Who are the best players in the Ohio Valley region? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Hey guys, Max from Swarthmore here.
East Penn looked really good this year, especially considering the lack of Lehigh. Outside of my team, a lot of the Haverford guys were really impressive. Lucas was incredibly dominant, both on O and D. Jordan and Alden also both looked great, doing a lot of the offensive cutting work. Losing Cal really hasn’t slowed these guys down.
On Swat, we have a couple ballers who deserve recognition.
Rye Buckley was a star last year, but he’s taken such a jump this year. He’s grown into the role of our #1 cutter, and he takes the toughest matchups on defense. So far, I haven’t seen anyone able to shut him down. It’s incredible that he’s only a sophomore, and he’s already one of the most dedicated, experienced players I’ve seen in the region and in the division.
Vinay Keefe is our pick for all-freshman. Fresh from Seattle, he’s integrated into our handler corps incredibly smoothly, looking more comfortable with the team and with the disc than a lot of upperclassmen. Not only does he all but run the offense, but he’s an incredible defender. Watch out for him the next couple years!
Yoooo,
Zac Sands, Captain from Shippensburg Scapegoats.
As we all are gearing up for Regionals, I’d like to mention a few players from Shippensburg you all should keep an eye on.
Josh Walther #10 - Strong player on both sides of the field. He’s play on O-line but count on him to get the disc back if the offense turns it. He can play lock down defense and he isn’t scared to throw his body around. I believe he can match up with anyone in the region defensively
Brayden Tiner #11 - His combination of speed, size, and agility makes him a big threat on offense. He is a tough matchup for anyone and don’t let him streak deep on you because it probably won’t end in your favor
Freshman Watch:
Ryan Kolimaga #21 - This is Ryan’s first year of playing ultimate and I can say that I’ve never seen anyone pick up the game so quickly. His background in baseball gives him the natural ability to throw and his overall athleticism and his quick pick up of the knowledge of the game makes for a strong O-line cutter just in his first year. Big things to come for this guy in the future if he continues to progress the way he is.
Jake Doyle #18 - He should still be considered for All-Region even though he broke his arm. We’ve seen him all year tear it up by providing our offense with big throws and squirrelly cuts to get the disc moving and opening up the offense. It is a shame that he broke his arm, but I don’t believe it should affect his All-Region consideration.
Hey guys,
Josh Walther, Captain of Shippensburg Scapegoats
This is only our second year in the region and our team and players may not be super familiar to all of you. With Regionals coming up this weekend I want to highlight players that should be watched and talked about on our team.
Zac Sands #22 - Incredible all around player. Zac plays both sides of the disc and is unbelievable offensively. He can get open at will and has the speed to run down any disc thrown his way. His skill in the air is unmatched as he beats most players when he goes up for the disc. Zac has crazy throws every game, including huge hucks for O line cutters to run down. Sands is an incredible all around player.
Spenser Strickler #14- Spenser is our big man. He is our primary handler and we can count on him to make every throw count 100% of the time and the big throws when we need him. Spenser’s huge hunks are jaw dropping every game. He is a 5th year player and leads us all by example as both a skilled player and good sportsmanship.
Brayden Tiner #11 - Brayden is another one of our O line cutters. Brayden’s ankle breaking cuts and ability to run long hucks down makes him extremely difficult to cover as he can get past defenders both on in and out cuts. Along with his ability to get open, his skill in the air is what makes him one of the top players to watch.
Jaime Roop #2- Jaime is our D-line leader and primary handler. Jaime’s IQ of the game allows for him to command our d line to huge break trains for us to extend our leads. His ability to work through a zone and keep the disc moving is amazing to watch. Jaime also has great deep throws and is able to fit the disc into very small windows. He is definitely someone to watch play on defense.
