Who are the best players in the North Central region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Alex Stumphauzer Is the best player I’ve ever seen. I once saw him pull a disc so high and so far you could see if from the ISS. He once made an up-line so quick and so elegant he caused his defender to orgasm to death. Alex “Stumpy” Stumphazer is the sexiest most spirited player you will ever play. Not only is he the heart of drake, but he is also the spirit. If I had the opportunity I would allow him to father my children.
Seriously, keep your eyes open for this stick of dynamite.
As a player for Grinnell we haven’t seen a ton of teams from the region. One team that really stood out to me was LUFDA. They were a very highly skilled and spirited team and a lot of fun to get destroyed against. I’m going to highlight a couple of players on their team and hopefully somebody can identify them by name.
#27: He was their main handler and had every throw you want as a center handler. He had a very strong ability to break our zone with his throws. He is deceivingly quick and his defense is strong for an o-line player. He had incredible range on his layouts and will sacrifice his body for his team.
#44: This player was probably the most complete player I’ve seen all year. He was their best cutter. He has throws, speed, vertical, defense. Anything you would want as a player this guy has. There isn’t much more I can say about him. He is truly unguardable.
#20: Another one of their O-line cutters. I matched up with him a couple of times and he is an insanely difficult matchup for any player. He has an incredibly high IQ for the game and uses his footwork and quickness to get open anywhere he wants. He can beat you break side and deep almost effortlessly.
#7: Another O-line cutter and probably their second best one behind #44. He is super dependable and has great under cuts. He is another with high IQ and it constantly open anywhere he wants to be. He has good throws and seems to catch everything in his direction.
#24: He ran the show for their D line. He was able to shut down any cutter we put out there and was very quick on offense. He has a wide variety of high release throws and is another matchup nightmare.
If anyone could help identify these individuals that would be much appreciated. see you at conferences!
Grinnell post coming soon!
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Petey- As a member of LUFDA, thanks for the kind words!
We didn’t get to play many teams from our region during the regular season, and I typically don’t have the best memory of specific players from teams anyways, so I won’t be able to comment much on anyone else (looking forward to getting to know teams better at conferences and regionals, though!). Here’s names of the guys Petey mentioned from our squad, plus a bit more perspective on them-
#27 Owen Schleif. Has been our center handler on O line for the past 2 years. Great thrower, really helps our O line function. Great understanding of the game. Very consistent, all around great player. Definitely deserves all region honors.
#44 Jon Lovagnini. He’s currently a junior, but has been starting for us since his freshman year. Easily one of our top players, if not our best. Handles or cuts interchangeably. Really difficult to guard no matter what he’s doing. Incredible range, and great in the air. I can’t say enough about him, he’s a special player. Keep an eye on him this postseason, he deserves your all region votes.
#20 Chad Messerich. He’s only a freshman, and we’re really, really excited about his future with this team. He jumped right into a starting O line cutter role and has been great. Knows the game really well, especially for someone his age, and he’s very athletic and shifty. Should be an easy shoe-in for the all-freshman team, and deserves some all region recognition as well.
#7 Matt Smith. That’s actually me, so all I’ll say is that I’m a cutter, typically for our O-line. Appreciate the kind words above!
#24 Henry Craig. Petey was right on, Henry is one of our best defenders. Often will take our opponent’s best cutter and does a great job shutting them down. Offensively, really helpful in generating flow, and his shiftiness helps him get open a lot.
Two additional names I’d like to throw out from our squad-
#13 Arlen BA- Has really stepped up for us this year, he’s one of our main D line handlers. Solid defense, but where he’s really good for us is offensively after a turn. Has great throws and utilizes them well, particularly deep throws. Our D line offense would look incredibly different without him.
#5 Paul Fritzell. Big tall guy, but is very quick on his feet. D line offense would not be the same without him. He gives us open unders at will and really helps our deep game, both on the throwing and receiving end. We had to play without him for a bit this season due to injury, but you could tell his return made a big difference for us.
