Master's Final
Big Sky vs. Throwback
Story by Mike O'Dowd

The Masters final was a rematch of the Northwest regional final. Both teams had made an incredible trip to get there. Big Sky and Throwback suffered blow-out losses in pool play to take second in their respective pools. Throwback had crushed Big Sky at the regional final and it looked to be a one sided game. But the roster for Big Sky had several key players missing at regionals, so this game was going to be their first real game.

Throwback started out down wind with a big huck from Steve Finn to Justin Hughes, Throwback 1-0. Big Sky answered, Chase fetter to KK for the score, 1-1. Throw then scored down wind, 2-1 throwback. Big Sky's Jason Sutter forced a short pass into the endzone that was blocked. Throwback then worked it up with the usual Keith and Kevin Monohan show, Throwback with the first upwind break, 3-1. Big Sky answered with a break of their own, Kerry Karter, Michael Lauber to Kent Schumaker for the 3-2 goal. Quick first pass dirt by Throwback's Barney Ahouse led to a wicked hammer from Ricky Nultemeier to Boyd Miller, 3-3. Both teams then forced it on the goal line. Big Sky's Ricky then threw the upwind goal to Canada's own Big Al Carswell, Big Sky 4-3. Big Sky's Kent "Shuey" Schumaker then got the sweet goal saving block.

Big Sky worked it down wind and Kerry "KK" Karter hucked it long to Shuey for the bomb, 5-3 Big Sky. Throwback then worked it up wind with many insurance fouls, 5-4 Big Sky. Then with a nice layout grab save by Big Sky's Chase Fetter KK passed to Shuey, Big Sky 6-4. Then Throwback was in high stall count, but Barney Ahouse had a nice "throw to space" escape at nine that Tim Laverty pulled down. Tim threw it to Britt Atack for the score, 6-5 Big Sky.

Big Sky then hucked on the next point, but Dennis Karlinsky had the sweet layout block in the endzone. Throwback gave it right back and Herb Kaup threw it to Davey Hill for the score, 7-5 Big Sky. Throwback then worked it down with the spread offense, Steve Finn to Justin Hughes, 7-6 Big Sky. Big Sky then turned it because they had no dump. Throwback worked it upwind and Steve Finn threw a blind lead pass to Britt Atack to tie it at 7-7.

Big Sky then turned another over because they had no dump. Dennis Karlinky was all over it with the block. Throwback quickly worked it in to Spencer Reeder to take the half 8-7. Second half saw Big Sky receiving upwind. They worked it down and Herb Kaup couldn't come up with a tough catch. Then Throwback gave it back, But Michael Lauber dropped one. They worked it up and Britt Atack had to call a high stall time out. Out of the T/O, Britt threw to Keith Monohan and then on to Tim Laverty for the upwind score, four straight, 9-7 Throwback.

Then Big Sky's Davey Hill and KK had some beautiful work to score upwind, 9-8 Throwback. Throwback's Steve Finn then hucked an up wind bomb to Jacob Sider that went wide. Two passes later Big Sky's Eric "EJ" Johnson, hucked a sweet downwind bomb to Boyd Miller to tie it 9-9. Throw worked it in after both teams had it, Tim Laverty to Kevin Monohan, 10-9 throwback. Big Sky's Ricky Nultemeier had the sweet hammer to Boyd Miller to tie it 10-10. Ricky's hucks were on. A drop on a down wind huck by Justin Hughes set up yet another sweet huck by Ricky Nultemeier to his Buddy EJ, 11-10 Big Sky.

Both teams turned it twice, the last being right on the up wind goal line. This resulted in an easy score, Steve Finn to Tim Laverty 11-11. Big Sky then answered by working it up wind, KK to Pat Benson, 12-11 Big Sky.

During the next point with the score 12-11 the cap went on. This point went on for close to 30 minutes. With endless turns on each side, Keith Monohan just hucked it long upwind. Big Sky's Michael Lauber looked to have a bead on the defense, but Dennis Karlinsky pulled it down. Dennis hit a sprinting Steve Finn to tie it at 12-12, cap on, game to 14.