Freshman Watch:
Ryan Kolimaga #21 Like Zac said, Ryan’s ability to learn the game as well as he has in his first year is incredible. As first year O-line cutter, Ryan’s ability to get open, in combination with his reliable hands is a great weapon for us to have on offense.Also, on defense Ryan is a bulldog defender who does not shy away from a challenge. Ryan has a bright future in this region and ultimate as he continues to learn the game
Hey all, Sam Dreyfuss, one of the captains for Xavier BLOB
Wanted to shout-out some guys on the other Ohio schools who should get some all-region love.
Toby Harvey (Oberlin)- He was 2nd team last year and he has to be 1st team this year. Talented lefty who demanded our best defender at all times; he was effective on both offense and defense and led Oberlin’s comeback against us in the Conference Championship game. Oh, and he played every single point in that game; he was the best player at the tournament and should be a 1st teamer this year.
Matt Mirabello (Franciscan)- Similar to Toby from Oberlin, was the leader for Fatal on the field and drew our toughest defender at all times. We had some rough weather conditions in our match-up with Franciscan but he still seemed to have whatever throw he wanted. I know he has been a cutter in the past, but looked really comfortable being a center handler at times for Fatal.
James Downs (Franciscan)- I’ve gotten to play against James for a couple of years now and he has to be one of the best defenders in the region. Has worked on his offensive game a lot and has become a main cutter for Fatal but his bread-and-butter is still defense. Spirited guy who is always a fun and challenging match-up.
For BLOB, we have a some guys that I think are deserving of recognition.
Eric Coglianese #2 or #55- The number depends on his mood but no matter what jersey he has on, he is balling. Has been our top goalscorer these past two years but this year has become a more well-rounded offensive threat. He is much more comfortable with the disc and has become a reliable hucker for our team. On defense, always takes one of the best players and locks them up. Eric is really coming into his own as a complete ultimate player.
Sam Settlemyre #14- A two year captain on the team that you can always recognize with his patented pink visor. Sam wasn’t able to compete in Conferences and Regionals last year because of injury but has come back and has become one of our center handlers this year on offense. A sneaky good defensive player who challenges himself with tough handler match-ups. Sam doesn’t always make the flashiest plays, but is a very consistent player and voice for BLOB.
Don’t know the rules for all-freshman but Nick Bolander is a rookie on our team and has quickly established himself as one our best cutters. He is a sophomore who ignored ultimate his freshman year for probably valid reasons, but is a rookie nonetheless. Great defensive player who is starting to realize his potential on offense. If he can be nominated for All-Freshman/Rookie then Nick is very deserving and should be on the radar for all-region in years to come.
Looking forward to the weekend and getting to play some of the Penn teams we haven’t gotten to face yet!
Hey everyone, Eric Coglianese (#2/#55) from Xavier BLOB. I want to shout out a few people I feel are deserving of some all-region recognition heading into the weekend. I may be repeating some of what Sam said above but that’s only because some of these players are very deserving.
Toby Harvey (Oberlin)– Toby’s a versatile lefty that has incredible break throws and always seems to find a way to get the disc. His hucks and flick breaks were deadly to us when we played Oberlin in the conference championship. Toby refused to let his team lose and after getting in a hole early he put his team on his back on their way to a conference championship. We repeatedly discussed the need to stop Toby if we wanted to win the game but he continued to ball despite all our best efforts. An incredible talent.
Matt Mirabello (Franciscan)– Matt was clearly Franciscan’s leader and was a constant force at all times on the field. On the defensive side, Matt was a force making life extremely hard on whoever he was guarding. Offensively, his confidence as a handle and ability to make sharp and smart cuts made him an incredibly difficult, but also spirited, match-up for whoever guarded him.