There’s several more names I could throw out there as well, but I’ll leave it at that for now and hope a couple other people bring them up. Again, looking forward to playing the teams in our region and hopefully being able to advocate for some guys outside of our team later on!
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Brendan McCann from Michigan Tech is definitely one of the top 5 players in the region
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Best player in the Region
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Plugging a few of my teammates from St. Olaf- we haven’t played anyone in region yet, and won’t until conferences-
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#3 Austin Brown is, I think, one of the best athletes in the region. His ability to read the disc and get up over defenders makes him incredibly difficult to guard in the deep space. That in combination with his all-out speed makes him a game changer that any defense needs to consider. Teams have tried double teaming him, having a poach in the deep space, and none of it has worked.
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#5 Grant Marolf is definitely deserving of at least an all-freshman spot. He’s jumping into a starting handler position on our team, playing all but THREE POINTS on saturday at D-III Midwestern invite. He’s young and developing, but his skill with the disc in his hands and athleticism on defense sets him apart from the crowd.
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#81 Drew Otterlei played for Subzero over the summer, and can play the role of field general as a center handler or initiating cutter very well. Athletic, plays bigger than his size, and has throws that can hit people anywhere on the field, in any kind of wind (trust me, it was pretty windy at meltdown.)
There are more players I think deserve to be all-region, but I can only do so much self-promotion.
If you listen closely, every time he catches the pull he says “You know I still have never dropped a pull”
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I’d like to say a few words about some members of my team, The Macalester Blue Monkey Super Dope Crew, who deserve some love and attention.
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#6 Clay Whipp, the co-captain of los monos azules, may have the most tantalizing throws in our region. (That high release backhand oooahhhh gimme gimme) As a lefty handler, and key cog in both our o-lines and d-lines, he makes it his business to decimate opponents lackadaisical defense. While he is not the fastest player on our team, he has an undeniable penchant for roasting his defender upline. He is also a jovial fellow, and terrific leader, often leading us in ridiculous chants and cheers that undergird our team’s success.
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#42 Malik Earle (co-captain) is the most tenacious player in the region, full stop. At sectionals, I think he took off three points, all of which were to care for an injured Mono. Not only is he a dynamic athlete capable of beating anyone in a 1v1 scenario, he is also a dutiful student of the game: in any given scenario, he knows what is needed to ensure our team’s success. He is a selfless leader, a vivacious human, and a wonderful friend. I love him.
These two players are capable of taking over any game. Their shared qualities – verve, determination, and goofiness – have been integral to our team’s success.
Other players worthy of a shout-out: Alex Delhagen (#7) can throw full field hucks–lefty or righty . Orion Dick-Neal (#72) once skyed Kristaps Porzingis . Andy Pham (#29) will bid for everything. Brian Call (#26) has recorded 3 million footblocks. Augie Nelms (#8) is a Del Monte Allstar, fearless flyer, and crit theory king. Zach Busby has every throw. Josh Koh is the loudest person in North Central, no contest. Corey McGinnis is the best hype man, and also my father.
m
Stump has beat me up-line probably 3 million times. While I didn’t orgasm every time, I did call a travel on him 2.97 million times because I am an unspirited doofus.
He is definitely deserving of a spot on this list.
Stump from Drake here with some post-regionals reflections. There are a ton of players deserving of all-region honors, these are a just a few specific that we matched up against or watched this weekend.
Owen Schlief from Luther: The man has beautiful fakes and does a great job at anchoring Luther’s offense. Can’t remember him throwing the disc away in any of the three times we played them this year. Consistency is king.
Brendan McCann from Michigan Tech: I wish I had a scoober as clean as he does. I have built up a lot of respect for Brendan over the years because of his commanding presence as a handler on the field and leader off of it. It’s clear that he has set up DiscoTech for years of success to come.
Abe Eichner from Carlton GOP: This man drops so many dimes that my time guarding him was always cut short because the point was short. He’s been the center of GOP’s offense for multiple years and has been a huge part of their success.
