Dodgeball 2007 Final Recap
Like the calm before the storm, Day 2 of the 2007 Dodgeball Tournament hit like a Category 5 as the action didn't stop for
the entire afternoon. The caliber of play, the speed, the intensity on and off the court, and the stakes rose to unprecedented
heights as 2007 will definitely go down as one of the finest tournaments to date.
When the dust
settled the expected finish did come to fruition as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, who came in as a heavy 1-5 favorite,
completed the 'Back to Back' as the former Walker Texas Rangers seized their second straight title. Pat Daddino, who
battled a sprained ankle which he injured in the semi-finals was named tournament MVP.
The Morphins title
notwithstanding, their road to glory was anything but expected as upsets were all the rage on Day 2 and no one drew more attention
to their underdog role then Brian Fusco's Dodge These... Balls whose 1.6 Million-1 odds drew more than a few chuckles until
they walked away with victory after victory. A throw in team that was given permission to sign up late started their
quest with an upset of WATC. They followed that win with a classic over Los Presidentos Muertos who were labeled with
some very clever names. Next came the Got Dodge...Balls crew, who were on their own little run to the top, before knocking
off the Legends of the Hidden Temple whose colorful uniforms would have complemented the Morphins nicely.
When the David
vs Goliath matchup finally arrived there wasn't a fan in the building who wasn't pulling for Dodge These...Balls. A
game one win for 'Dodge' in the best of five only added to the bedlam, but then as game two was winding down the turning point
of the tournament occurred.
Rob Bruno, who was a
solid Day 2 addition, got caught up in the moment and created a situation that no one, especially the Head Referee
Mr. Hedquist ever wants to deal with. Rob, with 700-800 students watching, was eliminated by a thrown ball yet continued
to play for nearly five to ten seconds. In the eyes of Mr. Hedquist this was a Cardinal Sin. The ensuing decision
was a team forefeit despite the fact that it was the finals. It was a predicament that every referee dreads. To affect
an outcome of a game is very tough to follow through on but in this instance it was decided that the tournament's credibility was
at stake. In addition, Rob's action definitely prevented the Morphin's Mike Sands from getting a free in close shot
at an unprotected pin. To Rob's credit he accepted the penalty and apologized. A classy move by a classy kid who
made a poor choice at a crucial time. With the games at 1-1, the Morphins routed the 'Dodge' team in game three and
were well on their way in game four before the Dodge team pulled together again as Captain Fusco shot down three Morphins
to push it to Game 5.
So here it was
for all the marbles and the 'Dodge' team starts off by taking down 2006 MVP T.J. Humrich. The windows in the top of
the gym were rattling by this point and the crowd was juiced. Unfortunately sometimes the fairy tale has to end as the
Morphin team led by Sal Intagliata, Mike Aquino, Anthony Marino and Matt Zaffuto quickly got Humrich back in the game and
staved off one last rally by Anthony Lapelosa to claim their prize as 2007 Kings of the Court. Congratulations on a
spectacular accomplishment and enjoy your steak dinners at Boulder Creek.
Of course there
were other classic moments for teams that didn't win. Most notably was the Pep Boys vs Forza Azzurri matchup that
might go down as the greatest 2 out of 3 series in Dodgeball history. Like a gunfight at the OK Corral these two teams
fired off rocket after rocket in three straight games including one mano y mano that ended with a Forza win. It was
the epitome of Pep Boys grit who just one game earlier ended the careers of Lil Jon and the East Side Boys whose Captain Chris
Ruvane, formerly of Rick James' Disciples, had to have Captained three of the best teams to never win a title. In that
same breadth, Harriet Tubmen and the Garbage Men, who are both loaded with talent, again fell short. Their losses were
identical in the magnitude but only the Garbage Men's was shrouded in controversy as the belief that an errant pin
was credited twice dampened their day. It is unfortunate if it went down that way but you still have to take care of
business so a poor call doesn't affect you.
Not missing a
beat was the first ever Girls Championship in which Jackie Valvo's Princesses swept Alexis Medina's Feel Good Revolution 2-0.
Their gusto in being the first Girls to compete in the six year tournament was not lost on the crowd as they were cheered
and supported wildly.