Now for some BLOB shoutouts
Sam Settlemyre #14 As only a junior, Sam is already in his second year captaining BLOB. Sam came into this season with a chip on his shoulder since he broke his hand halfway through last season and missed conferences and regionals. This year, Sam has stepped up his game further by adding a variety of break throws, smart cuts, and lockdown defense. Often Sam takes the opposing teams best handle and succeeds in shutting them down. While he won’t always make the highlight reel with his play style, Sam’s poise and consistency and effort are an incredible asset for BLOB
Sam Dreyfuss #11 BLOB’s other captain, Sam has made incredible strides as a player. Starting his career his was seen primarily as an offensive deep threat but Sam has morphed into an inside cutter. His ability to stop and go on a dime has made him a difficult guard on the inside and his ability to cutters going deep has added an extra dimension to his came Additionally, Sam’s defense has come a long way over the years and he has developed the ability to match-up against any cutter and make life difficult on them.
Additionally, I’d also like to mention that Nick Bolander #27 is very deserving of all-freshmen depending on what the rules are. He’s technically a sophomore but this is his first year player. Regardless, he has quickly made himself one of BLOB’s top cutters and top defenders. His elite athleticism has made him an force in the air and he is beginning to develop more offensive weapons to match his defense abilities.
Can’t wait for this weekend!
I’m definitely not on the Swarthmore Earthworms; I just happen to know all of the players’ names and intimate details and none of the players’ names or intimate details from other schools.
(I am on the Worms, I’m sorry for lying)
I do want to shoutout Jordan from Haverford. During Sectionals, we realized that their offense ran through him but we still could do literally nothing to stop that. Dude broke my ankles while I was watching from the sideline. If he’s iso’d in the endzone, just take the L because Haverford has scored.
On Swat, I want to shout out (in alphabetical order of first name):
Alex “Badger” “Most People Call Me Jin” Jin - Has emerged as one of our top handlers, can break marks at will, dominates zones, and can switch to cutting at a moment’s notice. The most impressive part is he does this all while reciting Foucault on the field. On a real note, I think he’s leading Swat in assists this season. One of the most fun and effective handlers you’ll ever get to play with.
Kastan “Senco” Day - Don’t ask what “Senco” means. You’ll definitely notice Kastan. Incredible cutter who will cut deep, cut in, cut left, cut right, cut to the fourth dimension and back, then sky you and dab. If he’s guarding you, good luck. Also insane hype man, has literally broken his nose to block a disc.
Kevin “KLai” Lai - One of the best (if not the best) two-way players on the team. You may not notice him get a million D’s, but that’s because no one ever throws to the person he marks. KLai will shut down any cutter, anchor our offense, injure his ankle, then ignore his injury and continue to ball out. (Big Baller Brand was actually named after him). Incredible senior presence on the team, really gunna miss him.
Max “Maxwell Miller Nevada Franklin” Franklin - Let’s be honest; you all already know who Max is. One of the captains of the team, he’s an incredible handler who makes highlight reel plays on the regular. I know that if I throw a reset pass to him he’ll go and get it no matter what, even if he has to dive 15 feet or sky a 7-foot player to do it. Once a player on the opposite player ran deep and shouted, “I’m through!” and Max shouted, “Hi through, I’m Max!” while chasing him deep. No better description than that.
Muha “Red Anus” Haque - Another amazing handler with a non-stop motor, will beat you upline and with give and goes all game (maybe I shouldn’t be giving our strategies away…) One incredibly hype boi who has every throw in the book and also flapjacks. One of my personal heroes.
Rye “Big Bucc” Buckley - Probably the nicest guy you’ll meet. It’s impossible to be mad at him, even after he’s burned you 18 times in a row with his cuts. Cemented himself as a leader last year as a freshman
and has stepped it up another notch into the captain role this spring. Has the most terrifying mark on the team, mostly because he screams the stall through his mouthguard but also because he’ll hand block you roughly 85% of the time. Besides his incredible personal skills and game knowledge, he’s an integral leader to our team who I look up to (even though I’m slightly taller than him haha…)
Vinay “Normal Style” Keefe - Should absolutely be considered for All-Freshman, came on to the team with lots of experience and skill and has become already one of our top handlers. Plays incredible (one of these days I’ll think of another adjective) team-oriented frisbee, and has the most devastating handler defense on the team. He also tells the funniest jokes that you don’t initially realize are jokes. He’ll make you feel stupid, but you’ll be oddly happy about it???