Eli Inkelas from Carlton Hot Karls: I had the chance to match up with Eli at Ugly Dome early in the Spring. He’s a spirited played who is a major facet of the Hot Karls’ success this year. He helps a lot with team disc movement, but can also make some nasty layout grabs like one he had at Sectionals against St. Thomas.
Matthew Kraus from Drake (bias alert): The man was slightly injured this year, but still is one of the fastest and most consistent cutters that we have on DUC. He occasionally will do something flashy like a layout or sky, but really has nailed down consistency on O and D, which is what makes him a good player.
Noah Linder from Drake (bias alert): This freshman is a silly goose. He skies the crap out of everyone and has the sickest layouts our team has seen in years. As a freshman, he had already become an integral part of DUC, and will continue to be just that. It would be a shame for him to miss out on all-region honors, because he has such raw talent in frisbee.
I don’t have names for the following players but I hope someone will reply with them, because they are just as deserving.
Pink Tutu on Beloit: In my opinion their best player. Great hucks and good resets. Beloit’s offense wouldn’t be the same without him.
Mohawk and rolled up sleeves on Winona State: Another fantastic center handler. It’s clear that his team respected him and the run they made at regionals is largely in part to his play I’m sure.
Tallest player on Platteville: Had some clean layout snags in our game and one that we spectated. Obviously he can get up to get your run-of-the-mill sky, but he can also distribute the disc effectively.
In closing, there’s a huge pool of players to pull from. This is obviously not an all-encompassing list.
As someone who was not affiliated with a regionals team and instead just there as a fan of the sport (I’ve played for years in college and top-level club, not just some parent (; ) I wanted to give my insight on who stood out to me at regionals 2018.
*Also not quite sure on names looking back at my notes so if we could have people on these teams identify these guys that would be awesome
St. Olaf
#81: Believe he played for Sub Zero. Is a dominant force for St. Olaf in the air and with the disc in his hand. Makes their offense click and was giving teams fits. He is the go-to guy for Berzerkers and deserves all-region honors.
#42: A d-line guy if I remember correctly. He was able to challenge other teams top offensive players and do damage on the offensive side. Uses his size to work on opposing players and helped Berzerkers click defensively.
Luther
#44: This guy was unstoppable for Luther’s offensive. He willed them to victories with his cuts and his throws. He plays great defense and is the key to Luther’s success. He is an easy choice for All-Region and is someone to look for in years to come.
#20: Another one of Luther’s cutters. I was extremely impressed by his ability to get open. With his quick first step and footwork he was able to beat defenders anywhere he wanted on the field. I’ve also heard that he is only a freshman? He should definitely be a lock for FOTY and be getting All-Region as well.
#27: Luther’s primary handle. Has throws for days, abusing the mark and kick-starting Luther’s offense. Played plus defense on turns and showed his ability as a top player all weekend. Another All-Region lock.
Michigan Tech
#17: Player of the year in the region. There is no better player than this guy. He carried his team with throws nobody else in the region has. He was the top player all weekend and should be a lock for player of the year.
#6: Interchanged between cuts and handles very well. Has explosiveness downfield to beat his defenders. Was the guy to go and get #17’s throws and should get some love for All-Region.
GoP
Since they rock those awesome hawaiins they don’t have numbers on their uniforms. So if someone on Gop wants to reach out to me so I can identify these individuals I will get their information up ASAP.
I also think their coach has done a great job and deserves all-region recognition.
First off, Abe and Saul on GOP both need some recognition. Their dominance over the last few years has been admirable. GOP also had another tallish dude in a tan hawaiian that was hella fast and went deep a lot. GOP is a solid team top to bottom, so I think it is easy to forget about their top guys. But not only do they win, they win with class, and I think that deserves pointing out.
Luther beat us in the semis. They had #5 cutting down field a lot. He is big, and also real fast. Tough to guard both deep and under. #27 had some real nice throws. They were another solid team top to bottom. Their depth made a lot of plays, but those two players stood out to me.
Tyler Meyer is nasty. He carried St. John’s, and has the best mark I have ever played against. He hurt himself on a head high bid against us, but his defensive awareness and marking makes him scary to play against.
