2011 Roster/Record
2011 College Preview: Skyd Magazine interviews the captains about the team and the 2011 spring season
IHUC 2011 Season Summary: Bolder to Boulder, created by Don Rummelhart
College National Championships 2011
Wow, what an amazing end to the journey that took place this season. Iowa would rise up to reach full potential yet again, and would come very close to reaching the final game, instead settling for 3rd place in the country, the best finish in school history.
It began about a week earlier, when most of the team traveled to Denver to stay with friends and alumni (Ross would have to arrive late, and Jimmy and Nation would miss National’s due to Rock camp and a wedding). This would be a great week of hanging out, practicing every day, having fun, and most importantly getting acclimated to the altitude. Many people attributed much of our success to our ability to understand the wind and air, and I think we all got used to the mountain heights pretty quickly, allowing us to play at our top level.
On Thursday, we headed to Boulder, and received our replacement coach (or Assistant to the Head Coach) Mike Denardis. The team had already begun prepping for the first day, and it continued in a light walk-through practice, and then a meeting that night, studying the film of Pitt. What was probably so remarkable was the team’s mentality going into National’s, knowing they would face the overall #1 seed in the first game. It wasn’t ‘Oh I’m excited to try to beat these guys’, it was ‘We are going to win. It is a must win, that simple, it changes our whole National’s’. Earlier talk on Skyd and RSD, and a bit of a snubbing by the All Region/ Freshman of the Year voting had gotten the team pumped up to prove that they weren’t just a team that could win in the wind. IHUC wanted to prove that they weren’t overrated. That mentality was what carried the squad through the game the next morning.
Friday was sunny, with light breezes, and a big crowd on hand. Pitt opened up with two breaks and things looked shaky, but again, the confidence the team had was absolutely critical, and throughout the game, even when down by quite a few points, Iowa was not afraid. The d-line came on for an O point and after a long battle, finally scored. 1-2 Pitt in the lead. IHUC would go on 3-0 run (counting that offensive point) and take their first lead 3-2. After a few trading points, IHUC would get another break 5-3. Fierce defense was the name of the game here- both teams were making mistakes, and it was the team that capitalized most that would get the win. IHUC’s pulls were absolutely brilliant, and the defensive line simply would not quit. Still, Pitt broke to take half 8-7. IHUC started on D, got the turn, but couldn’t convert and then Pitt would score, and get a break of their own going up 10-7. Several long points would ensue, with IHUC cashing in, getting back breaks, going on a 6-2 run, and at last the score was 13-12 IHUC, the Iowa squad taking the lead again at last, game point on soft cap. A final fantastic pull would land in the back corner of the end zone, downfield defense would be great, swill would go up, and Shark had the chance to finish the game with an epic Callahan…and he dropped it. Sanchez swiftly picked up the disc and ran to the endzone to tap it in. The stall would go up, but he would eventually get the swing off, and then after a few throws, Sanchez would score the final goal, and the upset would be complete.
IHUC wanted to be careful to avoid last year’s problem of staying out in the sun, and so the team set up Little Iowa City under a few tents and settled down to revel in the victory. However, too much reveling might have taken place. The crowd was buzzing about the region and the upset, the team might have looked past Tufts a bit. Very little was known about them besides the fact that they ran Vertical Stack, and the meeting featured very little prep time for them at all. These factors combined to make the game very close. After a quick O point and then a very easy break, most team members expected a blowout after being only up 2-0. However, the D-line wouldn’t get a break again, for the rest of the game, frustrated beyond belief by Tufts flawless fundamental play. However the Offensive Line stepped up huge and played outstanding, only allowing one break, trading out until Universe point was called and IHUC was able to seal the deal. It wasn’t pretty, but Iowa went 2-0 on the first day, and the entire region was undefeated, including two ‘upsets’ by Luther (over Florida and Santa Cruz). That night, the team went to a cookout at a really nice house with the girl’s team and then had a long meeting about Illinois, not wanting to overlook them (as they had almost done to Tufts). The team largely agreed that if the D and O lines could have a game where both played at their top level, the team would be largely unstoppable, and many were looking forward to the next day where they thought to see that happen. There was the added bonus that- because Illinois had beat Colorado College on Universe point- if Pittsburg won their first round game, a victory could clinch the one seed out of the pool.
It was an early morning game, but the team went to bed early, and the next morning saw a long warmup. The game started with fire, and Iowa jumped out to a big lead, largely by running their variety of zones and taking advantage of the Illini turnovers. The D-line pushed to take half 8-3, and then kind of let their foot off the gas pedal a little bit. However, the O-line responded brilliantly, taking over the second half without any falter, and the game would end with a 15-10 win, each line taking over part of the game to finally defeat Illinois by a solid margin. Good news arrived when the team heard that Pitt had won big, meaning that the pool was IHUC’s.
Many of the spectators and players at National’s- including the Pitt and CC guys- expected Iowa to throw the Colorado College game (which was to be played on the showcase field, as it had been previously anticipated that this would be the game to decide the second and third seed in the pool instead of the first and fourth spot). Instead, IHUC opened up their lines, resting a few starters, giving everyone a chance to contribute. The game was tight throughout, but Iowa felt pretty comfortable with trading points, especially confident in the offensive line that had found a great groove during the tournament. Late in the game, during a few key points, the energy was really amped up and some of the lines were stacked to get the breaks that won the game. The winning streak continued as IHUC won 15-12, undefeated winners of Pool A.
