Cornhusker Clash

By: Erik Zander (UWP) & Ryan Atz (DePaul)

It’s another year and the University of Lincoln Nebraska is holding the Cornhusker Clash on September 30, 2017.  It will involve three teams: Nebraska, DePaul and Platteville.  The games will start at 9:00a.m. with a JV match for the first year players followed by the varsity games. Here is the schedule for Saturday.

Teams Time Referee
JV Game (New players) 9:00a to 10:00a Miscellaneous
UNL vs DePaul 10:15a to 11:15a UWP
UWP vs DePaul 11:30a to 12:30p UNL
UNL vs UWP 12:45p to 1:45p DePaul
Scrimmage against Midland University 2:00p to 3:00p Miscellaneous

In order to get a little more background on the teams, Ryan and I interviewed the captains of each squad.  Let’s take a look at what each captain had to say about this tournament and what they are expecting. 

Nebraska

Here is a conversation I had with Tanner Obermeier about his team and what he is expecting.

Erik Zander-What are some players on your team to look for?

Tanner Obermeier- Some players to look for are Matt Gregoire, Alexander Burbine, and Nick Bohlim who are some of our top players returning from last year.  We also have some freshmen that will be in attendance to look for. (Tanner is keeping these individuals a secret from DePaul and Platteville as to keep them guessing at the tournament).

EZ- What are your score predictions for these matches?

TO- For a score prediction I can’t really give one. We are mixed with old and young and I know some of the other teams are too, so these games might be very close match ups.

EZ- What do you expect to get out of this tournament?

TO– I expect our team to get experience playing, but hopefully can make a statement that we are back from only playing one tournament last year and we’re hungry to win. (Hungry to win? Or are they just hungry for corn on the cob?)

EZ- Are there any of your teammates you would like to see more from on the court?

TO- I’m pretty happy with my teammates on the court. They all have pretty level heads. While of course we can have room for improvement, I’m pretty happy since most of the team is young and ready to play.

EZ- Tell us an interesting fact about your team you want the league to know about.

TO- I want the league to know that this isn’t the same team they’ve seen in the past. We’re more organized and more competitive than I’ve felt we have been in the past.

DePaul

Ryan Atz had a conversation with Ryan Campbell about his team and what he is expecting.

Ryan Atz- What do you expect to get out of this tournament?

Ryan Campbell- I don’t have many expectations yet. I’m excited to see what new talent we bring with and who shows up in ways we haven’t seen yet. I’m hoping that our experienced players let our new players stretch their legs and play as they should so they can experience what dodgeball is really like to play compared to what they’re use to.

RA- What are some players on your team to look for?

RC- The player I’m most excited to see play is Drew Haynie. He showed some serious potential during our practices and hope that continues during the tournament. If he grows at the rate I’ve seen already, he will become a great player fast.

RA- What are you looking forward to?

RC- I’m looking forward to the change of mindset and playstyle that our new players will experience after this tournament. I don’t believe any of them experienced NCDA style dodgeball just yet, and I remember that was a huge eye opener for me when I experienced it the first time.

RA- Tell us an interesting fact about your team you want the league to know about.

RC- DePaul dodgeball is going to surprise the league this year. 

Wisconsin-Platteville

Tim Ebert talks about his team and what he is expecting. 

Erik Zander- What are some players on your team to look for?

Tim Ebert- Some players that I would watch for are Louis Thompson, Dave Ruegsegger, Tomas Zander, and Carter Vosters.

Watch out for Carter because this fiery redhead is ready to take some numbers!

EZ- What are your score predictions for these matches?

TE- I think our first match against Nebraska will be close but I think UWP will come out on top 5-4. Our first match against DePaul I think will be a good match and UWP coming out on top 5-2.

EZ- What do you expect to get out of this tournament?

TE- What I hope to get out of this tournament is to find out the level of play that our new players will bring to the court, and also to see what level of play the returning players are going to bring back for the start of this season.

EZ- Are there any of your teammates you would like to see more from on the court?

TE- I’d like to see Jordan Gillette get some good work in working with others, getting good quality throws and get some catches.

EZ- Tell us an interesting fact about your team you want the league to know about.

TE- We have a lot of new talent that are picking up on the game quickly so the league better watch out for Platteville because we will be ready to play.

