Zanderthon Throw-Down Preview

Erik Zander [UWP-C] writes…

I would first like to say thanks for the teams that are making Platteville’s first ever real home tournament possible.  The teams involved on Feb 20, 2016 at Williams Field House are: Platteville Pioneers, DePaul Dodgeball Society, and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

In the words of Harrison McMinn [UNL-C], Nebraska has always been something of a motley crew, which from past experiences I can agree with that statement. They know how to have a good time and still give it their best during matches which is why I have always enjoyed going to play them.  It has been a while since the last time that Nebraska has played an official league match so it is hard to know what to expect from them.  The last time they played was when they hosted their UNL Invite [2014-11-15] with Platteville and University of Northern Texas.  Only four of their members have any experience so it should be interesting to see how they play as a club.  It will be up to these individuals to help Nebraska in their games if they want a chance of winning.  It is great that they are making the trip to Platteville, and let’s hope this tournament will give them needed boost to get to more tournaments in the future.

DePaul has the most matches and experience out of all the teams in this tournament, which could play to their advantage.  So far this year they have played at MSU, DePaul, and UK playing some of the best teams in the league such as: Michigan State, Kent State, Saginaw Valley State, Kentucky, and Ohio State. These experiences definitely make them prepared for whatever is thrown at them. They are a team that no matter what the score is they are undefeated which is what makes them so much fun to play with.  They are accepting of any player as long as they are willing to take a few balls to the face.  According to DePaul they are all the best players with their own specialties, except for the case of Niko Nodal, he’s a demi- god.  If they had to pick for their best throwers it would be: Niko Nodal, Alec Scott, and Brian Hymel.  As for their best catchers it would be: Tyler Hamilton, Victor Schollenberger, Ryan Atz, Tom Alameda, and Mike Brewer. Nebraska and Platteville will have to keep an eye on these individuals Saturday or they could hurt them.

Platteville has some experience under their belt this year with tournaments at Grand Valley State and Central Michigan. The tough games that we have had this year are Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State, and Central Michigan.  We gained valuable experience from these matches and are looking to make some noise in the future.  We played DePaul at our Pioneer Classic as the opening match of the season and did fairly well. Our club believes now that we are prepared to dodge traffic, even Chicago-level traffic and the five D’s are now instilled in every one of our players.   Here are some of the players that Nebraska and DePaul should watch for this Saturday.  Our top throwers, Brian Hargrove and Matt Bautch, who have arms that are capable of leaving marks until the next morning.  Our top catchers, who have emerged this semester are: Brandon Dane, Drew Van Asten, and Devyn Drake.  Brandon Dane especially, who helped us give CMU a decent game at the King of the Mountain Tournament.

This tournament may not be a very big one, but rest assured all teams involved will put their best effort forward.  It should be a good one at the Zanderthon Throw-Down.  See you Saturday DePaul and Nebraska and may the best team win!!!

Author: Zigmister

DePaul Dodgeball #68 & NCDA Director of Officiating View all posts by Zigmister