East Plains' Mastro Reps On the World Scene

For those of you new to Ultimate....welcome to the excitement. For those of you not so new, this will provide an update on one of the best players in the Great Lakes Region, at least in recent years.

Matt Mastrantuono (Mastro) is a recent graduate of Miami U, and the former captain and big gun for the Miami Boogiemen, a top caliber program. Revolving around the dedication and effort of Mastro, the Boogiemen followed this All-Region player to multiple outstanding finishes in the GL Region.

Well ladies and gents, this former rival (and good friend of many a Ghetto Forcer) has taken some risks and managed to reach an all new level. Mastro, graduating in May '08, packed up his bags and on a prayer and a whim, moved out West in search of new beginnings, and a shot at the best Ultimate in the world.

For those of you still a bit naive, the North West region of the US is made up of many of the world's strongest Club Ultimate teams, including reigning champion Seattle Sockeye, followed closely by perennial powers Jam (San Francisco), Voodoo (Seattle), Revolver (Bay Area), psuedo World Champions Furious George (Vancouver), Invictus (Alberta), and 2007 National Champion qualifier, Rhino, out of Portland, Oregon.

So, lets get to the point here. Mastro graduates, wraps up Regionals with a great run in the GL with the Boogiemen, and with basically nothing but determination, packs up and moves to Portland. Without a place to stay and no job lined up, Matt works his magic and begins moving and shaking....and along the way, tries out and makes Rhino, a premier, elite Ultimate squad - nothing shy of outstanding!

Well ladies and gents, it didn't take this young'n too long to settle in. Within his first tournaments he was nearly flawless from the handler position, and was utilizing his enhanced conditioning routine (trust me, it's jaw dropping) to elevate his play on both sides of the disc.

So, where is this going? Well, the little Miami captain that could has gone from ripping flicks against Ohio schools at Fall Brawl, to ripping flicks against, and eventually hugging, the German National Team (not to mention every other premier team in the U.S.)! It's a pretty awesome story!

Also, if you haven't seen this footage yet, you need to check it out. Also, if you're a young gun, unfamiliar with Mastro, check the footage out as well, as it showcases some utterly outstanding play! Enjoy!

PS. Mastro isn't rocking the leggings that allow him to wick to the 5th dimension....but you can spot him in the #2 gear. Also, he's the first person to take the score down against Furious George in the Sockeye Invite vid, and in the Disco Calientes tape, check the 3:25 point where Matt rocks an "amateur" backhand high release fake, and it's totally eaten up by the marker......like poetry in motion baby!

SockeyeInvite 2008 - Rhino from luke johnson on Vimeo.


Disco Calientes 2008 - Rhino from luke johnson on Vimeo.

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!

Though We Were Ready to Dance, Boogie Nights Was Not Meant to Be

Mother Nature, as was the case in the Dayton Invite, felt that Ghetto just wasn't meant to run the risk of injury this weekend (could she have thrown a bone to Broken-Cheek-Dano?).

With quite possibly the biggest winter storm of the year coming after we're a week into March, everyone is frustrated and disappointed that the Boogie Nights Tournament won't be happening. However much Ghetto and other teams wanted to play, we have to commend the TD, Matt Mastrantuono, for making the right call. With teams coming from as far as 8+ hours away, it's just not worth it to risk people driving and playing in such horrendous conditions. Nonetheless, a ton of work has been put into this event, and it's obvious that people are frustrated with the curve ball the weather has thrown at us (Dayton had a high of 49 yesterday....naturally).

For Ghetto, more than anything, the weekend's cancellation is a sincere disappointment. For the first time in recent memory (at least 5+ years) Dayton holds a Top 50 National Ranking, and an Ultimate RRI in the Top 5. The best thing for Ghetto would have been to subdue rumors by going out and repeating the massacre of last weekend. Though the competition would have been stiffer, and the results potentially different, it was imperative for Ghetto to have an opportunity to see better teams, and to analyze their game at a higher level.....this, unfortunately, will just have to wait till Roll Call.

The best teams deal with adversity all the time. Ghetto is going to have dig just a little deeper this year. With two spring tournaments being canceled (Ghetto Invite & Boogie Nights), Ghetto is going to have to find ways to press even harder in practices. The focus has to stay strong, and as everyone has said, we have to stay right where we're at (Top 50). And as Addison Hoover said, in regards to our RRI in the recent full-page spread in Flyer News, "we’re not yet the No. 2 team in the nation. That doesn’t mean we can’t be in the future." However, to compete and sustain that level of play, everyone, from top to bottom, has to push. To allow each other to be complacent with our recent successes does nothing but a disservice to everyone.

For all the Air Alert (GOD BLESS IT!), for all the suicides, indoor practices, and the many times YOU'VE RAN INTO CEMENT WALLS FOR A DISC, DON'T LET UP! Ghetto, as a squad and unrivaled brotherhood, has to find the energy.

We have to elevate our level of play every single day.
We have to be out throwing on our own time.
We have to come to practice on time, ready to whoop some ass.
We have to stay intense, and get in each other's faces when the intensity isn't there.

We've earned the right to be #39 in the Nation - and everyone in this Sectional believes we'll spoil it the first chance we get.

I won't let this happen.
You won't let this happen.
We won't let this happen.

Ghetto, in the word's of a Sectional rival, "is an Army". And this Army is on a mission. We will stay hungry and we will not be denied.

Ghetto For Life.