The game became sloppy and it was obvious both teams had hit a wall. Finally KK hit Michael Lauber up wind to make it 13-12 Big Sky. Throwback took the pull and answered back upwind with some sweet work by Barney Ahouse, 13-13, next point wins.

Big Sky's Ricky hucked to KK, who promised to catch it, but Keith Monohan poached off and got up to snatch the defense. That looked like the play of the game.

Throwback worked it down wind ten yards out. Steve Finn forced it in to the corner and Big Sky's Davey Hill made the sweet layout game saving block. That looked like the play of the game.

Big Sky worked it back and forth on the endzone line. There were two Big Sky dumps there with Steve Finn on the closer man. The dump went to the wider Big Sky dump. Steve Finn dove out and snared the Callahan to win his third straight UPA Club Championship with three different teams. Now that was the play of the game, maybe even the decade.

Throwback wins the masters final 14-13. Just amazing, and the crowd went crazy. It was the best finish of a final since the Sockeye hammer catch win. Several of the Throwback players won that game too. The whole field was buzzing for several minutes. It was just an awesome display of heart, hustle and passion by both teams in the masters final.

Story by Mike O'Dowd

Masters Semifinals:
Above & Beyond vs. Big Sky
There was strong very strong wind for this repeat of last year's semifinal. Big Sky won the flip. New York received down wind and worked it all the way up only to turn it at the endzone. After three turns each New york punched it in for the first break. Steve Moons nice pass to Adam Pacelli. Then each team traded down wind goals 2-0, 2-1 3-1. New York then worked it half way up after an errant Big Sky huck. Arnold Sanchez had the sweet upwind huck to Mike Friedland. They called time out and then Mike threw in the second break, 4-1 New York. Big Sky then answered right back. Pat Benson had the sweet upwind huck to Herb Kaup. Herb quickly swung it to Rick Nultemeier who rifled it to Davey Hill for the first Big Sky break, 4-2 New York. Big Sky then scored downwind after a sweet Boyd Miller block, 4-3 New York. Both teams traded several downwind goals to make it 7-5 with New York pulling upwind. NY got several blocks and finally worked in their third break of the game to take half, NY 8-5. There was some taunting and a mild scuffle broke out. Order was quickly restored and everybody made nice.
New York pulled downwind to start half. They eventually punched it in, 9-5 New York. Both teams traded down winders. The game changed with Rick Nultemeier, he made the catching defense in the downwind endzone. Rick came to the line a threw the nicest pass of the day. It was a sixty yard low huck against a howling wind. It fell perfectly into Michael Lauber's hands. Lauber called timeout eight yards out. But the pass in the endzone hung and Marty Brutvan, the smallest guy on the field, skied for the block. Above and Beyond turned it over right away. Ricky threw the crisp thirty yard lead pass to "The Diesel", Michael Lauber, who tracked down another break for Big Sky to make it 10-8. Big Sky scored the downwind goal after a New York drop to make it 10-9 New York. Both teams traded down wind goals to make it 11-10, Big Sky pulling upwind. Above and beyond worked it half way, but an ill advised huck by Tommy Stoughton went long and rolled out the back. Big Sky had their shot. Chase Fetter passed to Michael Lauber. Then Lauber had the sweet lead pass to Boyd Miller. Miller passed a quick swing to Kerry Karter. KK hit his sure handed friend Davey Hill for the deciding break of the game 11-11.Big Sky got the turn and down wind goal to go up for the first time 12-11. Cap is on, game to 14. Both teams traded two down wind goals to finish 14-13 Big Sky.

