Hey y’all,
Cullen from DUFF here. To be honest, I’ve always been a critic of this thread for a couple of reasons. First, we play each other ~2-3 times a year and have a tiny sample size to be making judgments on opposing players’ merit. Second, I think people tend to associate opposing players as being good due to things other than skill such as their distinctive appearance (such as my luscious locks), their vocal-ness on the sidelines, or the degree to which they talk to opposing players. Most importantly, Ultimate’s a team sport, so individual accolades seem pretty secondary to why I play. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that I know it’s underinformed, I still find myself craving personal recognition on here and team recognition in Ultiworld articles year after year. I suppose making All Region might be a healthy motivator for some players to work hard and improve, but speaking personally, these threads have almost done nothing more than unjustifiably reinforce my ego (when I am mentioned) and make me feel inadequate (when I’m not mentioned).
That all said, I do think this forum is a cool way to get to know other teams and forge connections with opposing players. I certainly value the relationships that I’ve made with other AC players, especially in the past year or two. But, if I don’t mention your name, understand that I have a very limited impression of other players’ work ethic, spirit, and merit. So, please don’t rely on USAU, Ultiworld, or me to validate your value as a player. Rant over. Here are some of my shout-outs in no particular order from last weekend and from my past four years.
Richmond:
Justin Keller: Outstanding competitor and outstanding Ultimate player. I’m impressed by how versatile of a player he’s turned into after playing him freshman year. Offense or defense, handling or cutting, I feel like he can do it all. That greatest is insane and puts the Georgetown one to shame.
Harris: Super impressed by his intensity last weekend. He had to have bid at least 5 times in our game (none of which were gratuitous I should add).
Abe and Evan I think are their names? (One is the one who I had a contested strip call with and one is who I matched up against at Natties last year): Both of them play some physical and gritty handler D that’s really fun to play against.
Everybody else on Richmond: I’ve been super impressed by the depth that Richmond always has. I really respect how much of a full team effort it takes from them. Selwood, Patrick, Ty, Xavier, the curly haired guy whose name I don’t know, etc. The whole team plays physical and is always super competitive. They’ve also really stepped up their cheer game over the past couple years. Although it could still use some work…
MOG:
Norbomm is obviously really good. Richards as well—I remember from last year, although he didn’t play a ton in our game this year. I honestly didn’t pay super close attention to specific guys when we played at Regionals. But I was surprised and impressed by the depth they ran with. Their D line cutter defenders were working really hard and laying out on unders (Shorts is one guy I remember with a big layout). Best of luck at Natties. You’re not the two-person team that I was kind of expecting. Also shout-out to High Tide Raj for embarrassing Pasha over Spring Break.
UNCA:
Warsh: It’s been awesome playing against him for the past 4 years. Always a blast to see him on the sideline being goofy and infiltrating our stretching circles. Also just a really well rounded player with some dope layouts.
Hunter Scaggs: I thought he was pretty underrated among the region until this year. He’s an absolute workhorse. He had a crazy layout D in our 3rd place game that sent it to UP.
Ethan Cole: Bummed he didn’t play in our game, but I still think he’s really good at frisbee. Really strong Ultimate IQ and a really hard worker on the field on both sides of the disc.
Elon:
J-Dog Lonnman: Another fellow senior who it’s been great to play against. I’ve always kind of considered him to kind of be my rival, so he’s been a big motivator to improve over the years. Just when I thought I was winning the matchup at Regionals, he stuffed me with a handblock on our own goal line. He seems like the heart of BOMB.
Whiff: Whiff is a super well-rounded player, as demonstrated by an absurd layout in the corner of the endzone in our game. But what impresses me the most are his inside breaks, especially in the wind. I think he’s one of the best throwers in the region.
Wibbs: I was super impressed by this kid. Gritty defender, high ultimate IQ and super sure hands.
JC I think is his name: He’s an excellent cutter, super speedy, and puts his body on the line frequently.
Sam: We butt heads a couple times with him at Sectionals. But I thought he had better spirit at Regionals. He’s a great player and sounds like a hard worker, so I hope he has a good senior year.
Navy:
Echo the stuff about JP and Spencer. Spencer always gives his all no matter how close the game is which is super impressive. He’s incredibly competitive and incredibly spirited. I’ll be excited to see the program grow following his time there. Also, I couldn’t help but think of Ben Sadok a little, watching his Donovan video.
Roscoe: I’m glad to see he was already mentioned. It seemed like there was nobody happier to be there than him. While some of my teammates might disagree, I hope people, especially younger players, start following his lead and forge other AC friendships (or rivalries if you’re into that instead).
High Point:
Pete is great. So is Sellers. But they were also deeper than I expected them to be.
Catholic:
Didn’t play y’all. sorry…
Mars Hill!!!:
Holy shit. These guys came to play at Sectionals this year. Their program has had crazy growth over the past 4 years, and it’s exciting to see them compete for their spot at Regionals now. Also a very intentionally spirited program (perhaps to a fault when it comes to conceding fouls honestly).
DUFF:
Another reason I’ve been averse to these threads is that it’s so tough to leave guys off your own list. Nevertheless, I’ll try to keep it brief:
Paul Brennan: Paul is the best cutter in the region. He can create separation from any defender, has the biggest hands in DIII, and bails me out constantly. He is a fiery competitor, a humble leader, and is probably having more fun than you.
Mac Harris: Mac is a lockdown defender who shut down the best opposing players all weekend long. His throws are becoming among the best in the region as well. I won’t say more.
Ryan Almeida: Ryan took the leap this year to becoming an elite handler defender in the region. His IQ is as good as anybody’s and he lays out for everything (perhaps too much…) He’s a leader on and off the field and deserves a ton of credit for DUFF’s success over the past 4 years.
Kevin Endersby: An absolute animal on the field. He’s an elite cutter and downfield defender. His willingness to layout as a defender combined with his size lets him match up with just about anybody.
Sam Lidsky: So much of DUFF’s growth and success comes on the back of Sam. He has worked as hard as anybody on our team over the past 4 years to become the player he is, and he’s brought up so many players in the process. Sam is one of DUFF’s most reliable handlers and is the heart of our sideline when he’s not on the field. You may not recognize him, but if you respect our team, you should.
Watch Out For:
“Hi, my name is Dusty” Smith: hardest worker on the team, intense as fuck, but thoughtful too (I think he’s single)
jpD: already a premier handler in the region
Aidan O’ Neill: easily the best sophomore on DUFF
Alex “Gunslinger” Berro: wishes he could cut, but he’s still a pretty darn good handler
Pasha “Nature Boy ;)” Sonkin: Puts in more work than any other freshman, and it shows on the field. He’s always looking for a way to improve the team on and off the field, and he’s always looking to show up the captains in one way or another… RIP me. He’s still got a lot to learn but will get there if he keeps on the trajectory that he’s on.
A reward for those of you who made it this far. It’s been a blast playing against y’all these past 4 years. Best of luck to Richmond and MOG at Natties.