Elsewhere the North Central teams had done well. CUT was undefeated, winning their pool, the Hodags won Pool C, and Luther had managed to make pre-quarters by beating Florida and Santa Cruz. So with three teams guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, IHUC went home, rested a bit, and then many headed back to scout out who they’d be playing the next morning. It would either be Oregon or Washington. The Sundodgers, despite opening up a big lead, would fall to Ego, and IHUC would get a rematch of Easterns at 8:30 the next morning.
Iowa would be up early again, ready to take on Oregon. The weather was a bit chillier and there was a slight breeze blowing across the field. Both O-lines would score and then Ego would take the first break going up 2-1. They were playing a very poachy D, occasionally throwing in a junk zone, and when IHUC was impatient, the squad made mistakes. However, the D-line was forcing turns as well and then often hucking to get breaks. IHUC took the lead 4-2. Ego would tie it at 5’s, getting breaks of their own, but then the D-line would push again, and take half 8-5. Pulling after half, IHUC got a turn, but couldn’t convert and then Oregon would use their momentum to get another break narrowing the gap to 8-7. IHUC would not give in, going up 12-9, but again Ego would take a break back and narrow the score to 12-11. In the end, Oregon, tired and frustrated, would begin making some chippy calls, and Iowa’s effort would give them opportunities at contested discs. Iowa would pull away 15-10, advancing to semi-finals, set to face Cut who was coming off of a relatively easy victory against Stanford.
At this point there were three Central region teams in the semi-finals. IHUC v Carleton was set to go off first on the showcase field. IHUC rested, got a good warm up in, and then was introduced for the cameras. The team huddle saw an incredibly impassioned speech by Jake Bradley, encouraging the team to remember the players that built this program in the Gleason era, and Denardis was equally passionate, urging Iowa to remember their victory over Carleton at Regional’s.
The game started off well. IHUC receiving, the O-line scoring on a quick huck. The D-line would get a turn on a deep D, but was unable to convert. At that point, things started to get shaky. CUT’s defense was solid, and the O-line would get high in the stall counts often, having trouble getting a smooth offense going. Carleton would earn a few breaks, and their O-line would play very solid ultimate, IHUC’s defense largely unable to do anything in the first half. Carleton would take half 8-4. But in the second part of the game, IHUC fought back, and was able to slowly chip away at the lead, the offense settling down largely, and the defense finally getting some scores. The gap narrowed to something like 9-11, but a few of the critical, multi-turn points were won by Carleton, as Iowa had trouble taking advantage of CUT’s few mistakes and could not seem to run solid red zone offense. IHUC fought till the end, but would lose 10-15.
Afterward, an emotional huddle would take place. There are many departing players on this year’s squad, guys who have seen the rise of Iowa once more, and have been a part of many great things for this program. Iowa finished tied for 3rd, the best placement in school history, five points away from reaching the championship final (an incredibly windy championship game won by Carleton over Wisconsin 11-5, which Iowa feels they could have done very well in). The loss was heartbreaking, but the team is proud of their finish (as well as proud of the region which placed 1st,2nd,3rd, and 12th without Minnesota present).
A team meeting took place and Captains were elected: Jimmy Wiesbrock, Jake Kersten, and Alex Rummelhart. Though many people are leaving, those remaining are ready for the challenge that next year will bring: probably the most critical season of recent memory, as Iowa wishes to continue to build a program, and to improve on recent victories.
WRITEUP 2011 NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
After a week of rainy weather, the teams of the North Central Region went into the Friday before Regional’s still unaware of whether or not they were going to be playing. The original field site had closed down, backup sites were up in the air, and the weather for the weekend didn’t look good. But at last, fields were found in Madison at a middle school summer league site and the games were on.
Saturday morning dawned cloudy and windy. IHUC was seeded fourth, to be placed in Pool D. First game against Wisconsin Eau-Claire. Eau-Claire came with a small team of only ten or eleven guys, but proved that they had some talent. IHUC came out a little shaky but was able to get a few upwind breaks and hold off the tough team. Win 15-10. Second game was against Nebraska and there was a similar story; in the tough wind, IHUC got the early breaks and held on, but still didn’t look to be playing at the top level- another 15-10 win. Across the board, other teams were also engaged in close battles, and Wisconsin Whitewater- the fifth seed- was undone and upset by Wisconsin Eau Claire- losing 14-9. IHUC knew that Whitewater was reeling from a loss and got jacked up to play the biggest game of the day.
For the first time all season, the team saw its full potential reached. IHUC burst out and got two upwind breaks, finishing the down winds to go up 4-0. Whitewater, already down after their first loss, had very little fight left in them. IHUC took half 8-2, then scored to make it 9-2. The second half grew even more windy and both sides struggled to move the disc, and so the game ended with a few more downwind points held, taking victory 15-5.
The semi-finals were set as originally seeded, Iowa versus Carleton, Wisconsin vs Minnesota after Grey Duck took down Luther in pool play. The wind was still a factor, but it began to die slightly as the teams faced off. Carleton who had an easy pool path, came in confident. The game was close early, each team trading down wind points, punting whenever they were in trouble. Tied at 4-4, CUT called a time out and Carleton loaded up a line of players that would have made a club team envious and came out with fire. They broke upwind and got the downwind, and took half 8-5. Iowa had been down before and emphasized at half time that the team had made plenty of comebacks. The team emphasized it could be a game of runs, and they were not ready to give up. IHUC came out of halftime and got an upwind and downwind break of their own to make the game 7-8. But Carleton finished the downwind to make it 7-9. As the wind began to die down near sunset, the teams were forced to play more man defense, and the points grew longer. IHUC fought hard, but Carleton controlled the end of the game and went on a run, and won 15-8, moving on to the Regional Final, guaranteeing a berth to National’s.
