“It may be January 29, but it’s always Summer in the end zone.”
– Emory Wellman, PhD candidate in Poetry
Murder hornets showed up with a mostly full squad, with all players present except for Olivia and Alec who may or may not be on the team, Trieu who played a few points but is still limited with a hamstring injury, and Dr. Anton who was a late scratch due to “big brunch”. The BumbleDeez also had good numbers but were missing Dave Klinges and Liz Rosema, who I’ve learned is NOT Jeff’s wife even though her real last name is really close to his fake last name.
BumbleDeez opened with 2 breaks on us before we loosened up and scored the next 2. The game continued back and forth with high effort play on both sides and we took back serve 5-4. After a big call (sorry for making everyone wait while I argued genially discussed with Billy about whether his arm hit mine or my arm hit his, whether it even matters, what is the meaning of life, and does anything really matter in this ultimate frisbee game on a tiny rock among billions in the vastness of the universe, am I right man?) but even bigger play where Billy roasted me on a 40-yard dash into the endzone to tie 5-5, we responded with a 3-1 run to take half 8-6. We continued to gel in the second half, widening the lead as much as 12-8. I’m not sure what happened because I’ve blocked it out, but the next thing I remember, BumbleDeez was back in the game, I believe tying 12-12. It may have had something to do with figuring out our zone. We rallied, and, while Mohammed had some great plays throughout the game, he had a particularly great juke to get open for a huck and then finished with an assist, then had 2 big d’s in a single point that lead to him getting bookends. We traded points while holding serve and ultimately won on universe with chilly work up the field, 15-14.
Highlights:
BumbleDeez: Some very pretty throws from Fletcher, including one particularly memorable huck that lasered down the sideline before settling for a very easy run through catch. Luci played very consistently and killed us up the sideline when we switched from zone to person. I think she’ll be ready for the pros by the time she’s old enough to vote. Trevor played tight defense, made big plays and has the athleticism to keep getting better very quickly with a very high ceiling. Joe played steady and consistent and his huck accuracy seems better every time we play. Billy played great defense and a lot of my offensive strategy involved throwing to parts of the field where he wasn’t.
Murder Hornets: Summer absolutely crushed it with at least 4 scores (I thought 5 maybe). She’s only been playing a couple years of league but has the field awareness and hands of a veteran. Shoutout to Carsten for some big D’s and consistent play working the disc up the field. Trieu played carefully and consistently as a handler and I’m excited to see him at full strength. I’m also excited to see him play less carefully and float me some hucks. Brandon had some nice throws and deep cuts/run downs. Matthew played consistently and stretched the D well, coming down with a big huck score by sneaking behind a very good defender in the zone. Howard is very new to frisbee but flowed in the offense and executed smart decisions like someone who has been playing much longer. Emory had a bunch of scores and was a great deep target. She’s very good at being tall (which is not the same as just being tall, it takes practice). Bonnie popped out of her COVID fog long enough to catch a tipped disc and throw the final score of the game. Lyle had a good day handling and a nice blade huck to Emory for a score. Andrew Reynolds moves like someone half his age and got wide open on the under cuts while sticking close on defense, despite the weight of carrying the most magnificent beard in Gainesville. Tommy was quick in the handle space and always willing to make the smart open throw but could be even better if he came out to practice instead of traveling for work/maintaining his marriage. Jack Clydesdale was very supportive, cheering responsibly from the sidelines while he stretched and did light calisthenics to make sure he is in top form for the college season, and definitely didn’t come out and get any huge D’s. I mentioned you above Mohammed, but I’ll just say here you were almost certainly the steal of the draft. Jim Davis scored but also, more importantly, guaranteed the win by his presence.
This game was a lot of fun. Our team spread the disc well with 8 players scoring and 9 players with assists. I thought both teams balanced playing hard for the win with spirit. Despite having a few calls that had to be discussed, the game never got chippy or out of hand. Close games are always great, and they’re even greater when you win. I’m excited to see what happens when we match up again.