Throwback vs. Old and in the Way
This game started with throwback receiving upwind. Both teams scored their downwind goals with one or two turns. At 2-1 with Old and in the Way going down wind "Bunny", William Bartram got the blind, hand out block. Throwback had two passes and Dennis Karlinsky threw it out there for Bunny. Bunny made the big catch for the first break of the game and Throwback was on their way 3-1. Throwback got the downwind block with tough defense and scored to go up 4-1. The damn was about to burst. Both teams scored two down wind goals from there to make it 6-3.Then Throwback played the zone to man to stop Old's set offense. Old and in the way dirted the swing after the switch to man fouled them up. Throwback's Keith & Kevin Monahan rocked it with Dennis Karlinsky to put Throwback up 7-3. Throwback'sTim Laverty folowwed with the hot block and throwback punched it in down wind to take half 8-3. Old and in the Way received upwind and methodically worked it down wind and in, 8-4 Throwback. There was a twenty five minute point with four turns each and a multiperson argument over a rescind of a call. Throwback eventually scored to make it 9-4. Old saw it slipping away. Throwback then got the block and worked it nicely up wind, 10-4 Throwback. Keith Monahan was a one man wrecking crew all game with his solid handling work. Keith, his brother Kevin, Dennis Karlinsky,Steve Finn and Barney Ahouse all had great quick short flow that was unstoppable. On the other side of the ball, Throwback was fronting Old and daring them to huck. With the wind so strong it was a great strategy. The throwers for Old were stuck with the disc and no underneath cuts. the wind did the rest. Throwback was going down wind and got another block and score to make it 11-4. Old scored down wind to make it 11-5. Then Old made a sweet block. Heith Mackay and J.D. Lobue Jr. worked it short and sweet to get their first up wind break of the game, 11-6 Throwback. Throwback then received going upwind and Steve Finn, Barney Ahouse and Dennis Karlinsky all shredded with the short jam to make it 12-6 Throwback. From that point it was over. Old and in the Way never scored again. With their hopes dashed, Old and in the Way handled themselves with class and dignity. Throwback wins 15-6.

Masters Final:
Big Sky vs. Throwback
The Masters final was a rematch of the Northwest regional final. Both teams had made an incredible trip to get there. Big Sky and Throwback suffered blow out losses in pool play to take second in their respective pools. Throwback had crushed Big Sky at the regional final and it looked to be a one sided game. But the roster for Big Sky had several key players missing at regionals, so this game was going to be their first real game.
Throwback started out down wind with a big huck from Steve Finn to Justin Hughes, Throwback 1-0. Big Sky answered, Chase fetter to KK for the score, 1-1. Throw then scored down wind, 2-1 throwback. Big Sky's Jason Sutter forced a short pass into the endzone that was blocked. Throwback then worked it up with the usual Keith and Kevin Monohan show, Throwback with the first upwind break, 3-1. Big Sky answered with a break of their own, Kerry Karter, Michael Lauber to Kent Schumaker for the 3-2 goal. Quick first pass dirt by Throwback's Barney Ahouse led to a wicked hammer from Ricky Nultemeier to Boyd Miller, 3-3. Both teams then forced it on the goal line. Big Sky's Ricky then threw the upwind goal to Canada's own Big Al Carswell, Big Sky 4-3. Big Sky's Kent "Shuey" Schumaker then got the sweet goal saving block. Big Sky worked it down wind and Kerry "KK" Karter hucked it long to Shuey for the bomb, 5-3 Big Sky. Throwback then worked it up wind with many insurance fouls, 5-4 Big Sky. Then with a nice layout grab save by Big Sky's Chase Fetter KK passed to Shuey, Big Sky 6-4. Then Throwback was in high stall count, but Barney Ahouse had a nice "throw to space" escape at nine that Tim Laverty pulled down. Tim threw it to Britt Atack for the score, 6-5 Big Sky. Big Sky then hucked on the next point, but Dennis Karlinsky had the sweet layout block in the endzone. Throwback gave it right back and Herb Kaup threw it to Davey Hill for the score, 7-5 Big Sky. Throwback then worked it down with the spread offense, Steve Finn to Justin Hughes, 7-6 Big Sky. Big Sky then turned it because they had no dump. Throwback worked it upwind and Steve Finn threw a blind lead pass to Britt Atack to tie it at 7-7. Big Sky then turned another over because they had no dump. Dennis Karlinky was all over it with the block. Throwback quickly worked it in to Spencer Reeder to take the half 8-7.
Second half saw Big Sky receiving upwind. They worked it down and Herb Kaup couldn't come up with a tough catch. Then Throwback gave it back, But Michael Lauber dropped one. They worked it up and Britt Atack had to call a high stall time out. Out of the T/O, Britt threw to Keith Monohan and then on to Tim Laverty for the upwind score, four straight, 9-7 Throwback. Then Big Sky's Davey Hill and KK had some beautiful work to score upwind, 9-8 Throwback. Throwback's Steve Finn then hucked an up wind bomb to Jacob Sider that went wide. Two passes later Big Sky's Eric "EJ" Johnson, hucked a sweet downwind bomb to Boyd Miller to tie it 9-9. Throw worked it in after both teams had it, Tim Laverty to Kevin Monohan, 10-9 throwback. Big Sky's Ricky Nultemeier had the sweet hammer to Boyd Miller to tie it 10-10. Ricky's hucks were on. A drop on a down wind huck by Justin Hughes set up yet another sweet huck by Ricky Nultemeier to his Buddy EJ, 11-10 Big Sky. Both teams turned it twice, the last being right on the up wind goal line. This resulted in an easy score, Steve Finn to Tim Laverty 11-11. Big Sky then answered by working it up wind, KK to Pat Benson, 12-11 Big Sky. During the next point with the score 12-11 the cap went on. This point went on for close to 30 minutes. With endless turns on each side, Keith Monohan just hucked it long upwind. Big Sky's Michael Lauber looked to have a bead on the defense, but Dennis Karlinsky pulled it down. Dennis hit a sprinting Steve Finn to tie it at 12-12, cap on, game to 14. The game became sloppy and it was obvious both teams had hit a wall. Finally KK hit Michael Lauber up wind to make it 13-12 Big Sky. Throwback took the pull and answered back upwind with some sweet work by Barney Ahouse, 13-13, next point wins. Big Sky's Ricky hucked to KK, who promised to catch it, but Keith Monohan poached off and got up to snatch the defense. That looked like the play of the game. Throwback worked it down wind ten yards out. Steve Finn forced it in to the corner and Big Sky's Davey Hill made the sweet layout game saving block. That looked like the play of the game. Big Sky worked it back and forth on the endzone line. There were two Big Sky dumps there with Steve Finn on the closer man. The dump went to the wider Big Sky dump. Steve Finn dove out and snared the Callahan to win his third straight UPA Club Championship with three different teams. Now that was the play of the game, maybe even the decade. Throwback wins the masters final 14-13. Just amazing, and the crowd went crazy. It was the best finish of a final since the Sockeye hammer catch win. Several of the Throwback players won that game too. The whole field was buzzing for several minutes. It was just an awesome display of heart, hustle and passion by both teams in the masters final.
posted on 10/29/2006 08:05:00 PM