At the end of Saturday Iowa was down, but not out; the team returned to the Lake House of one of its members and prepared mentally for Sunday by eating a ton of food, playing telephone Pictionary (featuring a lot of mottos focusing on beating Grey Duck and Luther), and a blind date/ hot seat combo. The team headed to bed early, knowing that they possibly only had three games left in their season.
Sunday morning was sunny, but possibly even windier than the day before. First game against Luther- a team that always seems to get up and play Iowa with a terribly ferocious intensity- was once again very tight. Eric Johnson was playing every point and making fantastic throws in the wind. Both teams were punting and then playing hard man defense, hoping to trap on the downwind corner of an endzone. Luther came mightily close to scoring upwind several times as they forced Iowa to huck it out of bounds (on the down wind sideline as there was a sort of diagnol cross wind). But each time Luther came up just short. After half, after a strong pull, Iowa raced down to set a zone, knowing that if they could stop the huck, they might get an easier shot at the upwind endzone, also knowing that the first upwind break would be critical to victory. The zone tipped a deep pass, it was intercepted at half field, and a quick upwind throw set up a wide open huck which led to a huge sky in the back corner of the end zone. That made the score 9-7. Iowa finished the break, even more critically, and then kept pushing. Iowa would fight hard and get another upwind break late in the game to seal the deal. IHUC win 13-8 on cap.
Big win. Luther knocked down had to play an extra game to get to the fourth place battle at the end of the day. IHUC got a brief bye round to get out of the wind (chilly) and got to face off against the team they hated most in a battle to go to National's (unlike last year). Minnesota would be the foe next. Their first round game was a piece of cake. They beat Minnesota Duluth 15 to 1, having an extremely easy time, and then immediately left the fields, uncaring of the tight game that was going on next door, not paying attention to the strategy used. When they returned, IHUC was ready.
As IHUC got into the pregame huddle, some simple facts were laid out. No IHUC player on the team (including 5th year seniors) had ever beat Minnesota. There had been several close games, a few universe point loses, but no wins. The conditions were very windy. Iowa prepared for a battle, knowing that they might be losing at some point, knowing that they could grind it out, that they had come back in so many big games this season.
IHUC won the flip and got to start going downwind on offense. Minnesota came out furious. They played tight D, got the turnover, and attacked, scoring upwind within five minutes, putting the momentum in their favor.
It was the most crucial point of the weekend for IHUC. Down 0-1, going upwind, Iowa could have folded against their rivals. But there was no fear- Iowa knew they could still come back, and the group began playing together beautifully. The team came out hard, with an upwind line, and scored right back, making incredible plays going into the wind. Then IHUC refined its zones, shutting down all disc movement forward; denied of its play sets, and faced with a seriously pissed off Iowa team, Grey Duck struggled with every pass. IHUC proceeded to crush Grey Duck, never letting up the intensity, never being satisfied. The upwind line was moving incredibly well, breaking zones, hucking deep even into winds of over twenty miles an hour, and every player was contributing, with great plays from each individual. Saucy Nancy, fresh off a championship victory (mad props) had come to support and the many Iowa fans that came this weekend (thank-you) were only growing louder.
Taking half 8-2, the team was not content. Still, Minnesota made an adjustment, and scored one point right after half, working efficiently, but were then denied by the ferocity of the defense. IHUC won 15-3, demolishing their competition, earning a bid to nationals and a chance at the 2/3 game.
Minnesota, disheartened and shocked, would move a few fields over to play a young and hungry Luther team. Luther, after observing what had happened, figured out the strategy that had won Iowa the game. Led once again by fantastic play from Eric Johnson, LUFDA would fight hard and push a bewildered Grey Duck team out of Nationals for good, taking fourth place by winning 12-8 on cap.
Carleton CUT had faced a rough Sunday when they went down big to the Wisconsin Hodags in the Regional Championship game. Carleton was apparently making many, many mistakes and were down 3-8 at half. The CUT team mounted a comeback against their age old rivals and tightened the game to 11-13, but would lose 11-14 on cap. They were a disheartened team, hoping for an easy rematch against IHUC.
They didn’t realize that Iowa had finally reached peak performance and were playing out of their minds- making incredible plays and moving through a big wind as if it didn't exist.
Iowa won the flip again, electing to defend the upwind endzone. The strategy that had so effectively dismantled Minnesota was to be employed again, as Iowa was confident in this wind- ready to throw zones, and suddenly feeling as though no team in the country could stop them. Carleton CUT had no idea the kind of team that was coming against them in the rematch.
First off, the team scored quickly to take the downwind ; then the upwind came out playing hard, and had several close chances at the upwind side, but failed to capitalize. Iowa scored the downwind, but then another long point ensued, with IHUC getting several shots at the goal again. The points were grinding, long, and made the game seem further advanced; Carleton was playing man defense against Iowa, even near the upwind side, and IHUC had chances, eventually scoring. Lead 3-1. IHUC came out after the upwind and scored the downwind without turning the disc over. CUT was rattled and called a timeout; Iowa was making them work very hard, and they were playing a lot of man defense early, but IHUC’s lines were deep and every single player was doing well, without letting up. CUT kept trying to play man, but Iowa was getting open on every side and running strong zones on D, refusing to let up.
