this weekend. As a teaser for more things to come, here's a quick look at who will be representing each Sectional, in order of their Sectional finish.

The East Plains

1. The Ohio State University
2. Miami University of Ohio
3. The University of Dayton
4. Ohio University
5. Ohio Northern University
6. Oberlin College
7. Bowling Green State University

The Central Plains

1. The University of Illinois
2. The University of Notre Dame
3. North Park University
4. Northwestern University
5. The University of Chicago
6. Indiana University

The Michigan Sectional

1. The University of Michigan
2. Michigan State University
3. Kalamazoo College

Here are a wealth of worthwhile links:

• UPA Regional Championship Page

• The East Plains Sectional Championships Results Page

• The Central Plains Sectional Championships Results Page

• The Michigan Sectional Championships Results Page

East Plains Sectional Championships - Day 2

(click me to enlarge the Ultimate hotness)

After a thrilling finish on Saturday, the fine young gents of Ghetto Force were relegated back to the Foor and Simon households. The victorious warriors were treated to spaghetti, lasagna, pies, coffee cakes, salad, cookies, and host of other delicacies that can only truly be appreciated by starving college students. As all Ghetto Force members will tell you, it was an early night. Teammates, who will remain nameless, were falling asleep immediately following dinner. Guys were cuddled under blankets snoring deeply before 9:00 pm. All in all, no one even made it to the end of the Kansas v. UNC game, everyone was too exhausted. Thus, when Sunday morning rolled around, and the squad prepped for a 9:00 start, most players had completed close to, if not more, than 10 hours of sleep. It would be much needed.

As the team arrived to the field, the players were greeted with what was by far, the most beautiful day of 2008. After having played in absurd winds, cleating up in ice, and diving in mud baths, few things felt better than lacing up the boots under a gorgeous sun at perfect temperatures.

The team took a nice long warm-up jog to start the morning, and then proceeded to begin stretching in anticipation of the final pool play game against Berea College. Berea, who had put up decent fights against the other pool play seeds, was the final hurdle for Ghetto in a path to the East Plains Sectional Semifinals.

Round 5, Dayton v. Berea - Putting out a strong O-line, Ghetto was receiving the pull to start the game. As The Cactus Bomb, The Corc Bomb, and The Corb Bomb prepared to handle, the three were caught by surprise.....did Berea bring down a Zone defense?! Yes! It was glorious! After a handful of swings, the cup was shattered and Ghetto was off to the races. Rather than battling the D, Ghetto, all of a sudden, was battling each other, attempting to be faster and in better position than the next guy, in order to be the one to reel in, or throw for, the score. In a matter of seconds the disc worked the length of the field and was punched in easily. The first point easily set the tone for the rest of the game.

Knowing the day would be a full one, and with the sweet scent of blood in the air, all members of Ghetto Force decided to get in on the act. As if sharks circling, every member of Ghetto Forced played at least 4 points throughout the game, and no single player played more than 11. With the total team effort, the game was quickly pounded out, and the victory was secured at 15-7. Corcoran, upset with the duration of his early morning commute, released his frustrations in the form of 4 assists on the game. Always one to please the home crowd, J4 supported Papa Corc by adding 2 D's and 2 assists of his own. It was an efficient beat down that left the Championship Bracket waiting in the wings.

Ghetto, for the first time this millennium, had been a top seed in a Sectional pool, and as another first, proceeded to win the pool outright with a 5-0 record. As if mirroring the NCAA Championships' Final Four, The East Plains got it's #1 seeds right, and had all four (OSU, Miami, Dayton, Ohio U) winning their pools with perfect records.