And tbh I could shout out the rest of our team, I’m so very proud of each and every one of them. Sorry to all the amazing players on other teams; I don’t know your names, but you’re also all very deserving of All-Region. Maybe I’ll make another post after I meet you this weekend.
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I want to shout out Max Franklin from Swarthmore for all-region. Even though I haven’t been able to see him play live this year, I have heard a lot about him and seen some footage.
From what I have seen, he has an around backhand that is almost unstoppable. Once you move over to stop that throw, he has a spot on low release i/o flick.
The other thing that sets him apart from everyone else is his interesting fashion sense. The worms will show up in their black shorts, and everyone will be matching except Max. Max will be rocking the bright yellow shorts from his high school days, some purple shorts with dogs on them, or one of his multiple pairs of classy rainbow shorts.
Hey guys! Tommy Lannen from Franciscan Fatal here wanting to share some all region love
All region:
Toby (Oberlin): Toby’s a given at this point. He seriously could not be slowed down and his throws were sick. Huge in crucial situations, undoubtedly an all region player.
James Pollard (Jefferson #17): we can agree that he is one of the most purely athletic guys in our region. He completely nullified the deep threat on defense and his hucks were nasty. Probably could sky anyone on the field.
Jake Doyle (Ship #18): huge presence on both sides of the disc, always felt like he was a major threat. Also had great spirit and was a ton of fun to play with!
John Clemente (Fatal #10): Mirabello gets a lot of the attention, and don’t get me wrong he deserves it, but I want to get the word out about John. Mirabello himself calls John “the connective tissue of our team” because he holds it all together. He is our captain and all of what we do relies on his steady presence. He’s a work horse on both sides of the disk, reliable, and consistent and should get some recognition.
All Freshman:
#21 (ship): sorry I don’t remember his name, but some of the guys were saying he’s a freshman and if so that’s very impressive! He seemed totally comfortable in tough situations like he’s been playing forever. He’ll be dangerous in future seasons.
Jarred Stommes (fatal #15): Jarred joined our roster this season and became one of our most reliable cutters almost immediately. He is a necessary target for our handles in both the long and short game, a big presence on defense, and rarely ever misses the disc. He’s also an incredibly smart player and his throws have improved to a stellar degree from the start of the season. Looking to get him in the discussion for all freshman.
Whoa that tournament format is ridiculous lets hope something like that never happens again…
I wanna shout out some cows (I know there is an inherent bias in shouting out your own teammates, but I feel that a lot of attention has been put on me where some of it should be put on others) Ill be brief, mainly because I think we all tend to go on and on to try to turn these things into a publicity stunt:
Lucien Fitzpatrick - The guy who looks like a norse god. He comes down with almost anything in the air.
Julian Bregstone - Our go to cutter, but is really just a very well rounded player.
Noam Fisherman - Back field handler with me, has a very high completion percentage.
Noah Zobel - Absolutely should make All-Freshman, if not freshman of the year… (donno what the deal is with DI freshman) He was the really long skinny guy with the bun. Catches all the bad throws we throw on the field, and threw a lot of dimes this weekend too.
Jacob Arons - Got injured Saturday, but I wish everyone got to see him play because he is a defensive menace.
Also Lastly everyone is sleeping on Alden Daniel from Haverford. His handler D is phenomenal. This guy should be talked about more. Lets give him the attention he deserves.
Yo guys,
I’m Noah Celuch, a Grove City captain. It was only our first year in the league, but I’d like to shout out our four seniors for consideration. These guys have built this team up from nothing in their four years, and they all play huge roles in every game.