Carleton did get the downwind point after the timeout, but worked for it. Iowa up 4-2, had a beautiful downwind to score 5-2, making excellent plays. Iowa hucked upwind to make it 6-2, after the zone continued to force CUT to take bad shots, and blady throws. Iowa kept pushing to take half 8-3. IHUC came out of half scoring upwind again, taking the score to 9-3. In the second half of the game, Carleton knew they had their backs to the wall and were not happy about it. They made some adjustments and continued to play hard.
CUT called in a lanky D-line player (Simon Montague #9) and he came in to thrown and go, slicing through the zone upwind. But play grew physical as the points grew longer, and observers were involved. The previous day, IHUC had a few observer plays that went against them and had let the arguments get in their head. Using a special sideline call that calmed the play, Iowa didn’t let the multiple calls affect them. IHUC fought the long point, and fended off several furious assaults on the upwind endzone, scoring finally downwind after a ten minute long point. That was probably the most critical point of the game, Iowa going up 10-3, shutting down CUT’s many attempts to score. Long back and forth point again ensued, but CUT got it 10-4.
After a two year hiatus, IHUC returned to Lawrence, Kansas to participate in the 30th annual Fools Fest. Though this was the last weekend of the USAU Collegiate regular season, Fools Fest itself was not sanctioned, and was instead set up in a round robin format designed for a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
On Saturday, a day of light winds and gorgeous weather, Iowa first played in state foe Iowa State. ISUC made a fight of it, and was ready and willing to take advantage of any Iowa mistakes, but the game was always firmly in IHUC’s control. Win 13-6. After a bye round, Iowa would face off against host team Kansas. Many of the things that were being worked on in the first game, began to click well in the second, and the D-line helped push across several breaks, going up 5-1 and then taking half 7-3. The team came out sluggish after half however and the Offensive line was broken twice in a row. The D-line came out to play an O point and, as the winds picked up, they battled for a long time with multiple turnovers before also getting scored upon by the Horrorzontals. The teams would keep it close and eventually the game would go to universe point, with IHUC securing the win 11-10. Next two games against Kansas State and Colorado State would be strong victories, as Iowa played well in the wind and started to lock down the fundamentals.
Saturday night there was to be a dance party hosted at the Grenada. All of IHUC attended and probably had too good of a time. Numerous wild stories were created that will forever live in IHUC lore. Everyone nearly overslept on Sunday, and showed up late to the fields. After playing a quick game against Iowa State B (win) in ferociously windy conditions, the team- tired and filled with several injuries- decided to head home early.
2011 EASTERNS WRITEUP:
Arriving in North Carolina on Friday, the team was pleased even further with their decision to come to Easterns over Centex, as IHUC had finally managed to avoid the curse of playing a tournament in bad weather. Conditions were glorious for the beach. Temperatures were consistently in the 70’s for the majority of the weekend, skies were mostly sunny, and the wind was gusty and occasionally fierce.
The majority of the team was coming off of a spring break trip to High Tide. Inevitably a few guys were sick, hurt, exhausted, or all of the above at various points during the tournament, but nearly the entire roster was present to support the team, including some of the families, a few Saucies, and three clutch HBV sideline men.
Eventually everyone would rendezvous in Wilmington (after three new players to the A team would get lost driving toward the middle of South Carolina). Friday night IHUC had a showcase game that was originally supposed to be against UNCW, but was rescheduled against Harvard. There was an erratic, yet strong, crosswind going on until just about sunset. Game starts off with IHUC on O, and the seven work it through Harvard’s zone to score first. The D-line then steps up with a D on a Redline huck, quickly sending it back the other way for a score. 2-0. Harvard would be unfazed however, and would stick to their gameplan- namely keeping the disc in the hands of their two best players. IHUC had trouble limiting the superstars' action- they played often and threw plenty of scores. Harvard’s defense would put some pressure on and the O-line would make a few mistakes as the opposing team went up 6-3. The D-line would step up for an offensive point, score it, and then break to keep the game close at 5-6. But the team’s focus was not good; Harvard would keep its poise, roll two more points to take half and then eventually would come out hot going up 5-10, taking advantage of the many turnovers from IHUC. Iowa would mount a small comeback, but couldn’t close that large gap opened up by Redline’s early runs. Game was lost 11-15, everyone disappointed, feeling like the game could have been won had the team limited mistakes.
Saturday morning’s first game against Oregon would unfortunately start the same way as the showcase; Ego would get a few breaks early, Iowa’s intensity would be sluggish and the turnover rate was far too high. IHUC only managed to get one break the entire game, and Oregon cruised to a 15-9 victory. Second game against Florida saw the wind really pick up as the day wore on. Florida’s zone was big and close, and despite the observer clearly recognizing the blatant double teams from the opponent, Iowa was having trouble stopping Florida’s huck-and-zone game. IHUC would use the same strategy, but once again the first half saw a huge lead open up that couldn’t be closed. Iowa loses 8-15.