Masters Day 2
Story by Mike O'Dowd
Images by Jason Mechler

Pool A:
Old and in the Way was the only undefeated team at 3-0. They hadn't been tested in any game, and this trend continued. They are clearly the team to beat. In Friday's first game they jumped out on Surly 5-1. The wind picked up about midway through the first half and zone play was on. But the wind didn't make much difference as they trounced Surly 15-6.
Second round game against an 0-for Silverbacks team was no different. Old smoked Silverbacks 15-8 in another blowout. The wind actually helped the Florida boys keep it that close. That set up Old and in the way in the quarters against the fourth seed in Pool B in the quarters. Nobody has been in the game with them yet.
Big Sky, who got worked by Old on Thursday, handled Silverbacks 15-8. They finished with Glum, the two seed, in the second round. That game looked to be good, except Glum couldn't stop Big Sky with their man to man or zone defense. Big Sky's Kerry Karter, Rick Nultemeier, Davey Hill and Michael Lauber all shredded it up on offense and made things look easy. With their one loss, Big Sky, the seventh seed overall, came in second in the pool.
Surly who had the early morning loss against Old, refocused for the last game against Boneyard. Surly controlled most of the way by two and three, both teams opting for the zone in the tough wind. Boneyard was gritty all the way through, but could never break it to even. Surly had great calm work against the zone and rode tough to a 14-11 victory. They took third in the pool.
Glum had an easy time of it against Boneyard in the first game of the day. They seemed to be a different team altogether. Their hucks were hitting, their defense was on. Glum seemed to be playing downhill the whole game. They were the first team to go to zone as the wind picked up and put in the first few upwind breaks of the game. Their leader Brad Rollo set the tone with hard play and solid work against Boneyard's zone. Glum wins 15-9. Their second game loss against Big Sky sealed their fate as fourth in the pool.
Boneyard was tough all weekend and stayed upbeat and together. Their one victory against Silverbacks placed them fifth in the pool.
Silverbacks played the top two teams in the pool tough. They never quit. Even thought they went 0-6, they seemed to have fun and enjoyed the whole competition.