Kirk Egeland (#47) - Kirk is our most patient handler. He is on every O-Line and rarely makes a turnover. He is a great player and solid athlete who never tries to do too much, but fits any role that the team could need. He can break ankles and scorch defenders on up-line cuts or play shut down defense on a turn.
Zach Risinger (Captain, #13) - Zach has led our team on and off the field this year. He is an all around skilled player as well as a very intelligent player and teacher. He regularly hits guys on deep cuts and works hard to get open at any position.
Zach Dahm (Captain, #50) - Dahm is our go-to handler. He has every throw he needs and can always launch full field hucks when necessary. His ability to find the open man is unmatched and his throws are precise.
Connor Tipping (#22) - Connor is arguably the strongest athlete on the team. On D-Line, he regularly matches up with and outworks the strongest players on other teams. He can handle or cut to perfection in any situation and thrives under the toughest competition. He changes the game on any side of the disc with his intense energy and flawless execution.
Hey guys I was up at regionals this weekend with Messiah (my Alma Mater) and I had a few thoughts after being able to spectate all weekend.
James Pollard (Jefferson): This dude should be a lock for at least 2nd team. When he wanted to, he would run a point by getting the disc every other or he could get deep and sky basically anyone for a goal. Not only is James already tall and long, his timing is impeccable so often that he can reach a disc at absurd heights.
Aaron Olney (Messiah): A lot of the guys that I believe are deserving have already been mentioned with the exception of Aaron. Aaron was one of two four year seniors on the team this year and shouldered a TON of responsibility as a result. He was a beast in the air on defense this weekend getting D’s all over the place. On offense Aaron showed his ability as a superior hucker in the wind as well as an ability to get open in the backfield and play small ball with other handlers. Aaron is a pretty quiet guy and rarely shows much emotion on the field but his work ethic combined with his ability make him deserving in my opinion.
All Freshman- Daniel Vallette (Messiah): I know that all freshman takes both divisions into account but Dan (we call him Kirby) is deserving of consideration. Kirby was the glue that held our D-line together this weekend and ran the show out of the backfield with more composure than I have seen from most rookies. He has great vision and rarely takes low percentage shots and looks like a guy who’s been handling in college for multiple years. On defense he covers a ton of ground and made a few highlight reel layouts for us on Sunday. I would strongly consider Kirby for all freshman this season.
Thanks for reading guys and let’s get regionals back to PA next year haha
JM Rallo
Kevin (#17) from Swarthmore here. I need to rewrite after this weekend.
Just wanted to shout-out a couple Earthworms as well as others from the section/region:
Max Franklin (#92/93)- This is a given. Could not have pulled our shit together without his leadership and presence. Don’t bother setting a mark on him since he’ll 9 times out of 10 break with you his crazy around backhands. Always hits his targets in stride and definitely one of the best huckers on the team. He has grown so much and will definitely be the guy to watch for next year.
Rye Buckley (#45)- Go-to cutter in our offense. So many of our sets and plays run through Rye. Always finds a way to get open and makes so many good throws to other open cutters/ streaking handlers.
Kastan Day (#10) - Freak athleticism and crazy throws. His hammers are the prettiest hammers. He has extremely accurate hucks and throws and can go up against anyone in the air.
Muha Haque (#7) - He’s the veteran that will anchor and hype up any offense and defense. Very crafty handler that hits cutters in places where the defense won’t expect. Has definitely turned up his defensive intensity these past three years.
Vinay Keefe (#24) - My vote for all-freshman. He’s a monster on defense and is very aggressive with deep looks. Comparing his fall season to his spring season, he has taken such big strides in balancing deep shots with pinpoint accurate throws to in-cuts. He is definitely someone to watch for for the next 3 years.
OTHERS
Haverford (tbh you all deserve creds… just mentioning some):
Jordan (#24), Lucas (#42) - Need I say more? These two are straight ballers and crazy athletes.
Dan (#66) - So far no mention of him, but he is definitely one of the seniors that anchor the offense. He is a really smart cutter and definitely deserves some creds
Weber (#72) - Also no mentions of him so far. Buttery hucks and super consistent throws, a must have for any offense.