I didn’t get to play against St. Olaf or Drake, but I’m sure Drew Otterlei and Stump are both deserving of some credit for running the show on their respective teams.
Lastly, my team: Michigan Tech. I huck the disc a lottt. None of that would be possible without athletes to chase after it. Franklin Uganski (#6) bails me out so often. I throw up a lot of 50/50’s to him, and he makes plays. He also had some huge layout D’s for us this weekend. He deserves a ton of credit for making big plays when we need them. Also, Kevin Anthony (#35) initiates most of our sets. He cuts deep and under, and is dangerous with both his cuts and throws. Hard to guard everything.
Congrats to GOP and let’s get some more bids to the North Central region next year.
-Brendan McCann, Michigan Tech
GOP’s coach here, so take my comments with a grain of salt. First, I appreciate all of the kind words that have been said about our GOPers so far, and all of the positive affirmations that would have been shared if only we weren’t wearing Hawaiians (#faceless). I’d like to heap some praise upon a couple of D-line stalwarts, namely Will “Queso” Yetvin, Arthur McCray (the red Hawaiian-clad person mentioned below) and Mike Ebako-Hodgson (the lockdown defender with twists mentioned below). They generate Ds and converts breaks like no one else and have been doing so for years. We got a whole bunch of coverage sacks this weekend (and the whole season) in large part thanks to their outstanding person defense. And as a FOTY nomination, I’ve got to shout out Oren Lieber-Kotz (the Bob Ross, frequently-travelling person mentioned below) who was marshaling our D-line during the series and plays like a seasoned vet at the young age of 18 (idk if that’s actually how old you are, Oren). It feels weird to brag about individual GOPers since we pride ourselves on our depth, but I also think it’d be a shame to not give credit where credit is due. Needless to say, I could go on and on about the talent on this team and the contributions we got this weekend from top to bottom of our roster. Once again, thanks for all of the kind words everyone else has shared already.
As for everyone else, a lot of what I would have said has been shared already. Luther played fantastically and I admire so much how hard they fought to come back in semis and take it to us in the finals with a break on the very first point. #27 leads them brilliantly and never stopped giving his all, leaving his feet time and again through to the very end of the second half.
On Drake, Stump is a joy to watch. He ROOFED someone who had a solid 6-8 inches on him in maybe the Winona game and I nearly lost my mind. His throws are pinpoint, his defense is smothering and he’s also a very nice person. Also shoutout to #00 on Drake for the biggest layout grab I’ve maybe ever seen in our game against them. I’m still hyped thinking about it in my office.
Not much more can be said about McCann from DiscoTech. I wish we could have played them, but I’ll settle for watching him from the sidelines. He seemed to be a bit hurt and yet he still commanded the field and shaped the game with his throwing abilities. I’d also like to echo the praise for pink tutu from Beloit and Malik from Mac. Oh and Sauce and Benson from Winona put in some serious work the past two weekends.
As for the Hot Karls, it’s hard to not go on and on about the improvements they’ve made this year as a team. The praise for Eli is well-deserved, and I’d like to shine the light on Louis, as well. Miko also deserves big props for his role not only on the field, but perhaps more importantly behind the scenes. Battling through concussion issues can feel like a war of attrition, but his dedication, positivity and leadership elevated their level of play this year and it’s no surprise he was at the helm for this best ever finish for the Karls. #OAKAAK
I’m sure there are so many people I’m failing to mention (especially on St. Olaf), so apologies to those who I have left off. And yeah, let’s earn more bids for the North Central. This region is too talented to only send 1 team to Natties each year. I look forward to playing with and against many of you in the upcoming club season!
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Hey! Do you remember any distinguishing characteristics of these mystery GOPers? And particularly dope Hawaiians or any good looking goatees? I will try my best to identify these guys with whatever info you can provide.
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Eli from the Karls here. Want to shout out a couple players (don’t know a ton of names, sadly) from teams we ran into the last few weekends.