Pool B:
Above and Beyond, who started the tournament with the loss, came into Friday's play No.1 in the pool. Their fist game against bottom seed Ironwood was anything but easy. Ironwood was the most improved team over pool play. Iron continued to get better and had stints of greatness in the game. It was a two point game for most of the first half with chances to tie it in the tough wind. Zone and man were played by both teams in the tough wind. With Adam Pacelli, David Goldemberg, and Arnold Sanchez playing tough, New York pulled out to bigger lead. Josh Faust pulled down two of the garbage passes for upwind breaks and seemed to shoot baskets as his celebration each time. In the boys from New York were just too tough. Final score was 15-9 Above and Beyond.
Above and Beyond played Ball and Chain in the second game to finish pool play. B & C hung in every game they played and never got down. They held their poise so well all through pool play. But Arnold Sanchez, Kevin Massey and Marty Giannukos used their lack of size and followed the yellow brick road to the Emerald city all game. There quickness and great throws were unstoppable all game. Steve Mooney finally showed up and got into the action as well. New York wins over Ball and Chain 15-8. They took first in the pool.
Throwback had Thursday's five point loss to Above and Beyond to sleep with all night. They came out fired up. They started out with the Rust Belt team and both teams got the hair up on their back neither team wanted to back down from anything. The wind picked up mid game and upwinders became the currency. Throwback has the skills, but Rust played them tough. Finally, in what was a two point game, throwback worked in the big one and put the game out of reach. Keith and Kevin Monohan, Barney Ahouse and Dennis Karlinsky played super solid all game.
Game two for Throwback was against Chico's Bail Bonds, the Cinderella of the pool. This game got fierce in a hurry. Chico's is a tough mid-western group that doesn't deal with the passive aggressive stuff to well. And Throwback didn't like Chico's in your face style. Something had to give. Well what followed was some loud arguments, some spikes, some physical play and a hard fought game. The Throwback guys were beside themselves and Chico's was more than glad to see them upset. After all was said and done, Throwback won 15-10 and there were handshakes of respect. That was nice to see. Throwback took second in the pool and Britt Atack came out of the game slightly concussed.
Ball and Chain started off against Chico's bail Bonds in the morning and played solid as usual. Every Chico's turn seemed to get put back in. Even as it got windy, B & C was extra solid. They led 6-2, 8-3, & 10-4. Chico's had no answer for them Ball and Chain wins 15-9.
The second game for B & C was against Above and Beyond. As previously reported, the munchkins had a field day. Ball loses 15-8, but backs there way into third in the pool.
Ironwood was the story of the masters division. Never had a team done so well as bottom seed. They worked so hard within the tournament to become a better team and made constant adjustments to each situation. Even the games they lost were positives in the learning curve for them. The leaders of this team stayed positive and the players stayed with the plan all the way.
Ironwood got beat by Above and Beyond first, then forgot about it and moved on. They played Rust in the last game of the pool and just put it on Rust. They were up 7-2 and played awesome all game. Iron was a machine by the end of the game. They won going away 15-6. Ironwood, bottom of their pool, took fourth and made the quarters. It was a really impressive job by the whole team.

Quarterfinals:
Old and in the Way played Ironwood in a rematch of the regional final. Iron fought hard and never quit an inch the whole game. They were overmatched and lost 15-8, but Old had nothing but praise after the game.
Throwback against Surly was a tough upwind game. Throwback had to regroup after their Chico's battle and they did. Brook Martin, Keith and Kevin Monohan, Dennis K all played well and handled Surly. Surly was new to this arena and hung as well as they could. Final score 15-10
Big Sky against Ball and Chain was a close one all game. B & C got two upwind breaks to start the half. They held a slight advantage even though it seemed as though Big Sky was winning. B & C took half 8-7 with a garbage pass upwind, but things turned from there. As the game wore on Kerry Karter, Eric Johnson, Pat Benson, Herb Kaup and Michael Lauber played smooth offense in the tough wind. Chase Fetter was also pushing the pace. Big Sky wins 15-10.