All in all it was an
A+ event as no one was seriously injured, record teams and crowds showed up. The Carey administration was thrilled with
the behavior and excitement generated by the student body. The Seniors, as well as the underclassmen were able
to 'show off' for their friends one last time. And lastly, a good time was had by all.
So on behalf of
the Carey Baseball for funding our team it was an absolute pleasure to host the 2007 Dodgeball Tournament and I look forward
to hosting again next year.---Mr. Hedquist-
*I would be remiss if I didn't thank the following individuals for making
this tournament possible: Mr. Monaghan, Mr. Quinlan, Ms. Flynn, Mr. Kenny for allowing us to play.
Mr. Soto, Mr. Farina, Mr. Giarraffa, Mr. Habart, Mr. LaMarca and Ronnie
Pickett for Officiating. We honestly did the best we could and do not plan on quitting our day jobs!
To Mike Mollish, Steven Piccolo and Tim Maccarone for providing the music.
To Mike Multari, Ciro Taormina and Pat Castel for taking pictures and
videotaping.
To T.J. Humrich for providing us with another Dodge Ball.
Dodgeball Day 1 Recap
To be quite honest,
Day 1 of the 2007 Dodgeball Tournament brought a whole lot of style but not
much substance. Eight out of the top ten ranked teams moved on with easy victories. Of them, only the Garbage
Men were really challenged as the Headshots stole game one before dropping the next two. There were however
two upsets as Second Coming was the First Going as the Senior Laden Pep Boys simply refused to leave their Dodgeball career
winless. The other huge upset was the Got Dodge...Balls defeat of the Wiseguys whose long practices and hard work at
the local elementary schools simply didn't translate to the big show as they were surprisingly swept away in straight sets.
As expected many
of the new teams brought a very unaggressive approach to the table as they felt their way through day one. The slow
pace, though expected, necessitated the use of the Orange Line for the first time in Dodgeball Tournament Play. In fairness
when you are playing in front of such a big crowd for the first time you can lose a bit of focus. Those rookie cobwebs
should be gone by day two. So for teams like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Space Invaders, Guidos of Franklin Square, Spanky
and the Rascals, Snack Attack, Prep Boys, Legends of Hidden Temple Dodge These...Balls and Los Presidentos Muertos you've
got the first one out of the way now it is time to make a run. For teams like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Harriet's
Tubmen, Lil Jon and the East Side Boys and the Garbage Men the scary first rounder is also over now it is time to stake your
claim as 2007 Champion.
The action and
intensity will definitely pick up on day two as the Gene Simmons from Kiss show becomes a serious battle for Dodgeball supremacy.
For the
record Mr. Hedquist was only 9-7 as the Swami on Day 1 but his Final Four are still intact so lets see if somebody can break
through and stir up a few upsets.
June 4th 9:00PM Entry
Mr. Hedquist Predictions
With just two days of hype remaining before the '07 Dodgeball Tourny takes to the Carey hardwood
I felt it was time, after some prodding by about 300-400 students, to go on the record and give my thoughts on how I think
things will turn out. First I want to congratulate the two girls teams for being the first to venture into the
'pit.' It takes a lot of courage. Now having said that I expect Feel of Revolution (I think that's their name)
to prevail in straight sets over The Princesses in the inaugural Girls Dodgeball Championship.
As for Boys Dodgeball
Championship, I really don't expect many upsets. I think the tournament is more top heavy than ever before which is
good and bad. It is good because if there is an upset it will be an earth shaker. It is bad because if all goes
as expected there will be quite a few blowouts which is bad for business. Afterall the crowd wants to see action not
7-0 shutouts.
In the Monaghan
bracket I just don't see anyone challenging the Might Morphin Power Rangers who have 4-5 scholarship athletes on the same
team and WILL become the first ever repeat Champions. The only hope in that bracket is if they come out cold then
maybe, just maybe, the Take Notes boys could sneak up on them. Other teams in that bracket to watch are Spanky
and the Rascals who should win one before bowing out, and the Space Invaders who have a really easy ride to the bracket final
before they run into the Morphin buzzsaw.
The Quinlan Bracket
gives the most hope to teams hoping to advance as there are no real powerhouses or real weak teams. Just about anyone
can make a run to the final four through this bracket. However, I expect Lil' John and the East Side Boys, who have
had tough losses in the past, to finally get over the hump and reach the Conference Final before falling to the Morphins.