Hot, tired, and not very pleased, the team was glad to take advantage of the bye round. The next game up was against the fourth seed in the pool (Iowa being the three seed): Ohio, a team that won the qualifier and was trying to prove that it and the Ohio Valley region deserved recognition. Wind would be a big factor again, and this time IHUC made sure to keep it close early, trading points as each team scored the downwinders. Eventually, Iowa’s pressure would pay off and the upwind line would get a break. The downwind line was perfect, making sure to take advantage of Ohio’s costly mistakes, punting the disc downfield to trap it when it was required. Iowa would eventually get one more upwind break, and would win 15-10.
At last, momentum and intensity were starting to build. Showcase game was a rematch against Harvard; the winner would advance to the championship bracket. Amped up, the team came out focused in what would turn out to be another upwind-downwind battle. The O-line would look excellent for many points, and the D-line got a few chances to score as the team worked on limiting Harvard’s huck game. But even with the disc knocking on the upwind goal line, Iowa failed to score the first break until late in the second half. The team’s ferocious defense would increase and IHUC scored the downwinder, needing only to hang on serve to take home a victory. But it was not to be; a turnover on an early offensive throw gave Harvard the momentum back as they scored upwind and downwind breaks of their own. Iowa would regret not having scored further upwind breaks on earlier chances, but would play backs against the wall, great man defense to battle out to universe point. Unfortunately Harvard started with the wind, and so got to play Universe Point going downwind. After a long goal line stand from IHUC, the team from the NorthEast scored to win again.
Although the loss was frustrating, IHUC was much happier with the improved play from the second part of the day, and on Sunday the team was able to correct mistakes more quickly. When the team came out slow, getting broken three times in a row against Cal in the first round of consolation play, Iowa pulled out the intensity right away, instead of waiting until Cal went on a long run and the gap was too big to close (one of many problems this season). The D-line fought extremely hard this game, playing tight man defense, ready and willing to huck to mismatched receivers downfield. O-line would get together and regain focus; the game would be close after a late California comeback, but Iowa won 15-12.
The next round was supposed to be against Ohio, but the tournament director helped Iowa avoid the rematch and switched UNCW into place. The captains said it best when they proclaimed that this was the matchup the team had wanted all weekend. More than any other game from Nationals last year (perhaps all season) the loss to UNCW was terribly frustrating. IHUC was winning, looked poised to keep pushing and take a day one victory, but instead faded and lost. UNCW took that momentum on to quarterfinals, IHUC was forced into the consolation bracket. Pumped up and pissed off, Iowa was not going to lose this game. Wind really became a factor (a kind of diagonal wind across the field) and zone was the name of the game. IHUC finally regained its confidence as a top-notch team in the wind, as the O-line seemed at times to be able to shred whatever was thrown their way. D-line ran the hard standard zone and got a big lead with some early breaks. The only real disappointing thing about this game was that there was a lull in intensity that allowed UNCW to come back and get a couple of breaks. Still in the end, IHUC prevailed 15-10.
The final game on Sunday would be against the old foe Minnesota. This is the second straight tournament that Grey Duck and IHUC have met at the end of an exhausting weekend, each winning their side of a bracket. Both teams again seemed slightly worn down. Wind was lessened in this game- it was still blowing downwind enough to make zone a possibility- but it was weak enough that each team could score multiple times in the upwind endzone. In terms of depth and intensity for both teams it seemed to be a very similar matchup as the one during Mardi Gras (several players from both sides were out or were weary). Game started off trading points, both sides hucking downwind often. IHUC got the first break of the day- just as in the championship at Mardi Gras, but once again failed to carry the momentum forward. Grey Duck would eventually get a couple of breaks to take half at 6-8, with them receiving after half.
Coach Nation- who was clutch all weekend for keeping the team focused- really reemphasized his eastern mantra at halftime, something along the lines of: “It’s not enough just to talk about it, you have to do it. You have to decide you are going to play well and then do it. We can either lose or win, it’s that simple.” Iowa found itself in an unfortunately familiar situation; the team was down in the second half. Yet the team would mount another comeback, getting two breaks in a row to tie it at 10-10. The sides traded points fiercely until the game went to universe point. Minnesota scored on a deep throw to hand Iowa its second double game point loss of the weekend. The loss left Iowa with a bitter taste in its mouth, and although the four teams from the Central Region did well, all are realizing the thick battle that will come at Regional’s.
The team would then endure the hellish all-night ride home, with one car hitting a deer (everyone is OK, although the car's condition is another story).
The weekend showed both highs and lows from the team. Most of the players will probably focus on the many things that need to be improved on, but there were points that IHUC looked good. The real problems are consistency (especially in focus and intensity) and the drive to “just go out and win despite it all” as Nation likes to say. There are now a few weeks before Fools Fest and the Conference Tournament which signals the start of the College Series, and Iowa has plenty of motivation to drive them forward.
PS: Mad props to Saucy Nancy for winning their version of College Easterns.
Writeup: Mardi Gras 2011
The team’s journey began with the incredibly long ride down to Louisiana, via Megavan, Shortbus, and Friday morning old man car. Typical road trip shenanigans ensued. Team was once again short a few players and a coach who could not make the trip, and once again injuries would leave the team with low numbers on Sunday.
Much of IHUC spent Friday alternating between sleeping and spreading mayhem throughout the local area outside the hotel. Many would head down to Bourbon Street on Friday night. Numerous adventures were reported, the least of which was Captain Nugget revealing his “A Game” to the ladies and Stutz nearly being left behind to fend for himself on the streets of New Orleans. At long last the entire team was reunited, falling into unconsciousness at a late hour.