Jefferson:
James Pollard (#17) This dude is a straight up monster athlete and great player. He can beat anyone (or any group of people) in the air. He also has monster pulls and flick hucks that can hit any of his teammates anywhere on the field
Vernon (#4) Another handler that has great throws and buttery hucks (especially to James). Really smart and consistent player that orchestrates the Phila U offense.
Franciscan:
(#1) Sorry I don’t know your name but you’re a straight baller than can shut down any cutter and gave one of our best cutters a run for his money.
James Downs (#11) A really good defender and great cutter. Has crafty moves to sweep any defender off his feet. On defense, he is tenacious and plays some really airtight defense.
Hi all, Muha from the Worms here. Super sad that I’m graduating and leaving behind this ridiculously talented region that can never earn more than one bid. This year’s Regionals was ridiculous! Everyone fought hard for that bid and it was lit. But actually do yourselves a favor and earn a 2nd bid next year.
Y’all have pretty much heard everything you need to about Max Franklin and Rye Buckley for the Worms. Give them your votes. They are ballers to the core and gave every defense we played reason to panic and shutdown anyone they were on throughout the weekend. Also want to throw Sam Gardner into the conversation. He is overlooked because he doesn’t play flashy but that’s just because he’s so good that he doesn’t need to; he is an unstoppable cutter who gets super open approximately 100% of the time regardless of who is defending him, doesn’t know how to turn the disc over once he has it, and will sky the other team’s big boys any day of the week.
Haverford:
On a team of ridiculously hard-working and speedy players who execute their system with absurd precision, Jordan really needs to be recognized. He plays with some of the most grit and heart of any player I’ve matched up against during my 4 years. The offense can run through him because he gives literally everything to make sure he gets open somehow. He’s also obscenely fast and will chase down literally any stray disc.
Franciscan:
#11 (James Downs, I think?) is filthy. Very tough handler defense, and some athletic offense to boot. Was very impressed seeing him play last year and very glad we got to see him up close this weekend in our game against Fatal.
Shippensburg:
We didn’t get to play them this weekend, but Zac Sands was pretty hard to stop when we played Ship at EastUR. Was matched up with our best defenders and routinely managed to give them a run for their money. A terrifying deep threat. A+
Oberlin:
After staying to watch that wildly hype Regionals finals, I think Toby Harvey looked like he should definitely be in the conversation for the top player in the region. Dear god what a monster.
Trying to avoid being too repetitive here but James Pollard from Jefferson and Aaron Olney from Messiah also definitely have my votes. Big boys with big throws. James can and probably has skied every team’s best players in the air.
Hey there, Jordan Acker (Haverford #24) here with my thoughts on players I got to face this weekend:
Toby Harvey (Oberlin #10) deserves all the credit he’s getting. Great hucks and breaks, tremendous field sense and athleticism, tough defense, and plenty of spirit. Most impressive to me was how much he had left in the finals after playing almost every point of every game. My vote for POTY.
Noah Zobel (Oberlin) destroyed us in the finals. Tremendous athleticism and skies, and very good throws too. I am amazed he is a freshman, and would be surprised if there is a D-I player more deserving of all-freshman.
Noam Fisherman, Julian Bregstone, and probably others from Oberlin also deserve shout-outs. Oberlin’s top-end depth was a big reason why they ran the table on Sunday.
James Pollard (Jefferson #17) is another exceptional player who lives up to all the hype. The work that he and Vernon (a very good player too) did to build Jefferson into a competitive regional team shouldn’t be overlooked either.
Aaron Olney (Messiah #17) was everywhere for Messiah, an impressive player despite his team’s down year.
Max Franklin (Swarthmore #92) is such a smooth, confident handler and a really good defender too. The around backhand is as good as advertised.