Close friends, and former Cincinnati Hustle Club players Matt Mastrantuono and Addison Hoover had spoken just days before, mapping out the pool play scenarios and bracket possibilities. The gauntlet for a Miami (OH) v. Dayton rematch had been in the works since the seedings had been released. Mastro and Hoover had spoken early and often, knowing full well, that as long as both teams held up their ends, the semifinal would pit these two growing powerhouse programs. As always, the game would be intense, hotly contested, and painful. Both programs, built on strong Captain leadership and youthful enthusiasm, have helped reform the shape of the entire Section. What once was controlled by Ohio U and Oberlin, was now being taken by these two exuberant clubs. The programs, although always gunning for each other, have produced one of the most exciting and promising rivalries in all of the Great Lakes Region. And for spectators, other club teams, and fans, everyone would again be treated to a duel between the two.

East Plains Sectional Semifinals, Dayton v. Miami (OH) - Both teams took full advantage of the extra hour between final pool play games and the start of the Semifinals. From scrimmaging, to lengthy form running routines, the tension between the two squads was imminent before the game had even started. Both teams had been able to rest starters fairly well over the course of the weekend, and the game would be sprint-speed right out of the gates.

Just to switch things up, Dayton actually won a flip and would be pulling to start the game. With such a horrendous record of losing the flips, perhaps, in retrospect, we shouldn't have tried to win the flip, but nonetheless, the Ghetto D-line was pumped to get an opportunity to break the first point. As the pull was sent, the Miami O-line was working the disc until an untimely throw was met by The Show(off), who was fully ready to produce a personal highlight reel in the Semis. Working the disc backwards to The Accounting Guru, Anderson immediately dropped an ankle breaker and boarded his personal jetliner to the endzone. Corcoran, always one to oblige, released a ninja forehand (covering 75% of the field) hitting Anderson perfectly as he streaked through the back of the endzone. With the sidelines rushing the field, the break on the first point sounded the alarms and let everyone know, the game was (as always) going to be awesome.

Miami, cluttered with talented handlers and well coached cutters, was not to be outdone. After trading a couple points, Miami took full advantage of handler lapses of consciousness, and broke back. Back on serve, Miami was hungry for more. After another two breaks, Dayton, now down 5-7, looked to put an O-line on the field to stop the bleeding before half. Unfortunately, what may be a game changing point, the Dayton O turned the disc over in the endzone, giving Miami the opportunity to break upwind to take half, which they did. With the score at 8-5, both squads knew the game was far from over, but Dayton was slowly entering the hot seat, where quick, efficient strikes would have to be made. There could be no further delay, otherwise, the game would quickly be beyond reach.

Starting the second half, Miami kept the pedal to the metal, and continued to shut down handler swings and strikes. Utilizing turnovers, Miami extended the lead to 10-5. Then, through some superior coaching and strong on-field leadership, Dayton began to rebound. Scoring, and then earning the breaks, Dayton got the game back to 8-10. Miami's O-line, one of the strongest (and quickest) in the Region, knew full well they had to score. Utilizing a Mastrantuono deep look, Miami fired back by hitting the deep cut, 8-11. Dayton's O, which had consistently struggled the whole game, had another lapse, and gave up another break, 8-12. Though Dayton managed to punch another in, the momentum Miami had established proved to be too much. Miami finished the game with a downwind break, 9-15.

You have to hand it to them. They've played in high caliber tournaments, practiced hard, and Sunday was their day. Dayton, unsure how to handle a loss that deep into the weekend, needed to refocus, regroup, and get mentally prepared for the next game. The day was far from over, and Dayton, knowing full well they didn't want to start dropping in the Regional rankings, had games to be won.

As expected, OSU had quickly handled Ohio University in the other Semifinal, 13-7. OU, once a powerhouse known to consistently be challenging the top of the Sectional and Regional competition, seems to have slipped a bit this year. It's hard to say if it's a result of the "changing of the guard" of players, or other reasons. Nonetheless, OU barely made it out of their pool play, having two games (against Toledo and Xavier) go to Universe point. Though not a witness, rumor has it that Xavier actually punched in the winning score, only to have OU call it back on a travel. Xavier apparently slipped up, dropped the disc, and OU escaped pool play. Today, OU and Dayton would be meeting again in the game to go to the backdoor finals. The winner would get a chance to play the loser of the Championship game....whilst the current loser would be forced to play a game for 4th/5th place - something Dayton would not stand for.