Saturday morning started off with an early wakeup call and hot, humid weather, with ominous dark clouds on the horizon. The team arrived at the fields set to play North Texas. Game started off slowly in the muggy weather- IHUC perhaps showing signs of the late night and a lackluster warmup. Tied at 4’s the lightning became too obvious to ignore and everyone was called into the indoor basketball courts. After about an hour of waiting around watching hundreds of ultimate players find wacky ways to entertain themselves (flutterguts, animal game, and napping were IHUC’s methods), the team headed back out into the rain (now furiously pouring) and the mud to finish the game. Sloppy play ensued but Iowa played better fundamentals to win 13-8 just as more lightning struck. Word from the TD revealed that all games were called for the rest of the day.
This announcement would prove to royally screw over Hucititis B. The Iowa B team had a bye round early so they didn’t get to play at all on Saturday; a later miscommunication between Prookie and the tournament director would leave the TD with the impression that both teams were heading home. IHUC would luckily get placed back into the bracket, but Hucititis would have to leave for Iowa early without playing a single point. Seems like those guys bonded and had a fun trip down to NOLA, but still, that is a crappy situation.
Saturday night saw a team dinner at Chimes in Baton Rouge with awesome food and beer choices. Unter would successfully avoid getting beat down with birthday celebrations, Bieber and Short would attempt to woo Stacy, the attractive hostess, neither with much success. Many IHUC players would head to the party that night to retry their luck with the ladies, others would pay a profitable visit to a Casino Riverboat.
Blackout Sunday found the team rocking the dark jerseys, and moving through the bracket. A little chilly early, but weather got sunny and beautiful, with gusty winds on and off throughout the day. First game was against Arkansas, a cool bunch of guys IHUC had previously faced off against at FSC. The winds were strongest during this round and the game became an upwind/ downwind battle. Arkansas had excellent high release throws that were working through the zone, but in the end, Iowa simply had less turnovers in the difficult conditions, earning more upwind breaks to win 13- 7.
Second game against Alabama started off quite close. The wind was dropping slightly, shifting directions, and overall just not being cooperative toward throwing zone. Bama had some fast handlers that were proving difficult to guard and their team came out with a surprising intensity. IHUC was caught off guard at first and the score was tight until the second half, when the D-Line began to take greater advantage of the opposing squad’s turnovers. Eventually the game would be won on cap 12-7.
Quarterfinal matchup was against George Washington. This game saw IHUC play relaxed, but almost too much so, as Iowa failed to gain a commanding lead. Early on both teams scored often as each sized the other up. IHUC offense kept control (perfect at this point in the day still) until the D-line started to apply the confident pressure and get the breaks to put the game away. Win 13-9.
Iowa finished early enough that they were able to recollect themselves a bit before the Semi-finals. The team watched as Luther and DUF battled it out in a tight game until eventually the North Central team was able to pull out the victory, giving the region three out of the four teams in the semi-finals.
IHUC starting on defense, enters the first point against interregional rival Luther pumped and excited, and the squad was able to generate multiple turns in an extremely long battle with both sides moving the disc up and down the field, threatening to score. Eventually Luther would capture the hard fought first point, but not before the damage was done: both teams, low on numbers, were tired even further from that early ordeal, and Luther would feel the effects even more acutely than IHUC. As a result, Iowa’s D-line would be able to push across three breaks before half-time leading 7-4. The O-line, who played a fantastic semi, smoothly continued to roll giving Iowa the 8-4 lead after half. Both teams would trade points as the game settled into a rhythm. Eventually O-line would be broken near the end of the match but the lead was too great to surmount and Iowa walked away with a 13-10 win.
One field over, Minnesota, who seemed to have the easier road to the finals, was rested and waiting after taking out Indiana by a big margin. Iowa loosened up and prepared to receive the pull. Both teams started the game off slowly; there was very little sideline presence for either group, both teams were tired after playing four games already in the sun, and there was not much of a crowd for a championship game. Each line traded points, the various defenses having trouble getting turnovers, the low intensity not helping matters. IHUC would readjust and see some great hard man defense on the downfield hucks in the first break of the game: IHUC 4- Grey Duck 3. Minnesota would hold the next point to tie it up, and would then amp up their own intensity as Iowa failed to sustain their adrenaline. The O-line would be broken twice in a row. A timeout was called, but momentum was already firmly in Minnesota’s favor. They had become loud, and were carrying their momentum forward, while Iowa- tired and very low on numbers- was having trouble getting refocused. Minnesota would rattle off a few more points to eventually take half 7-4, with their own O-line set to come up out and widen the lead. They would get two more breaks to lead 9-4 on Iowa.
The Offense regained their focus and scored, and then the D-line was able to get some fire and put two more breaks on the board, closing the gap to 7-9. Unfortunately that would be as close as the game would come. IHUC would fight in another tough D point, but Minnesota would eventually score to make the game 7-10, would then take advantage of a throwaway to make it 7-11 and would eventually win the game 13-8. Iowa fought all the way.
Minnesota would take home the championship, Iowa would enter the exhausting, all-night ride home with second place. Most players would arrive back in Iowa City at around 8AM, worn out and forced to catch up to that annoyance known as “school” by taking midterms in the last week before break.