Platteville
Rainbow windbreaker, who I believe was #12, was an excellent center handler and gave us matchup problems all game.
Michigan Tech:
Everyone already knows about Brendan McCann, though more should be said about his defensive play- he shut down our resets pretty systematically. Also want to commend his spirit, which was unwaveringly high all game.
#9 was a menace on their D line (I believe he was #9: he had a bright yellow trucker hat). Really strong handling on the turn and solid defense as well.
Drake:
We didn’t get the chance to play Drake at regionals, but did match up against them a few months ago at Ugly Dome and watched their quarterfinal game against Winona State this weekend. Stump is one of the quickest and slipperiest handlers I’ve ever had the pleasure to guard; I still have nightmares about him breaking my mark for an easy upline score.
GoP: Minor bias alert, of course. Worth noting that I could name virtually any player on the GoP roster and they would be deserving of all-region consideration.
Arthur McCray is one of the most dominant and consistent players I’ve ever watched. After 2 layouts in the opening points of the game to go against Luther, LUFDA refused to throw the disc anywhere near him all game.
Mike Ebako-Hodgson may have the highest big play potential of any player in the region. He lays out for anything and everything near him, and his field vision is amazing on both offense and defense.
Hot Karls: Again, bias alert.
Sam Miles was a huge part of our offense this season, and flipped onto the D-line with great success when we needed him to. He gets open all day in the handler set and his decision-making is superb.
David Gallagher, who was injured for most of regionals, has extremely strong throws and can play shutdown downfield defense against just about anyone. His downfield vision as a handler opened up a ton of looks for our D-line offense all year.
Lots of players we didn’t get the chance to play/watch, and plenty more who I could have mentioned.
This was the first time the Karls qualified for regionals, and I just want to thank everyone involved for some of the best, most spirited frisbee we’ve ever been a part of. We absolutely cannot wait to be back.
David from the Karls here. I agree with everything Eli said (except that I’m pretty sure Rainbow windbreaker was #8) and want to mention a few more guys.
Pink tutu from Beloit: We played them in the third game on Saturday and they didn’t have too many players, so he must have been tired, but was still the toughest and most fun match up I had all weekend.
#17 on Winona State gave us some serious trouble on Sunday. Super quick and I’m pretty sure he broke our marks every time he got the disc.
I know #4 from Mac was injured by the end of sectionals, and I’m pretty sure based on their twitter he couldn’t play at regionals, but I matched up with him earlier this year at Ugly Winter Dome and got worked. Not sure any individual match-up this season has given me as much trouble as he did, and I bet he would have been quite the force had he been healthy. Super fast cutter who was more then ready to handle when mac needed him to. Was really hoping to match up again some time this year, but unfortunately injuries and tournament formats got in the way.
Also, we’ve all probably spent enough time talking about how great Brendan is, but good Lord I wish my scoobers were as good as yours.
Hey all - LUFDA member here. Now that Conferences and Regionals have come and gone, I feel slightly more qualified to toss a few names out there based on recent performances, both from other teams and my own.
The team we saw the most of throughout the series was Drake: Stumpy (as previously mentioned) has solid throws, quickness on cuts and on d, and excellent spirit. Their tallest cutter (I believe they call him Rook) has some good hops and gets up for the deep looks - he was also quite spirited and fun to match up against.
Other players from various teams that stood out to me at Regionals were #81 (Andrew Otterlei) on St. Olaf, #17 (Brendan McCann) from Michigan Tech, and two particularly-talented players on GoP, who showcased impressive depth as a whole: a cutter who wore a red Hawaiian shirt and generated some solid layout D’s for them, and a second cutter, who had dreadlocks (not sure what color Hawaiian shirt he wore) and possessed quickness that enabled him to get open at ease and also play lockdown defense. Can’t speak to the likes of Macalester, Winona State, St. John’s, or the Hot Karls, as we never faced them, but I’m sure they each have some ballers that deserve recognition.
