In what will likely remain the most epic clash of the season, a fully staffed Teal overtook a slightly less staffed R.E.D. in a hard-fought and high intensity matchup. Tealin’ and Dealin’ has a roster full of darts in contrast with the grit and experience of R.E.D. This was no doubt to be a close game that could tilt in either direction.
Teal came out with some quick scores and conversions on D to take a small yet short-lived lead. Teal was connecting well early on and had R.E.D. sweating profusely (it definitely wasn’t the Florida heat). R.E.D. eventually worked out some kinks with their zone and eked in a 3-point lead with a hold followed by 3 breaks. One contributing factor to these breaks were the downwind OI blade pulls that Teal struggled to find answers for and the vice grip of a cup that R.E.D. employs. Just a brief fumbling with fielding the pulls and R.E.D. was able to clamp tight on Teal’s initial looks downfield.
With those breaks, R.E.D. took half and came out on O to start the 2nd. Teal apparently had an awakening during that half-time because they were suddenly playing as the best versions of themselves. Sam found many connections to slice through the zone and Joe, Nevena, and Fletcher were also effective resets and continuations. Ellie, Bill, and Hayden hardly allowed the R.E.D. defense to get comfortable in fear of major gains through the midfield.
After Teal closed the lead R.E.D. created in the first half, we found ourselves on universe point. Both teams had multiple turns this point. Schimmel had an almost D but Joe was in the prime spot to field it. It looked like R.E.D. was going to pull this one out until a cross-headwind gave just enough life to an endzone pass to Jill for it to sail just out of reach. At glance it looked like Jess was there to field the doink but nevertheless, it was a turn. Teal kept up the intensity and had the aid of the wind. One last pass to a deep Bill sealed the deal.
Some Shoutouts to some notable Teal players: Vishnu played absolutely incredible person defense on a R.E.D. handler, albeit, an injured one. Every upline and every around was fought for and many uplines and arounds never went off because of Vish’s defense. Fletcher has reestablished himself as a mainstay handler, patient and deadly for opposing defenses. Ellie had the heads of the middle row defense constantly on a swivel. It’s not a stat that’s ever recorded but she consistently made space for others to claim the disc in. Sam and Nes did Sam and Nes things; equal parts calm/composure and deadly striking blows.
Now for some R.E.D. shoutouts: Our entire roster continues to impress week after week. Jenna has learned new positions in a zone and continues to crush it. Luke continues to break the sound barrier each week and not a single team has a good answer for what he has become: the best/fastest cutter on the field that handles now too. This week he tied the rest of the team for assists. To continue the trend of role reversals, KJ caught a huge forehand huck from Luke for a score. Andrew2 and Jill were unsung heroes for the brutal R.E.D. front line. Nathan and Vander tied up the elusive Ellie and Bill wings on defense. Schimmel continues to be the level-headed part of our team that keeps us calm yet motivated. Jess scored the most points for R.E.D. deservedly so since she takes her mark for a ride. Half the time it doesn’t look like she’s being marked on person defence because she creates so much space between her and her mark. Jared somehow played the entire game with a hamstring strain and still managed to top the team leaderboard in Ds this week. Maybe Teal felt sorry for him. Matt was the best captain not in attendance; good job Matt!.