I am an ISU player, and will be speaking on the Illinois section. Ill make another post after regionals.
U-Chicago:
Wets, Jeff Zhao, Judah Newman These are the names to know from U-Chicago. Jeff and Judah are both quick gun slinging handlers, who play great defense. Wets, who has emerged as an elite level player over the past two years is the main cutter for this team. He jumps high, runs fast, and makes defenders look ridiculous. Wets should be a no brainer for the All Region team. While I have yet to play against these guys this year, I have played along side all of them and know that these guys are all guys to watch out for.
Illinois:
These guys don’t really have any stand out players. They are running a system, and run it pretty effectively. Reid Martin is a freshman on their team, and should definitely make the all freshman team. He is an athletic cutter, who seems to find himself in the handler set pretty often. He skys people, scores a lot of goals, and plays at a high IQ level for a freshman. Their coach is probably the reason for this teams success as he takes forever on each line to get them set up. I don’t know his name, but he should be in the discussion for a coaching award. Also Big Bad Ben Sabourin has pulls that can ruin an offenses chances of scoring without a long point.
NUT:
Again pretty much a system team with a great coach. Yng Ve (Spelling is hard) is probably a huge part of this teams success. Should be in the discussion for coach of the region. As for players, I noticed two players that deserve some recognition. Kyle (Offensive Handler) and Guy with the mask (Sorry I asked someone on the sideline for your name but didn’t understand them) Both of these players are straight up ballers. Kyle is an athletic field general, who basically runs that o-line. He is generally the first cut, and then is an every other kind of player. Great throws, and a great Ultimate IQ. Face Mask guy might be the best athlete in the region. The dude can jump higher than anyone I have ever seen. He is a playmaker on that D-line, and accounts for a lot of the goals that are scored on this team.
Northern Illinois:
Jerry Kelly, Michael Armstrong, Wagner. Those are the names to know on NIU. These guys run the team, and were the most underrated team in our section. Without these guys, I don’t think they are in a game to go situation with NUT on Sunday.
ISU:
Here comes the biased part of my post.
Jack Shanahan, Cal Tornabene, Cam Powers, Ricky Ramirez, JoeC26
Jack: Everyone knows this guy and knows he is a beast. he hasn’t played much this year because of a surgery he had in December, but we all know he will get his earned spot on this team.
Cal: Sophomore cutter who can play both ways. Has the highest drive on our team to win, and we dont call him mr. 50:50 for nothing. The dude comes down with every jump ball.
Cam Powers: Scores. A Lot.
Ricky: Defensive Leader on our team who also learned how to play offense this summer. Has been a huge asset on both sides of the disc. comes down with ridiculous catches, and deserves a spot on at least the 2nd team.
JoeC26: he doesn’t like attention so I had to throw him in the spotlight. Check out the Florida Warmup catch of the weekend. You will vote for him.
ISU Freshman: If all three of these players do not make the all freshman team, then this system is a joke.
Alex Jacobson: Our main handler on our O-Line. Kid has next level Ultimate IQ and has shown that he can run a line at such a young age. Had a hammer problem when he got here, but has since found the proper times for hammers. This kid is a beast.
Phuoc An Vo:D-Line handler who lays out for everything. While he has caught some slack for his bids, he never goes in for a bid with bad intention. One of the nicest kids on the team, who is a solid handler with great field awareness. He has taken on a leadership role among freshman hosting film sessions, game nights, and just ultimate learning opportunities. He gets d’s and knows how to reflect on his mistakes.
Blake Seegers: The only true rookie I have ever seen understand the game of ultimate after 1 practice. This kid has picked up the game faster than anyone I have ever seen. he is a huge defensive presence who we usually put on a top handler. He gets layout d’s plays great offense, and deserves to be mentioned for this honor.