In week 2, the Gainesville Grapes saw and felt the absence of Billy O’Bryan and Ryan Jones against the very experienced Yellow team. The game started off a bit rocky for purple in the first half, as yellow threw a mix of person and zone defense at us. Many of Purple’s players are less experienced with zone, so it took a good half of the game to work out the kinks. Yellow took half 8-2. The wind picked up in the second half of the game and both teams saw several turns and much longer points. Purple also seemed to be gaining some speed out of half, as things finally started to come together and we were able to push for a few more scores. Yellow took the W 15-7, but it was an enjoyable game nonetheless. Watch out for the Yellow team this season, they come out swinging (Get it? 😀 Because zone? Ok I’ll stop).
Per usual, Nick McGrane made some wild plays, especially in the hand-block department. One particular instance left him with some extra sore fingers. And gotta give due credit to Carson who was all over the field and who scored multiple (I think more than 2?) points. Yellow’s ladies also tore up the field. Carolyn, who always manages to score at least one point every game, no matter what the other team does to stop her; Lauren (Q), who i swear NEVER stops moving; Sara, who is already crushing her first season of league.
The grapes had some newer players step up this week, one of them being Jackson. Him and Carson were a fun matchup to watch, and he got a super sick D in the end zone on a huck. My mvp of the game goes to Barbatunde, who really stepped up in the second half. He scored twice, got several D’s, and did well when we forced him back into the handler space a few times. And of course, gotta love when Nan is able to play and throws those juicy hucks. Not one, not two, but multiple PERFECT upwind throws. Kudos to everyone on Purple for continuing to play their hardest no matter the score.