Potential Gonzalez Exchanges

High Seed Low Seed Predicted Exchange Exchange if Upset Upset Rank %
DePaul (41.124) UNL (37.998+1) 0.787 1.213 122/239 48th
UWP (42.139) DePaul (41.124) 0.899  1.101 180/239 23d
UWP (42.139) UNL (37.998+1) 0.686 1.314 85/239 64th

Zigmas Maloni: This event could absolutely play out in any outcome because the competitors are so close, and I struggled formulating the above table. In the end I used the initial ratings going into this weekend for each match, as a matter for comparison of untested teams. The first match, DePaul/UNL, could go either way. These teams share a similar rating and will affect the initial ratings of the matches proceeding it. Though potential upsets won’t be play as rare ones, this just means that prediction likelihood is a lower. Expect anything.

Thoughts from the Authors

Platteville

Erik Zander: As a team, we are in a good place to perform well this weekend as we have strong leadership in play with our captains Louis Thompson, Tim Ebert, and Will Martin. Tim Ebert does an excellent job of leading the team on the court and seeing the court. He is very dependable with a strong arm. Will Martin, Junior Sensation, (former sophomore and freshman sensation) leads by example in the style of play that the new guys will implement into their game.  He has a high dodgeball IQ and is a hard individual to get out.  Louis Thompson catches just about anything that comes his way and his throw as improved a lot from last year. As a sophomore, he only can get better and if he can mature into the leadership role bestowed upon him he will be a top player in the league for sure.  I see Platteville beating Nebraska and DePaul bringing in their first two wins of the year.

Ryan Atz: Just as Erik Zander has said, Platteville has always impressed me with their strong leadership skills. Having Platteville as close competition within the Midway region gives me the experience to attest to their strengths on the court, especially with how many times we’ve played against them in the past year. Naturally, because of this, they’ve gotten the better of us more often than not, but I’ve always felt that I’ve learned something I can improve on after our matches, and I feel that this weekend won’t be any different. I’m excited to show some of our new faces what good coordination and leadership can look like, while also showing just how graceful in defeat DePaul can be. #Undefeated.

Nebraska

Tanner Obermeier, he looks like a man that is ready to play!

EZ: Last year’s crew was one of the best Nebraska teams that I have seen and they are really starting to understand the game.  It is hard to lose top players such as Harrison McMinn and Jake Sanchez, but they have great leadership in place with tough throwers Tanner Obermeier and Nick Bohlim.  This should be another great team for the Cornhuskers as they are returning some experienced players as well as some new faces that are promising.  Nebraska should make the game with Platteville a close one, and this time they could beat DePaul.

RA: First off, I want to thank Nebraska for hosting another Cornhusker Clash. I know how difficult it can being outside the generally populated zone of NCDA teams (Ohio, Michigan, East Coast), and I’m more than happy to be making the trip out to Lincoln again. There’s no team in the league that doesn’t suffer more from people graduating, believe me, but from what I’ve heard, Nebraska is set to be well off despite the losses that Erik mentioned. I’m hoping to keep our match tough for them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they came out on top.

DePaul

EZ: This year it sounds like it can be expected to see several new faces on this team as they lost several to graduation. They do have a few familiar faces on the squad still in Alec Scott, Ryan Atz, Ryan Campbell, and Joseph Walker.

People Still want to know. Does his beard give him power?

Alec (Captain Fluffy) as always will have a strong arm that is hard to hide from and Ryan Atz loves his catches.  While Joseph knows how to push a team back and Ryan Campbell is a well-rounded player.  I see this squad playing both teams close, but in the end I feel they will not have enough talent on the back of their roster to pull out the wins.

RA: So far this year at DePaul Dodgeball, as the season started for us on September 6th, we have already scouted what I believe could be valuable assets to the team in years to come. We took a hard hit in losing many of our impressive seniors, and I’m very lucky to have Alec Scott as my Co-President, as he is doing a year as a graduate student at DePaul. Although, the inexperience of our team may lead us to some losses this weekend, I expect to achieve more than our opponents in the form of growth and experience.

Conclusion

This should be a fun filled day and it is a great place to open the season to. These teams have played several times before and are ready to play some dodgeball and slug it out.  Who do you think will come out on top at the Cornhusker Classic? What are your score predictions for these games? Tell us what you think.

 

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