Now, I do think Forza Azzurri could trip them up in the bracket final where I believe they will be. Of course Second
Coming and the Pep Boys will also be very dangerous as they are both loaded with good athletes but that doesn't always mean
they have what it takes to win in Dodgeball.
Shifting gears
to the Flynn Bracket there is no way How Harriet Got Her Tubmen Back is going to come in overconfident as they did a year
ago. They are hungry and they are dangerous and I believe they will win the bracket in a rout before edging their way
into the Championship round where they will lose to the Mighty Morphins in four. I like the Legends of the Hidden Temple
roster but they are no match for Harriet. Good vibes for Venom and Parceros who will win games before being rudely evicted
from the real title chase.
In the last bracket,
the Wright Bracket, you've got the Garbage Men who are real talented but possibly undisciplined. You've got the Wiseguys
who are undisciplined, and you've got WATC who are the unknown and will not be respected, but should be. I think the
Garbage Men will just get by the Wiseguys and the surprising WATC team to reach the Conference final where they will fall
to Harriet. I do however think that every student in Carey High School will be rooting for the Rock Stars and if they
should advance it might cause the gym's roof to blow off.
So to sum things
up here are my predictions:
1st Round
Spazzin Spaniards over Aqua Teen Hunger
Space Invaders over Headhunters
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers over Take Notes
Spanky and the Rascals over The Tanks
Forza Azzurri over Ethnic Fusion
Aim Low over the Guidos of Franklin Square
Second Coming over Pep Boys
Lil' John Over Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Venom over Prep Boys
Parceros over Snack Attack
How Harriet over Team Bonesaw
Legends of H. Temple over Mr. Scott
Garbage Men over Headshots
Wiseguys over Got Dodge..Balls(Peanut Butter Jelly Time)
Los Presidentos Muertos over The Rock Stars
WATC over Dodge These...Balls
2nd Round-Sweet 16
Space Invaders over Spazzin Spaniards
Might Morphin Power Rangers over Spanky Rascals
Forza Azzurri over Aim Low
Lil' John over Second Coming
Parceros over Venom
How Harriet over Legends of Hidden Temple
Garbage Men over Wiseguys
WATC over Los Presidentos Muertos
3rd Round-Elite 8
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers over Space Invaders
Lil John and the East Side Boys over Forza Azzurri
How Harriet Got Her Tubmen Back over Parceros
Garbage Men over WATC
4th Round-Final 4
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers over Lil' John E.S. Boys
How Harriet Got Her Tubmen Back over Garbage Men
5th Round-2007 Championship
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers over How Harriet Got Her Tubmen
Back
3 Games to 1.
| Teams |
Odds |
| The Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers |
1-5 |
| How Harriet
Got Her Tubmen Back |
3-1 |
| Garbage Men |
3-1 |
| Lil John
and the East Side Boys |
5-1 |
| Wiseguys |
7-1 |
| Legends of
the Hidden Temple |
8-1 |
| Second Coming |
10-1 |
| Spanky and
the Rascals |
20-1 |
| Space Invaders |
25-1 |
| Welcome to
the Pep Boys Experience |
25-1 |
| Parceros |
40-1 |
| Got Dodge..Balls! |
40-1 |
| Snack Attack |
45-1 |
| Forza Azzuri |
45-1 |
| Aqua Teen
Hunger Force |
55-1 |
| Los Presidentos
Muertos |
55-1 |
| Take Notes |
60-1 |
| Captain Planet
and the Planeteers |
70-1 |
| Team Bonesaw |
75-1 |
|
Headshots |
80-1 |
|
WATC 80-1 TheTanks 100-1 |
|
| Ethnic Fusion |
100-1 |
| Mr. Scott
and the Funky Bunch |
100-1 |
| HeadHunters |
110-1 |
| Guido's of Franklin Square |
125-1 |
| Venom |
150-1 |
| Aim Low |
250-1 |
| Spazzin Spaniards |
350-1 |
| Prep Boys |
600-1 |
Rock Stars
1.2 Million-1
Dodge These
1.6 Million-1
Good Luck To All!!
Mr. Hedquist