The first loss of the season was a disappointing one, but the team still has high spirits. The season is very young, there is a lot to work on, and the next time Iowa faces off against Minnesota, IHUC hopes to have some injured players back. Perhaps the next meeting will be at Easterns, which is now less than two weeks away. What is set to be probably the most competitive tournament of the year will have a big impact on the season, and Iowa needs to rest up and compete strong during this portion, and be ready to continue to train and practice in the weeks leading up to the Regional Championships.
Also- props to Saucy Nancy, who won the Midwest Throwdown this weekend. Seems as though both Iowa programs are set to have strong years, and the North Central Region continues to be one of the best in the country.
Free State Classic 2011:
After driving through some snowstorms, IHUC arrived in Kansas City, checked in to some ridiculously nice hotel rooms at the Hyatt (yet no indoor pool), and headed to bed early, eager to finally begin playing outdoors. To the casual observer this may have appeared to be the start of Iowa’s season, but those close to the team know that the program has been training and practicing for months, and had been waiting a long time to finally get out and play in an official USAU tournament.
However after a 5:30 AM wakeup call, and arriving at the turf fields, still in darkness, to see them covered in a couple inches of snow, IHUC perhaps spent a second wondering whether they should have sprung for plane tickets to travel to someplace warmer in February. That doubt quickly passed; Iowa Ultimate had played in far worse conditions, and despite the cold and the drizzle throughout the day (yet no wind), the team kept focus and played strong on the turf beneath the ice. The only other factor holding the group back was the fact that two players and Coach Ryan Nation were unable to make the trip, and several others were injured off and on at the tourney, giving the team lower numbers than expected, especially in the handler position.
First game was against Nebraska-Omaha; despite a few moments of early morning sluggishness and some rusty offense, IHUC won solidly13-2. Next up was Missouri. That game would start slow and both teams would trade early, until Iowa brought the intensity back up and cruised to a 13-5 win. Third game against Missouri S and T was a similar story- IHUC was trying to balance going inside the complex to warm up and then coming out into the freezing conditions every round and it played havoc with the team’s muscles. This game would be close again, IHUC having trouble locking down some of their handlers, and making far too many mistakes on offense. Iowa would take half 7-6, on serve. The Captains really emphasized Nation’s mantra “Work Harder to Win”, and that the group needed to come out with renewed focus and intensity after stoppages of play. Iowa showed great poise at what was probably the most critical point of the day, got amped up and rolled the next six points to win 13-6.
Fourth game was a quick 13-2 win against a savage Tulsa team where Trout earned himself a new greatest IHUC moment. And finally the 5th game of the day was set up against A2 seeded Arkansas. This team had some powerful handlers that could send some bombs deep and they were ready to make the athletic plays and to convert on Iowa’s mistakes. Still, both lines were playing hard, integrating well, and the team was able to win solidly 13-8.
Saturday night saw a team wide dinner at the delicious Gates BBQ. Sergei’s random flirting tactics would pay off for once, as he turned the puppy eyes on for Kelsey, the hotel desk clerk, who slid a few IHUC players free one day passes to a local 24/7 gym. Hot tub, steam room, sauna, and waterfall pool ensued. Clutch. Worn out and full, most of the team headed to bed early.
Sunday morning was much later of a start due to a blessed bye round; temps were slightly warmer and the snow was mostly cleared off, although it was quite foggy all day and the breezes were a bit higher in speed. First matchup was against UNO again as they beat out Colorado State to advance to quarterfinals. Great game for the team; IHUC played relaxed and confident, winning 15-2.
Semi-Finals against Illinois. Biggest game of the day. The Illini had lost to Kansas 11-13 in their own pool on Saturday, and then Kansas went on to lose to Arkansas in the quarterfinals on Sunday, thus leaving Illinois the only other team from nationals last year left in the bracket.
Waffle calls and wins the flip for the Iowa squad, and the Captains elect to pull. Game starts off with intensity, Iowa putting a lot of pressure on and playing tight man defense. IHUC scores two breaks in quick succession, but then allows Illinois to score. 2-1. O-Line comes out and looks solid, making the score 3-1. D-Line comes out intense again; after a longer, multiple-turn point, IHUC is up 4-1. Illinois called a timeout around here and regained their focus, while Iowa let up the intensity, and that would almost prove to be their undoing. Illinois went on a big run; their poachy defense was frustrating many of the play calls, and it was making it difficult for the O-line to get open easily underneath. In response, IHUC hoped to send it deep, but there were several hucks that were either bad looks or badly executed shots due to the inclement conditions. The team lost focus, there were many drops, and several bad throwaways under Illini pressure. Illinois took half 8-5 and then scored a break right after half to take a 9-5 lead.
After such a massive momentum shift, things looked pretty bleak. Yet the team did not give up. It’s important to repeat that. The team did not give up. This year’s squad has shown that they are always in contention with a D-line that can make filthy plays and earn multiple breaks and an O-line that can be nearly untouchable when they are clicking. Things started to get better as the O-line recognized the poaches and the handlers really moved the disc to help clear them; looks were tight and there were fewer turnovers. D-line started throwing a zone occasionally even though there was not very much wind, earning a few breaks back (including a Callahan). Due to low numbers, players were switching lines fluidly. The lead became smaller as momentum started to slide back in Iowa’s direction, but there still came the point where Illinois was up 12-10 and had beat the Iowa zone by going over the top. Playing hard man defense, shutting down the handlers and getting layouts, IHUC would tie it up at 12’s, game to three. Then each team would trade to tie 13-13 as cap went on. Iowa D-line would step up big to get a huge break, and then step up big again to get two D’s on gamepoint, showing patience near the endzone until at last the space opened up and the victory was secured. 15-13.