Above and Beyond against Glum was a rematch of the regional final. A/ B who didn't have their full team there came out on fire and went up 5-0. It looked like a blowout. David pulled down some swill and then caught the goal. His teammates were blown away. He proclaimed quite loudly,” Nobody wants it more than me, Nobody!” But Glum dug deep and came back. Ian Brooks was a freak of nature. He trailing edged a sure goal on defense in the end zone and Glum pumped it in. Then Jamie Noonan pulled down an upwind huck to make it 7-6. A/B took half 8-6, but it was obvious Glum was back in it.
After half A/B was a little tentative and made some errors. Glum converted to go up 9-8 and the game was super exciting. Both teams traded downwinders to make it 10-10, then 11-11. At that point Glum was getting pulled to and punted to play defense in the fierce wind. But the New York boys were up for the challenge. They worked all the way upwind with great teamwork to make it 12-11 A/B. No doubt that was the goal of the game. A/B scored the next down winder after a sweet layout block by Chris Showers to go up 13-11 and that was pretty much the game. Both teams traded out goals to finish 15-13. But everyone who saw this game was still buzzing afterward. Both teams were still excited, A/B for pulling out an incredible victory and Glum for showing the lion hearted effort. Ian Brooks from Glum was out of his mind and took the game over for a spell. It was an awesome display by both teams.

Semifinals:
Throwback against Old and in the Way
Big Sky against Above and Beyond
posted on 10/28/2006 03:03:00 AM

