States - Open
The lead up to States was rather crazy. Originally scheduled to take place in Pittsburgh, a last minute field cancellation forced the venue switch to just outside Allentown, in the shadows of Dorney Park. The change also lead to a number of Pitt. teams dropping out, leaving only 12 teams to compete for the State title. The Open team had played well enough in the spring to earn a 5th seed at States, and hoped to play well enough to prove it was well earned.
Radnor
First game of the tournament, familiar opponent. Having played Radnor already several times in the season, O'Hara was well versed in how to go about beating the Griffins. The first game proved to follow suit exactly as the entire season has, with O'Hara Ultimate defeating Radnor 13 - 7. No real surprises, simply good Ultimate.
Wissahickon
Having come off a loss to Wiss at City Championships due to Curran breaking Ben's nose, O'Hara was ready for a rematch. O'Hara and Wissahickon had proven all year to be very evenly matched, save a 15 - 1 blowout by Wiss earlier in the spring. The game was hotly contested with points being traded back and forth. A few key turnovers in and around the endzone, Szkuds and Curran not quite finding their groove, and once again, too much from the Stavingas, proved to be O'Hara's undoing, falling 12 - 8.
Pennsbury
The City Champs and defending State Champs once again proved why they are such a good team. Pennsbury came to States on a mission, and showed it, defeating O'Hara 13 - 6. O'Hara played Pennsbury as good as any team in the pool, but just could not match the depth of the Falcons.
Mt. Lebanon
In the final game of the day, and O'Hara looking for a .500 finish, the only Pitt. team in the pool arrived with their A game. This would prove to be the most exciting and dramatic game of the tournament for O'Hara. The teams traded points to 3, then Mt. Lebo was able to get a few breaks, and took a halftime lead of 7 - 4, including an incredible, double happiness play that featured a layout at both ends from a Mt. Lebo player. O'Hara Ultimate would not be denied this game however, as they fought back to tie the game at 8. With O'Hara driving, Mt. Lebo came up with a huge D in the endzone and started to work the disc up field, as they approached midfield, they floated a pass over the middle, and playing a masterful deep position as usual, Squared flew in for a huge D. Unfortunately, Henkel made a similiar run at the D and a thunderous collision ensued. Both key players were down and out at a crucial time, Henkel with a bloody nose, Squared with a severely hurting leg. Still, O'Hara drove on after the injuries, determined to win the games last two points savage. O'Hara took a 9 - 8 lead just after the cap went on and forced Mt. Lebo to play conservative, but intelligent. The safe play of Mt. Lebo lead to a 9 - 9 tie, forcing a universe point, with O'Hara receiving the pull going down wind. The play was intense, both teams forcing several turnovers before an exhausted O'Hara scored the winning point, finding Sleeves in the endzone for the win. Both teams collapsed on the field, Mt. Lebo in exasperation, O'Hara in jubilation.
The end of Day 1 found O'Hara 2 - 2, needing a win in the final pool game on Day 2 verse an unknown, and underrated State College.
State College
O'Hara arrived at Day 2 with a savage team, having lost Henkel to injury and team captain Szkud to a family emergency. O'Hara Ultimate was still determined to send the seniors out on a high note. The game began with O'Hara turning the disc over 3 times in the endzone and giving up huge scoring drives to State College, instead of being up, O'Hara found themselves in an insurmountable 3 - 0 deficit. The team fought back, finding weaknesses in the SC zone, but was unable to find enough defense to cause the breaks, and lost 13 - 10, the early lead proving the difference.
J. R. Mastermann
Having been eliminated from the Championship bracket, O'Hara sought to dominate the Chumpionship division. O'Hara had a recent string of games against Mastermann, and once again, even savage, proved too much for the fledgling team to handle, winning the game, 13 - 7.
Radnor
The final game of the tournament, ending just the same as it started, with Radnor. The differences in this game from the first however, made for a much more interesting set-up, O'Hara, playing in their third savage game of the day, was looking to continue their winning streak against Radnor, and finish States with a winning record. Since the Championship game was starting at about the same time, the teams agreed to play to 9, in order to watch the event. Once again, O'Hara proved too much for Radnor. O'Hara took a 5 - 3 halftime lead, and on the ensuing pull, bolstered that to 6 - 3. From there, the team was content to trade points to the end, when Wilcox found tournament MVP Curran in the endzone with a trademark layout for the game winning goal, 9 - 6.
When the dust settled, O'Hara finished the tournament with a 4 - 3 record, and the season with a 16 - 15 record and overall, scored 5 more goals than they allowed. A successful season, filled with wins, losses, and incredibly fun season. The graduating seniors will be missed, but they have set the stage for more growth and plenty of success. Good luck to the graduates, most of whom will be playing for Penn State in the fall.