It was a game of runs and momentum shifts, and was pretty ugly as Iowa did not carry the early momentum forward. But still, it was a comeback to be proud of, the team getting it done when it matters. Bottom line: We win. We advance to finals.
Kansas State beat Arkansas in the Semi’s and were ready and waiting for the final match. Iowa would bring the intensity from the last victory to start off hot again, getting three breaks, effectively taking a lot of the fight out of a tired Kansas State. The teams would then trade points; weather was becoming foggier and colder by the minute, and Iowa again lost some its intensity, feeling too comfortable. Kansas State started to switch to straight up mark to frustrate some of the sideline plays and they were beating the zone a few times, inching closer. Eventually focus would be regained and IHUC would go on a run to finish 15-9, glad to win a big check of 750 dollars. The “Big Check” turned out to be a very small paper check, but still it felt good to win the championship and finish 8-0 on the weekend. IHUC leaves just as thunderstorms and torrential down-pour hit the area. Shamrock Shakes for victory = delicious. Everyone gets home safely, despite Waffle’s best attempts (the rookie sporadically driving the ShortVan at extremely slow, then extremely fast speeds, leapfrogging Nick’s car, with busted windshield wipers, at least four times).
Overall a solid tourney. The team won when it mattered by working harder, but needs to be able to keep the intensity throughout an entire game, especially in the bigger tournaments coming up. There is a lot that needs to be improved upon, but if IHUC can keep getting better, they will be a strong team this year. Mr. Parker was filming for the weekend, so perhaps a highlight video will be put together, although it may not come out for a week or two as things are about to get very busy. Mardi Gras in four days, spring break and Easterns after that. Go get it IHUC.
Indoor Bubble Tournament 2011 Writeup:
As per usual, the Iowa Ultimate Programs started up their spring semester by hosting an indoor tournament to gauge their early season progress and to raise money. The tourney was a big success for all three teams. Here is a brief write-up for the games of the A and B team. Hopefully I’ll be able to add pictures, and possibly a link to a Saucy write-up and more from the B team (perhaps a captain would like to add perspective, since the A team could only watch a portion of these games).
Hucititis B:
The B team looked ready for action, with pretty good numbers and a lot of young, eager talent. At times they were raw and unpracticed, but overall they proved to be a tough crew.
The first game for HBV was against Iowa State and though it started off rocky, eventually Hucititis was able to put points up and cause trouble for ISUC. One of the favorite sideline quotes of the weekend was from an Iowa State veteran: “This is not the Iowa B team we saw last year” said immediately after a huck score was let up by his own squad. He then promptly began yelling at his players on the field. HucB would lose 5-13, but showed early that they were serious this year.
Next would come an epic battle with Kansas B. Hucititis settled into a rhythm of tough defense with an offense that wasn’t afraid to take risks. Many players on the B team are rookies or have only one season of college ultimate under their belt, but they were making upfield throws, breaking the mark, and hucking with success. The B team kept hanging tough and would pull out the Universe point win 13-12.
The final game of the day would be against Kansas A, followed by Luther A the following morning. Both these teams proved that they had been to nationals, and executed wins. Still, despite the setbacks, Hucititis would continue to play hard, have fun, and improve, and would give Grinnell a fiery game to finish off their Sunday. The Grinnellephants would eventually win 13-5, but I think all of Iowa Ultimate was impressed with the loud sidelines and excitement coming from B team’s portion of the bubble, and we look forward to a good year from these young guys.
IHUC:
Iowa A had been preparing all winter for a chance to finally play intercollegiate ultimate as a team together, and the team proved that the hard work up to that point was worthwhile.
IHUC came out firing against Kansas B, with an extremely tough defensive line that looked vastly improved from last season and an offense that was smooth and at times unstoppable. The day started off with a 13-0 win.
Next up was Notre Dame, and again the defensive line was aggressive, getting turnovers on nearly every point they came out and converting at a high percentage, continually improving their offense. The O-Line was calm and confident, open on either side of the field, scoring all of their points, leading to a 13-6 victory.
After perhaps too long of an idle wait, IHUC played Kansas A for the last game of Saturday. The Horrorzontals took advantage of the early sluggish play from Iowa, breaking for the first two points, eventually taking a 4-1 lead. IHUC called a timeout to regain its composure and readjust offensively. The first real test of the season was passed well, as the O-line locked down and the D-line slowly chipped away at the lead, earning back the breaks, eventually taking half 7-6. Kansas would hang tough and it would be a game of many breakpoints, but IHUC would score when it mattered, winning 13-11.
Sunday’s games against Iowa State and Luther were very similar in style. Both teams would give Iowa competitive games, taking early leads as the team struggled with some issues. In each instance, IHUC came back, pushed through, and although both ISUC and LUFDA made late scoring runs, Iowa would win (13-9?, 13-10?).
Overall, the captains and Coach Ryan Nation were happy with the team’s performance. IHUC overcame a few challenges to go 5-0 on the weekend and was largely successful at accomplishing the goals of the first practice week (improving marks and red-zone offense). The team is excited and has the potential to go far, provided that it keeps improving every day. Only one month (7 bubble practices) left till the Free State Classic in Kansas City, the first tournament that will count toward Iowa's official USAU ranking.