Masters Day 1
Story by Mike O'Dowd
Images by Jason Mechler

Masters Division Day One:
Pool A First Round:
Old and in the Way went up 4-0 on Boneyard and pretty much handled them from there. Boneyard was overmatched and with such a large roster it was a very frustrating experience. But Boneyard stayed together and toughed it out. When Old got a little sloppy Late in the game Boneyard punched in a couple of goals. Old refocused and sealed it 15-7.
Silverbacks started out up 2-0 against Glum and held a lead most of the first half. Silverbacks have tough bunch of Florida players that play the hard nosed game. Glum took a look at how things were progressing and called for observers. That move turned this game around and Glum took it to half 8-6. It remained a close game with Glum holding advantage until it got capped and won 14-12.
Big Sky and Surly looked to be a barn burner with two hard running groups that play man-to-man as a staple. As the game started off Surly had a couple of unforced errors that lead to easy goals for Big Sky. Big Sky didn't get the memo that they are seventh seed. They played flawless in transition and worked Surly from start to finish. After the game Surly's Joey Stocklein said, "That was the worst game we played all season." Big Sky wins 15-6.
Pool A Second Round:
Old against Big Sky was a rematch of the 2004 finals. They expected a tough game from Big Sky and the first real test of the weekend. The game was close and saw both teams give opportunities away. Tied at 4-4 it looked as though it would be close the whole way. Big Sky followed up the tie with a string of unforced errors. Old and in the Way was more than happy to convert on all of their mistakes to go up 8-5 at half. After half, it seemed as if Big Sky had checked out of the game. They scored only one goal the rest of the game. Old's defense was continuing to press after the swilly let down they had against Boneyard in the first round and glided to a 15-6 victory.
Surly had a chip on their shoulder after getting smoked out of the gate. Glum had expended a lot of energy dealing with Silverbacks. Surly steam rolled from the get go. Down 3-0 Glum called a time out, but it was no help as Surly was locked and loaded, going up 7-2. Surly rolled from there. Late in the game Glum made a charge, but it was too little too late. Surly cruises 15-9.
Boneyard came into the game very fresh after Old and in the Way crushed them so quickly. They never really got most of their roster in that first game, so they were rested. Bone and Silver's respective first round games were so different in tempo and spacing that Boneyard was much more prepared for their game. Silverbacks were pushed by Glum and came in a little flat. Boneyard came out on fire. Bone got out to a four or five goal lead for most of the game. Silver got it down to two but could never really get in the game. Boneyard wins 15-11.
Pool A Third Round
Old played Glum, the two seed in their pool, and was ready for another challenge. Glum was having a tough day. On paper it was two regional winners, in the game Glum looked overmatched. Old was ready to rock from the get go. Glum didn't have much to answer back with. It seemed as if the hot Florida weather was melting the Canadian Glum. As usual Glum put together a little bit of a run, but they could not really sustain anything. Old's offense was holding serve and playing solid. Randy Ricks and Renzo Verbeck were pretty much open all day. Old and in the Way wins, 15-8.
Surly and Silverbacks was a tight game it was tied all the way up to elevens. As the day grew old, either the defenses were tired or the offensive groups were getting clicked in. There was a lot of trading points most of the way. After being tied up at elevens, Surly decided they needed to stoke up their defense to win. Surly put the clamps on and ran off four straight to win, 15-11.
Big Sky came into this game against Boneyard with a familiar feel of some other teams in pool A, get smoked, get angry and get it back. After basically laying down for Old and in the way, they just put it on Boneyard from start to finish. They were up by as many as nine. Boneyard tried to make a run late in the second half, but not much came of it. Big Sky wins 15-7.
Pool B First Round:
Throwback came into the day wanting to prove they belong. They had never been tested and they showed why. They were scrimmaging before the game and they just worked Ironwood from the get go. Ironwood who has an army had no answers for anything that Throwback did. To their credit Iron tried to get everyone in the game. It was a learning experience. Throwback wins 15-7.
This game was the best game of the first round. Above and Beyond went out to an 8-4 lead at half and were cruising. Although they were missing Moons and Josh Faust, A/B was all smiles at half. Funny thing happened, Chico's Bail Bonds put on their zone. All of sudden the game took a 180 turn. A/B couldn't work it against the zone and Chico's scored five straight to go up 9-8. The game went into a tight contest with Chico's hanging tough and playing a loose zone that A/B couldn't solve. Chico's played well to finish it out and won 15-13.
Ball and Chain against Rust belt looked to be a pretty evenly matched game. As expected the game never saw more than a two goal lead for most of it. But as the game got tight, Greg Allpow and a few other B & C players took matters into their own hands with crisp long throws and hot catches. B & C seemed to enjoy the tough game and pulled away for a 15-11 win.
Pool B Second Round:
Throwback against Ball and Chain looked as if it could be the test Throwback was looking for, but Ball and Chain got worked early and were down 8-3 at half. Throwback was cruising up 11-6 and took the foot off the pedal. That turned out to be a big mistake. B & C got back in the game and things started to sour for Throwback, they seemed to loose control of their game. B & C showing that same late game poise got it to a three point game, but that was it. Throwback slithered out of the game with a 15-11 win but the damage had been done.
Above and Beyond against Rust Belt looked to be a tough game. Each team had just lost a tough game and something had to give. One of them was going 0-2 and watching quarters slip away. Above and Beyond regrouped and did their best to forget and move on after such a poor first game. The game was tied at 5-5 and looked like it was going down to the wire. And then something clicked, A/B fell into a groove and started rolling. It might have been the small bottles of Ginsing, or the calming voice of David, but they instantly became a completely different team. They crushed the rest of the game winning 15-8.
Chico's against Ironwood looked like it would be a blow out. Chico's had full control of this game all the way, but the leadership of Ironwood kept the whole team in it and focused. Jack Smith did a great job of leadership with Iron. Ironwood was down by five or six most of the game, but they just kept at it. And as the team stayed with the plan they worked back into the game. They cut it to three and Chico's could feel it. Chico's dropped a first pass, goal. Then they dropped a pull, goal. And it became a one-point game with momentum on Iron's side. At 14-13 Chico's was getting the pull and tension was everywhere. After exchanging turns, and Iron getting darn close to tying it, Chico's punched it in to win 15-13.
Pool B Third Round:
This was the game everyone was looking forward to, Above and Beyond against Throwback. If A/B lost they were 1-2 and limping, so they came in hungry. Throwback on the other hand was still reeling from a poor finish against Ball and Chain from the last game. It had all the makings of great match-up, both teams slated for a finals appearance. But Throwback came out dropping a couple and A/B was hitting all their long goals. It was the tale of two vibes and Throwback couldn't shake the funk. Keith Monohan later said, "We have never had to fire up, so we didn't know how." The A/B roster was all getting in and they were on a roll. It was 8-5 at half and went to 10-5 after that. It was 12-7 and then 12-9, Throwback with the disc. But once again Throw had and unforced error and instead of a 12-10 game, it went 13-9. Above and Beyond wins 15-10, and is in the driver seat for pool B.
Rust Belt vs. Chico's Bail bonds was another in the drama that was Chico's all day. It was a one point game all the way, both teams never giving an inch. Chico's was up the advantage and looked as though they would eek out another close one. Iron had not won all day and remained hungry. They kept their sideline loud and kept on pushing. Chico's took third in their region. They got the invite to the Club Championships by default when the second place finisher declined. Chico's were on the verge of going 3-0 on the first day, but then they had to mention it in a huddle. Things had gone Chico's way all day. But from there on it was not to be. They tried to punt their way to victory and it was just what Rust Belt was looking for. Rust worked in a few tough points and celebrated their incredible 16-14 win, their only of the day.
Ironwood against Ball and Chain was another close game. It was one point or tied all the way up to 11-11. Each team stayed calm throughout. Ironwood went to three lines to get their whole team in the game. Each line competed against each other to be the best within the team. Ironwood kept their sideline in it and used their numbers to finish out the long sunny day. With Ball and Chain staying in it, it looked as if they would and could pull it out. But at elevens, something clicked for Ironwood and they became a new team. Ironwood punched in the next few goals to win 15-12 and did a real nice job as a team. They were so pumped, they talked about doing a cheer. That talk was quickly squelched and they adjourned to the beer garden.
posted on 10/27/2006 02:20:00 AM