Rye Buckley (Swarthmore #45) became Swat’s go-to this year as a sophomore. He has size, speed, quickness, ups, and very good hands and throws. Will be even scarier next year. Plus, an extremely nice and spirited player.
Vinay Keefe (Swarthmore #24) belongs in the all-freshman conversation. He was a primary handler who made very few mistakes, and seemingly was never tired on defense. Another player with standout spirit.
Matt Mirabello (Franciscan #1) is a great athlete with great field sense who excelled in many different roles. The primary reason why Franciscan was still very tough this year.
Sam Settlemyre (Xavier #14) ran the show for a very talented and spirited Xavier team. Very good all-around disc skills, but his decision-making stood out to me as some of the best I’ve seen.
Eric Coglianese (Xavier #2) is quietly an excellent cutter who created tremendous flow. A great athlete who was open constantly despite drawing our best defenders, and made very good continuation throws.
Finally, a few of my Haverford teammates who were instrumental in our run to the finals:
Lucas Richie (#42) made first team last year and improved so much this year. His unbelievable skies and incredible point blocks only became more frequent, while he took way better care of the disc, shifting from a risk-taker into one of our least turnover-prone players.
Jake Murray (#14) is getting hugely overlooked and I have no idea why. Only a sophomore, he filled the void left by Calvin as our go-to deep thrower and puller. An extremely quick, dynamic cutter who dropped back to carve up zones, and a tenacious play-making defender. On a very veteran-heavy team, it was often Jake we looked to in the big moments.
Alden Daniel (#12) battled injuries all year but still had enough left to make Toby’s life difficult in the finals. Routinely took the toughest matchup on D, and ran a smooth, smart handler set on O – except when he’d go back to his roots and cut deep for the score.
Gabe Halperin-Goldstein (#18) provided unflappable handling and was the glue that held us together against some really tough defenses, while Michael Weber (#72) helped save our season with huge hucks on Saturday and his usual gritty defense on Sunday. Without any one of these guys we don’t make the bracket, much less the finals.
Jordan gave an excellent write-up of the players Haverford faced this weekend, but he left out a couple of notable players on our team…
Russell Nicholson (#20) picked up ultimate this fall, and by Sunday of regionals he was one of our go-to players. He’s developed a flick huck faster than anyone I’ve seen, and took on the challenge of playing deep deep so we could put some of our other bigs closer to the disc. His athleticism on both offense and defense helped us pull out some of our close wins.
Jordan Acker (#24) is truly a complete cutter. He gets wide open against person defense, and picks apart zones with his smart crashes. He regularly skies defenders that are much taller than him, and is able to throw well-timed deep shots. On defense he gives 110%, and in the red zone he gives even more. Jordan deserves 2nd team for sure, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider him for 1st team.
Lastly, I want to shout out our coach, Bobby Roos. Without a star to build around, Bobby crafted a system to fit our personnel, and almost got us to nationals. He got the most out of every single player on the roster - it’s a testament to Bobby’s coaching that there wasn’t a player we couldn’t trust on the field in the postseason. Bobby is my choice for COTY.
What up, I’m still Max from Swat. We played some great players at regionals who deserve to be shouted out.
Matt Mirabello (Franciscan #1) was really good. We tried to shut him down, but no matter what we did he always seemed to find a way to get the disc. Franciscan had a strong system that made it hard to stand out, but he found a way.
On Oberlin, Toby Harvey (#10). Damn. I knew this guy was good, but I was not prepared for just how much he ran roughshod over our (and everyone else’s) defense. We could not contain him. He’s probably the best pick for player of the year.
We play Haverford a lot, and they always impress me with their depth and their teamwork, but this time especially Alden Daniel (#12) and Jordan Acker (#24) shone. They were the two hardest working players every time they were on the field. They killed it defensively, and a lot of Haverford’s offense ran through them.
On Xavier, Sam Settlemyre (#14) was incredible. This dude is such a pure facilitator; he plays the way every handler should aspire to play. Everything he did opened up space, whether or not he got the disc. He kept Xavier’s offense flowing so smoothly.
