On March 11, 2017 Platteville and DePaul took part in the Chicago Dodgeball Combine. Each team took a game and here are how the games went down.
Game 1: Platteville def DePaul 4-2
In this game Platteville got off to a slow start with DePaul taking the first two points. After this, Platteville was able to figure out how to take it to DePaul and were able to take the next four points in the match. In most of
this match Platteville was able to get the catches needed to make up for the numbers we were down and had several cross throws, which made it a challenge for DePaul to beat Platteville. In my preview I said that the players Dave Ruegsegger, Jordan Gillette, and Nick Harding needed to perform and they did just that. They had several kills which made the sides a little more even. Also, Nick Harding beat me out and claimed the crown as the top dog on the squad as the kills king. He had numerous kills on unsuspecting DePaul players and several key catches in crucial moments to aid in Platteville’s win.
Game 2 – DePaul def UWP 5-2
For this match it was the reverse for both the teams. Platteville started out with the first two points and from there DePaul took the next five. DePaul was able to turn it around and figure it out what they had to do in order to prevent Platteville from getting the second win. They targeted a few of Platteville’s top players and started catching more. DePaul had the energy and really wanted the win and deserved it. Their Captains Brian Hymel and Tyler Hamilton led the charge and helped DePaul keep the pace of the game in their control.
Thoughts about the Tournament
Ryan Atz (#42)-“Playing against UW-Platteville is always a fun time, especially with how much our two clubs have been competing with each other this season. Despite only being able to bring 10 people, UW-
Platteville was still able to knock us around quite a bit, but I’m happy that we had the home field advantage this time. As usual, UWP had many strong players on the court, and I’m glad that we got to show some of our newer members at DePaul what playing in the NCDA is all about. Thanks again to all our Platteville neighbors for taking time out of their spring break to come down and play!”
Joseph Walker (#7)-“Though not many could come to our tournament on such a short notice, we really had a great time. The teams were excited to play back to back games. Both teams came with a certain affinity towards each other that could only be described as pure comradery or
sportsmanship. Most impressive of the tournament was how fast paced the games were, there was a constant flow of action. An impressive player on UWP’s team was number 3 (Jordan Gillette). I personally hadn’t seen that player before so I had to assume he was new. Regardless of how new he was, he played the court like a natural. Impressive on DePaul’s team had to be number 75 (Quinton). He had a series of well placed shots and crosses that impressed presidents Brian and Ham.”
Nick Harding (#65)-“On our end, we played well, all things considered. The points we won were the direct result of great teamwork. The points we lost were the result of not working together. Jordan Gillette (#3) does a great job pushing up and controlling the line, and got many outs with well-placed throws. Zander (#13) led and played well, as we have come to expect. Quinn Cullen (#5) was a much-needed spark to our team in the catching department. Nolan (#4) did a great job for never having played
before. He has a lot of potential. Timehhh (Tim) Ebert (#12) did a good job throwing, and throwing a lot. He threw all the time to avoid the shot clock violation. Also, FN Brian on the DePaul squad is a phenomenal catcher. It really demoralized me to throw my hardest from inside 30 feet at him towards his head, and for him to casually catch it. #42 Ryan Atz and #5 Tyler Hamilton are also great players. When they team-throw, they’re really dangerous.”
Final thoughts
Both teams came to play and I was impressed with their performances. For Platteville, I was impressed with how our squad played as a unit with only 10 players and DePaul’s ability to come back from behind and get a win against us. These teams have definitely come along way this year and should impress others in the league when they get a chance to compete against them.