Backdoor Semifinals, Dayton v. Ohio - From the get-go, the game was tight. After Dayton scored first, on a Jeff Giese miracle reverse-in-the-crotch-pancake-grab, to save Hoover's arse, OU retaliated with a monstrous run and huck offense. The two teams would battle back and forth the rest of the game. When one would produce a break, the other would respond. Dayton managed to catch a break late in the first half, taking it to halftime with an 8-6 lead.

After reasserting that much game was to be played, Dayton took the D-line to the field, ready for action. If the line could get a turn and score, the gap would start to widen. As the point commenced, somewhere around 15 turns occurred. Dayton would get a D, then work up field only to throw it away. OU would work it back, then throw it away. This repeated for sometime. As both sides tired, the mental game went away and both teams were guilty of atrociously sloppy play during the first point after half. Finally, as Dayton got the disc back, Double D Dave Hayson realized a physical break would be necessary to keep everyone on track. Calling a time out, Diesel Dave received acknowledgment at the middle of the field from his marker....who, being absurd, immediately claimed a turnover had occurred when Dave sat the disc down, citing his lack of "T hand motions". Long story short, OU was looking for a cheap turn, a fight ensued, lots of yelling followed, everyone became pissed, and disc shit hit the ultimate fan. The timeout was eventually granted, and play resumed, only to have Dayton AGAIN turn the disc over. The sidelines, all likely vomiting by now, were forced to stand aside and watch as OU, just minutes after attempting to enter the Ultimate Bush League Hall of Fame, punched in the score to bring it to 8-7.

The whole Dayton squad, furious about the previous point, vowed to get some and punch in the score. Working the O-line, Hoovapalooza met sights with The Kozby Kid in the front right corner of the endzone to push the lead back to 9-7. During the point, the cap had sounded, signifying that the 30 minute time-out argument had significantly shortened the duration of play.

OU, still pissed from the longest argument in history, took fire to the O-line and punched in another huck past the finger tips of Hoover, who was at this point royally pissed he wasn't on the field to use the voodoo fingers during the time-out argument. Luckily, Hobunk Hoovie, still trying to redeem his 6-turnover performance against Miami, would get another shot during the very next point. As Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch took the O-line, Dayton knew it'd need a score to remain in control of the game. Disc Magnet Mark, who was basically open the whole game, again produced light speed cuts, to which his markers figuratively said "screw this". As the disc was worked to midfield, Butter Ballz made eye contact with Hoove as he sprinted past. Butterflyz, having the touch of an angel, briskly feathered an extending flick to space. As Hoover reeled it in, he could see Marky Mark streaking down field. The duo, having performed impressive feats of ESP during Roll Call, both simultaneously knew that the bitches had to die. Hoover, sexually feathering the disc, launched a flick to the endzone leaving the biz to Mark, as he reeled it in while his defender walked to the sideline, literally saying "Screw This!".

With Dayton leading 10-9, the D-line was absolutely determined to not let the game go to another Universe point. But, determination only takes you so far. OU scored. 10-10, double game point.

By this point, all of Dayton's fans were dead. Most had suffered anaphylactic seizures trying to withstand the BGSU Universe point. Now, anyone that might still be watching was definitely dying from conniptions and heart explosions. From now on, Ghetto will have to provide warnings to onlookers - "entertainment may be too intense, too heart pounding, too downright ridiculous, for virtually anyone".

As the sidelines gripped their jerseys in an effort to wipe their sweaty palms clean, OU sent out their Universe D-line opposite from Dayton's Universe O-line.