Finally, James Pollard and Aaron Olney both killed it all weekend. They kept their teams (Jefferson and Messiah) alive with their size, speed, and throws.
Hey guys, Alden Daniel (#12) from Haverford checking in. Before I get to some of the players on other teams that stood out to me, there are a few other Haverford players who, in my eyes, played at an all-region level this season.
Lucas Richie (42): This really shouldn’t be a surprise at this point. He earned a first team all region spot last season and was an even better player this year. He’s one of the best in the region in the air and is a terrifying force on defense.
Jordan Acker (24): As a couple people before have mentioned, Jordan is one of our go to cutters on offense. He initiates for us and consistently gets open no matter who the opposing team puts on him. He also has a knack for chasing down overthrown discs that he has no right to get.
Jake Murray (14): Only a sophomore, Jake was easily the most improved player on our team from last spring. He’s an electric cutter with deep hucks and a huge arsenal of creative break throws. He played a huge role in making up for the loss of Calvin and was one of our go-to guys in big moments throughout the season.
A lot has already been said about a bunch of these guys, so I’m just going to list their names at the bottom to avoid too much repetition. That being said, there are two that I want to highlight.
Toby Harvey (Oberlin): Matching up against him was one of the most exhausting, frustrating, and fun matchups I’ve had all year. Aside from his great throws and vision, what stood out the most was his composure under pressure. I can’t count the number of times we managed to get him to a high stall, only for him to look downfield and somehow instantly find and throw open one of his cutters. He should be in the discussion for player of the year.
Noah Zobel (Oberlin): He torched us all game long in the finals and we couldn’t consistently find a way to stop him. He was part of the core of really talented players that made Oberlin the dangerous team that they were. He should definitely make the all-freshman team.
Julian Bregstone (Oberlin)
Sam Settlemyre (Xavier)
Rye Buckley (Swarthmore)
Max Franklin (Swarthmore)
James Pollard (Jefferson)
Aaron Olney (Messiah)
Matt Mirabello (Franciscan)
We didn’t get a chance to play against Ship this year, but I feel pretty confident in saying that Zac Sands and Jake Doyle are still phenomenal players.
Lastly, a few other Haverford players deserve recognition for what they did this season. Dan Sax (66), Gabe Halperin-Goldstein (18), and Michael Weber (72) all played huge roles in our success last weekend. They’ve been major contributors since their first year on the team, but they all stepped it up in a big way this season. Weber single-handedly kept us in a couple games this weekend and Gabe was the rock that our handler core, which was mostly comprised of converted cutters, desperately needed. Dan might be the fastest player in our region and his talent downfield gave us the freedom to use so many of our cutters in handler roles throughout the year.
Howdy fam,
Ian Gill here, Ast. Coach for Franciscan Fatal, jumping in on the All-Region talks. A lot of what I have are echos of previous posts, but here we go:
Oberlin’s Toby Harvey is a scary good lefty threat on the field, constantly looking for those around breaks and continuations.
Oberlin’s Julian Bregstone would come down with the disc in the most acrobatic ways. If a team had a mismatch on him, he would get the “wheel” and control the offense with his cuts.
Jefferson’s James Pollard shut down our deep looks all game and on top of that, after snagging the disc out of the air if we tried deep, he had the hucks to capitalize on the turn.
Ship’s Zac Sands was the catalyst to break zones and always make a good decision.
On the Fatal side of things:
Matt Mirabello and John Clemente were our core this year, these two would anchor any line we put out and would make the big plays.
James Downs was our workhorse. Offense, defense, 110% everytime.
Jared Stommes deserves a ton of recognition for a freshman, joining the team this year and fitting in on our starting lines seamlessly.
Shout out to Grove City and Swarthmore for all being a bunch of bros having fun with us in the consolation bracket. See you all next year!