Radnor
First game of the tournament, familiar opponent. Having played Radnor already several times in the season, O'Hara was well versed in how to go about beating the Griffins. The first game proved to follow suit exactly as the entire season has, with O'Hara Ultimate defeating Radnor 13 - 7. No real surprises, simply good Ultimate.
Wissahickon
Having come off a loss to Wiss at City Championships due to Curran breaking Ben's nose, O'Hara was ready for a rematch. O'Hara and Wissahickon had proven all year to be very evenly matched, save a 15 - 1 blowout by Wiss earlier in the spring. The game was hotly contested with points being traded back and forth. A few key turnovers in and around the endzone, Szkuds and Curran not quite finding their groove, and once again, too much from the Stavingas, proved to be O'Hara's undoing, falling 12 - 8.
Pennsbury
The City Champs and defending State Champs once again proved why they are such a good team. Pennsbury came to States on a mission, and showed it, defeating O'Hara 13 - 6. O'Hara played Pennsbury as good as any team in the pool, but just could not match the depth of the Falcons.
Mt. Lebanon
In the final game of the day, and O'Hara looking for a .500 finish, the only Pitt. team in the pool arrived with their A game. This would prove to be the most exciting and dramatic game of the tournament for O'Hara. The teams traded points to 3, then Mt. Lebo was able to get a few breaks, and took a halftime lead of 7 - 4, including an incredible, double happiness play that featured a layout at both ends from a Mt. Lebo player. O'Hara Ultimate would not be denied this game however, as they fought back to tie the game at 8. With O'Hara driving, Mt. Lebo came up with a huge D in the endzone and started to work the disc up field, as they approached midfield, they floated a pass over the middle, and playing a masterful deep position as usual, Squared flew in for a huge D. Unfortunately, Henkel made a similiar run at the D and a thunderous collision ensued. Both key players were down and out at a crucial time, Henkel with a bloody nose, Squared with a severely hurting leg. Still, O'Hara drove on after the injuries, determined to win the games last two points savage. O'Hara took a 9 - 8 lead just after the cap went on and forced Mt. Lebo to play conservative, but intelligent. The safe play of Mt. Lebo lead to a 9 - 9 tie, forcing a universe point, with O'Hara receiving the pull going down wind. The play was intense, both teams forcing several turnovers before an exhausted O'Hara scored the winning point, finding Sleeves in the endzone for the win. Both teams collapsed on the field, Mt. Lebo in exasperation, O'Hara in jubilation.
The end of Day 1 found O'Hara 2 - 2, needing a win in the final pool game on Day 2 verse an unknown, and underrated State College.
State College
O'Hara arrived at Day 2 with a savage team, having lost Henkel to injury and team captain Szkud to a family emergency. O'Hara Ultimate was still determined to send the seniors out on a high note. The game began with O'Hara turning the disc over 3 times in the endzone and giving up huge scoring drives to State College, instead of being up, O'Hara found themselves in an insurmountable 3 - 0 deficit. The team fought back, finding weaknesses in the SC zone, but was unable to find enough defense to cause the breaks, and lost 13 - 10, the early lead proving the difference.
J. R. Mastermann
Having been eliminated from the Championship bracket, O'Hara sought to dominate the Chumpionship division. O'Hara had a recent string of games against Mastermann, and once again, even savage, proved too much for the fledgling team to handle, winning the game, 13 - 7.
Radnor
The final game of the tournament, ending just the same as it started, with Radnor. The differences in this game from the first however, made for a much more interesting set-up, O'Hara, playing in their third savage game of the day, was looking to continue their winning streak against Radnor, and finish States with a winning record. Since the Championship game was starting at about the same time, the teams agreed to play to 9, in order to watch the event. Once again, O'Hara proved too much for Radnor. O'Hara took a 5 - 3 halftime lead, and on the ensuing pull, bolstered that to 6 - 3. From there, the team was content to trade points to the end, when Wilcox found tournament MVP Curran in the endzone with a trademark layout for the game winning goal, 9 - 6.
When the dust settled, O'Hara finished the tournament with a 4 - 3 record, and the season with a 16 - 15 record and overall, scored 5 more goals than they allowed. A successful season, filled with wins, losses, and incredibly fun season. The graduating seniors will be missed, but they have set the stage for more growth and plenty of success. Good luck to the graduates, most of whom will be playing for Penn State in the fall.
posted by Tom Cook at
9:09 AM
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