For a final note (bias alert), I’d like to highlight two Luther players that have not yet been mentioned, but whom I feel deserve to be in the conversation for all-region:
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#6, Marshall Creech: only a sophomore, but already a significant force on our D-line. Plays excellent handler defense, and can command the offense well on a turn through his consistent throws and quickness.
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#10, Matt Deetz: ridiculously fast, which enables him to get open at ease and stick right on his matchup’s hip on defense. He’s been a key player for us on both sides of the disc this season.
Safe to say that there’s a lot of talent here in the DIII North Central. Sucks that we only received one bid this year, but the future is certainly bright.
Back for more north central fun.
As a viewer of this sport I want to thank the following people, and say that these guys absolutely deserve all-region credit.
Mi Tech: Yep, another one for Brendan McCann. Kid can ball, and is sneakily one of the best handler defenders in the region.
Drake: Despite what might be the worst Donovan video ever created, Alex Stumphauzer (spell that right?) is a offensive dynamo. Great control on his throws, and a high frisbee IQ. #5 (Ben Ramsom? asked for this kids name) Is a steady reset type handler who kept great composure in the wind. Don’t know about all region for him, but he played his part very well. #0 I heard was a freshman, and this kid can kinda fly. His greatest weapon however, might be his break backhand. Definitely all freshman.
Luther: I wrote about these guys last year in d1, and its a similar story. #44 Jon L-something is the best player on this team. He does everything at an above average level. #27 Owen Shleif is the best thrower on this team. He’s slippery in the dump set, and doesn’t turn it over in a stupid fashion. #7 and #17 were both solid offensive players who did their job with their heads and with their legs.
GoP: Abe. Smartest player in the region. Throw very well, in most any wind, and plays solid in every other way. I really can’t tell ya much about the rest of this team, because they all play so well together, and tbh, they all look the same. This one kid had a couple of huge grabs in the points I watched, and asking the GoP sideline, apparently he used to be a soccer star or something. Help a brother out by naming this kid.
St Olaf: Fact. Drew Otterlei is a top 5 player in this region.
St Johns: Fact no. 2. Tyler Meyer is the best player on this team. I don’t know where I would put him in a list of this regions best, but I think he’s all region for sure.
My list:
- Brendan McCann
- #44 Jon L on Luther
- Owen Schleif
- Alex Stumphauzer
- Drew Otterlei
- Abe Eichner
- Tyler Meyer
peace boys
I’m back again to try to say a bit more after conferences/regionals. I still suffer from a less than stellar memory of specific players, but here’s what I got-
Michigan Tech- McCann. Yeah. I’ll also say that #6 for them played well. Not sure about all region, but he was athletic and on the receiving end of stuff from McCann a lot.
GOP- Hard for me to say much about them due to the jersey situation, but they were just an all around great team. I’m sure they have a few deserving all region guys, but I don’t know who they are because they all end up looking the same in those shirts. The only guys that stick out in my mind are a guy with a mini Bob Ross haircut who had great throws but traveled just about every time he moved, as well as someone with dreds that made some big plays. Again I’m sure there’s more, but those jerseys plus my subpar memory of guys from other teams isn’t a great combo. Gotta give a shoutout to them for being one of the most spirited teams in the country too. Always fun to play against them.
St Johns- We didn’t end up playing them this year, but I know from past years and from seeing them play here and there throughout this year that Tyler Meyer is still an awesome player. I think their results this year hid his talents a bit, but it’s definitely worth mentioning that he’s still one of the better players in this region.
St Olaf- They had a couple guys with good deep throws. Don’t remember numbers, but I’m guessing some of them have been mentioned here already. I heard they don’t have any seniors this year? It’ll definitely be worth watching them over the next few years, they were a better team than their 8th place finish would suggest.
Lastly, coming back to my Luther squad quickly. We have a handful of guys that should be in all-region discussion, but #27 Owen Schleif and #44 Jon Lovagnini cemented their honors this weekend. #20 Chad Messerich is one of the guys that should be in the discussion, but I have to highlight again that he’s only a freshman- Get him on your ballots for FOTY.
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