The spring is upon us in Philadelphia, and while the free Rita’s water ice has been distributed, it snowed on Monday morning, which tells us how far away from perfect Ultimate days we really are. That hasn’t stopped some teams from playing and predictions from being made. So here’s how one captain sees the league shaping up:
- Pennsbury Peyote
These guys are competing at a national level. With a core group of players full of experience and talent (and still juniors), and powerful junior captain Noah Saul leading the charge, Pennsbury looks to continue their fall domination of PHUEL into this spring and beyond. They’re missing Kevin Venose from the fall, but should survive the loss easily. They’ve done all this without a coach, even.
After a disappointing loss to St. Joe’s Prep in States last year, they’re looking to be a force in Easterns this year. They’ve already knocked off last year’s #2 Columbia convincingly—can they compete with Amherst?
- Wissahickon (2-0)
State (and city) champs last year, they’re minus one superhuman Andrew Ip, but still return a very talented team. A subpar performance at last year’s Easterns casts some doubt on PHUEL’s national power, but don’t doubt it. And don’t count out their competition with Pennsbury this year. In Fall Brawl, they only fell to the Peyote 15-11, and actually defeated powerhouse Columbia 14-12 (the same Columbia that beat Pennsbury in pool play).
- Lower Merion Babaganouj (2-0)
Even though this is my own team, I still consider us an enigma. With close victories over CB East and the Pterodactyls in the fall, and a loss to Columbia, who beat Pennsbury and Wissahickon, this is the logical place to rank them, though. LM fields a VERY athletic team, from track captains (who quit for Ultimate) to varsity basketball players, to crew rowers (they’re a cult, have you seen what they do?), a coach who has won nationals (on OLD SAG in 2002) and a strong alumni base coming back to help us along, they’ve got the ingredients to compete. Can Babaganouj match LMs state champion girls tennis and boys basketball teams?
- CB East Nasty (1-0)
Led by senior Eddie Peters, CB East is a deep, well-disciplined team under coach Rob Olson. They are capable of hanging with most teams, and have not been totally shut down even by the top teams.
- Pennsbury Pterodactyls
It’s quite astounding that one school can field two teams in the top 5, but this is no B team. The split that divided the Peyote and the Pterodactyls is not one of skill, though we’d all put on our money on the Peyote, but make no mistake about it: these kids can play.
Other possible contender(s)?:
Germantown Friends Donkey Punch (1-1) (A team lacking numbers, they showed a lot of fight in a close 13-11 defeat to Lower Merion to open the spring season. What can we expect from them? I missed the game, but here’s what one of our players had to say: “They were a quick, powerful, and well-conditioned team. When on offense, they were tiring to mark because they made very few mistakes.”)
New faces:
Conestoga
Haverford High (some Central League representation…)
Haverford School (confusing, I know)
Plymouth Whitemarsh (If their Ultimate team is as fast as their basketball team, we’re all in trouble)
Missing from the top picture from last year:
Cheltenham Spirit Animals (I don’t know much, but they dropped from state runners-up to a poor performance in Division II of Kitkat. One can only surmise last year’s senior class was what carried them)
St. Joe’s Prep Hawks (0-2) (Graduated the senior class that founded Ultimate at SJP from last year, including Matt McCabe and Mike Panna)
And the rest (At least, a couple I have comments on):
Prep Charter (Awesome coach in Benjamin Dziedzic, a young team with some definite potential)
Neshaminy Llamas (The best spirited team in PHUEL, and that I’ve ever seen, no question)
Cardinal O’Hara (Great spirit, great female players)
Look for PHUEL to start really kicking into gear around April 2nd: The Penn Park Potluck in Morrisville, organized by Pterodactyls captain Kevin Taylor will put Wissahickon, Lower Merion, and the Pterodactyls on the same field and let us see some good Ultimate and some good comparisons. And, of course, Hiphoponpop on April 15th is the defining test of the area. Here’s to another year of PHUEL dominating PHUL (and CPHUL?) in a more organized State tournament this year.
9 comments:
"They’ve already knocked off last year’s #2 Columbia convincingly..."
13-12 Columbia (missing one of Columbia's main handlers)
15-6 Pennsbury (half of Columbia's team cramped up and injured on the sideline)
13-10 Pennsbury (missing both of Columbia's captains [the jr. worlds tryouts])
Let's see again in the spring, when they have four more tournaments together.
Look for Moravian. It sounds like Ian has been pretty successful in recruiting players. Put enough pieces in a coach like Ian's hands and he could put together a very dangerous team.
good write-up.
just a little note:
the dactyls are not affiliated with pennsbury at all. we've decided to take the "pennsbury" title away from our name as to not step on peyote's toes.
-kevin taylor
http://www.thepterodactyls.com (couple clips on the site if that interests anybody)
oh yeah, and something i forgot.
upper dublin should be a contender this year. i believe they won kitkat's b division? they're a new team, with many of them seniors, but they have two huge deeps over 6' and a good handler in captain alex bui.
I'm still putting my money on Pennsbury.
And while Upper Dublin does have a squad, and any adjectives about Bui are pretty much true, they've already fallen to Wissahickon 13-6. So, chalk 'em up for a successful season, but maybe not top tier.
either way, i doubt pennsbury even has an interest in states.
The games we have played agianst Columbia in the fall were hard faught, and a lot of fun. They are very talented. I can't what to see them many times this spring.
...Peyote wants to be PA State champs 2006
awesome.
and while pennsbury may look down upon the dactyls, i still am still rooting for pennsbury at the amherst invitational/easterns.
Give the Science Leadership Academy a year, and we'll have a team full of frosh in 07-08. (We open in the fall with only a ninth grade.)
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