Ghetto Force, receiving the pull, took the disc and began working up-field. Somehow (if you recall the details, post them in the comments section) Dayton gladly turned the disc over. As if things weren't intense enough, OU was now picking up the disc, with no more than 15 yards to the endzone. After a couple missed lay-out D attempts, some foul calls, and the like, OU was virtually in the same spot that they started in. They were violently against being too aggressive and turning the disc over, so essentially they kept swinging between two primary handlers, with little up-field movement. Then, just as the open side broke free, two swings were made, when all of a sudden, doink!, a handler put a wrap around forehand straight in the ground. Uber-turfness. Karma from the time-out fiasco? I'll let you decide.

Ghetto, as they had for majority of the weekend, wamp wamped the in-cut, focusing on hitting Mark-o-Matic roughly 15 times, as he's always open! Working the disc downfield, everything was a blur. From in-cut, to handler, in-cut, to handler, the disc just kept moving. Then, within an instant, Corco released an OI flick wrapping the sideline, to none other than Mark Anderson. It almost took a second for it all to settle in. Mark not only reeled in the score, he was in the endzone! That was it! He'd beaten his man, gotten free, and the P-Town Boy had put it right in his wheelhouse. Mark's defender had nothing left to do but exclaim, "SCREW THIS!".

To say it was a close call, or intense, or anything similar, wouldn't do the situation justice. Somehow Ghetto, again, had salvaged a close game on Universe point. As if Roll Call was some sort of pre-fabbed practice, everything we took away from that weekend, was used in the 2008 Sectional Championships. In just 8 days, Ghetto had played in 5 Universe point games, and amazingly, had won every single one.

With Mr. Anderson cleaning house and bringing in the final score, Dayton had secured a spot as the #2 or #3 seed at Regionals. All that was left was to change fields and meet up with Miami again (they had lost a good game, 15-9, to OSU). Ghetto Force, still a budding program with a wealth of young (often first year) talent, decided to approach this game with longevity in mind. With the 2 and 3 seed at stake, Ghetto made a conscious decision to weigh the different factors at hand. A win/loss, at this point, would only be the difference of a single place. On top of that, new players needed to gain time against a solid opponent before Regionals. On top of that, many of the primary O and D line players were running low on gas. On top of that, who knows. Basically, Dayton was ready to work in new lines and different lines. Those groups needed to get a feel for playing with each other, working together, all while head-to-head with a high caliber Miami squad. The score wasn't close, 15-4, but it was just what Ghetto needed to close the weekend out correctly. Guys got time against some of the best, and areas of improvement were readily located. So, even though Corco's brain was fried beneath 5 well layered hats, the weekend was a resounding success.

Ghetto had come, and done exactly what it was capable of. It was heart pounding, gut wrenching, amazingly fun, and absolutely fulfilling, all somehow amalgamated into one emotion.

The Ghetto Force of today, has come unbelievably far from the Ghetto Force of just a few short years ago. Think of this:

• Ghetto two years ago was a mixed, often low turn out squad.

• Ghetto today has high numbers, all guys, and is growing a program with strong A and B squads.

• Ghetto two years ago would have practices with 6 people playing hot box.

• Ghetto today has two coaches, a wealth of drills, and scrimmages more intense than some tournament games.

• Ghetto two years ago went 1-5 at the Spring Sectionals, only topping OSU-B by a point.

• Ghetto today earned a #1 seed in it's pool, made it to the Semifinals, and is now attending Regionals for the 2nd year in a row, leaving the Sectional in 3rd place.

GREAT WORK GHETTO FORCE!
DETROIT, HERE WE COME!

The 2008 East Plains Sectional Championships

25 teams, yes, it is the largest Sectional currently registered in the nation. Seedings, yes they're posted, and yes, they're exactly as most would expect. Graville has come up quickly and now is the weekend that everyone had sights set on.

Much more will be coming over the next 48 hours...however, for now you'll find links to the Sectional Championship website and a close look at the University of Dayton, Ghetto Force pool. It's a weekend that's sure to be exciting, and unbelievably important....it'll be one for the ages!

LET'S GO GHETTO!