Masters Division Preview
by Mike O'Dowd

On the eve of the UPA Club Championships the Masters division has a feel of Christmas. There is great anticipation with no idea how things will unwrap. Most of the top seeds find themselves playing with their full team for the first time this year. As a result seeding is tough. There is not much head-to-head play and all rosters are a question. Teams have to wonder about how other teams will play as well as their own. All the uncertainty makes the Masters one of the most interesting divisions at the Championships to watch.

Old & in the Way, defending champs are the odds on favorite. They lost 13 players from last year. Buzz Ellsworth, was a late scratch with a freak bike accident. They have added a few new players, Worm and Billy to name two. They are one of the few elite teams in the division to practice and play together all year. That counts for a lot at crunch time.

Throwback seems to be the new darling that everyone wants to crown. They have several players that won Open two years ago and they bring a renewed energy out of Seattle. They replace the Keg Workers without missing a beat. This team will be the youngest in contention. Do they have the numbers to finish? The weather could play a big role in their fate.

Above and Beyond was a few drops from winning it all last year. They will have roughly the same roster and after being so close they are hungry. They have matured into a team that is ready to win it. Another trip to the finals is expected.

Glum beat Above and Beyond in the regional. They could beat any of the top teams for sure. They have yet to break out at the Club Championships and prove they can be a top team.

Surly is a dark horse. They get a lot of respect from the other teams, but have not put it together when the money is on the line. Could this be that breakout year?

Big Sky comes in with a revamped roster. They have a few new faces and legs. They are seeded No.7, but could easily be in the semifinals. Look for them to test the other top seeds.

Rust Belt has a group of tough players. They are not the sexy pick to push for the title. We have had so many years of the same power teams, maybe this is the year we see a changing of the guard.

The others, Ball and Chain, Silverbacks, Chico’s Bail Bonds, Boneyard and Ironwood all round out the field. Each of these teams are looking to make a name for themselves amongst the elite.

No doubt Thursday will settle all the teams into a little less of a crap shoot. But, this division promises to deliver drama, hard nosed play and as always, great sportsmanship. The Masters Division has always set the tone for great games with unpredictable outcomes. This year will be no different.
posted on 10/26/2006 02:11:00 AM