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.
Max H of Wisconsin for all-freshmen, stepped onto the Hodags and instantly became one of the core offensive weapons. He is both dependable and extraordinary, with tremendous field vision and creativity in throws. Snubbed from team USA fr.
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Max Dehlin from Minnesota. It’s been fun to see Max grow as a player these past few years. He is a master at keeping possession and breaking the mark. He is also extremely quick and agile, good luck guarding him in a zone. There aren’t many players I would rather have on my team.
Also, Paul Krenik. I’m sure he will be nominated but watching him play at Florida Warmup was very impressive.
In the heart of the North Central region, there exists a legend named John Helgeson. A sixth-year veteran of the Grey Duck, his path has been strewn with the wreckage of shattered dreams and the echo of battles fought. Once cut from the team, he rose as captain, wielding his skills like a tempest on the field.
Injuries plagued his career, but he endured, becoming the best mid-mid in the region. His dance moves are wild, reflecting the fire that burns within him. John Helgeson is not just a player; he is the chosen one, a symbol of redemption and resilience in a world cloaked in shadow.
Only a few know of Grey Duck’s most prized possession. Let me end this tale with a little motto.
Not. On. John.
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Two players that immediately come to mind when discussing the best players from the North Central come from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Jack Hollander and Anthony “Gumby” Gutowsky.
Coming from a prolific high school program in Minnesota (Hopkins Hurt), I’ve had the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the nation and I can confidently say Hollander and Gumby are the two best players I’ve ever played with.
Hollander’s game is consistency. Amazing deep shots, smart decision making and great defense. You can always count on him to make the right throws, execute and keep the disc moving. He can play both ways and understands the game almost more than anyone.
Gumby is an athletic demon. He outruns everyone on the field and can jump higher than most. That was shown in his rookie year playing with the Radicals. Add in that he puts his body on the line for everything and makes plays you don’t expect showcases his true talent.
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Eauzone (Eau Claire) going from losing to the Fauxdags (Wisco-B) in the Lake Superior D-1 College Men’s CC in 2021 14-13 to taking 2nd place at the Lake Superior D-1 College Men’s Conferences in 2024 and losing 10-15 against the Hodags (Wisco) has to be one of the biggest turn arounds in program history. Notable stars to help this performance include but are not limited to: Arthur Briscoe (#17), James Harvey (#05), Adrian Haugee (Freshman #20), Haakon Neske (#13), Brett Duncan (#01), and Bussen (#43).
The whole team could be shouted out for their performances, however these players were high impact players. Arthur Briscoe stood out the whole tournament peaking in the game to go to the chip against Blackcat (Milwaukee), where he had several layout D’s. James Harvey held down the O line as the primary handler throughout the entire tournament. He has now successfully completed two tournaments without an injury, a great feat from him. Adrian Haugee showed out as a freshman, having hands made of glue the team could rely on him to catch anything and everything thrown his way. If injuries do not plague him you can expect to see a generational recruit for Eauzone. Haakon Neske proves again that even with a bummy hip he cannot be stopped. Switching between O line and D line to convert on major possessions Haakon dug deep when his team needed him most. Similar to Arthur, Haakon peaked in the Blackcat game, scoring five points with three assists. Next up is Brett Duncan, who seemingly comes down with 90% of 50/50s. Trusted in the air by all his teammates you can count on him to make a catch when you need it most. Lastly there is Bussen, after missing one and a half seasons due to an ACL/Meniscus tear in his right knee in February of 2022 and another Meniscus tear in July of 2023, he made his return to conferences. He too peaked in the Blackcat game and notably assisting on the final point throwing to Haakon Neske to win the game to go to the chip. These were several players with notable moments throughout the tourney, though there are several more that could be written about.
This team’s turnaround in the last few years has been quite the story. Though they are not without their flaws (lacking some knowledge without an official head coach), it will be interesting to see whether they can continue at this level and compete with larger or more well-established programs. The players highlighted above will all be returning, so you can bet a storm’s brewing for the boys in pink.
Let me know what other teams have either been on the rise or perhaps been on the decline?
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There are 4 guys who I could see being all region from Eau Claire:
#1 Brett Duncan (Cutter)
#5 James Harvey (Handler)
#13 Haakon Neske (Handler)
#17 Arthur Briscoe (Cutter)
Players from other teams that I could see being all region:
#66 Anthony from Whitewater (he is Whitewater)
#64 on Wisconsin Hodags
#3 on Milwaukee
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When discussing All Region honors, I think it would be disingenuous to not consider any players from Iowa. After a less-than-optimal finish to last year’s season at regionals placing 8th, IHUC bounced back in a huge way this year winning the West Plains Conferences and earning the 4th seed at regionals. They backed up their impressive season by finishing strong at regionals with an 11-15 loss to CUT, 10-15 loss to Wisconsin-Madison, and taking care of business with other strong teams (including a 15-5 win over 5th seed Wisconsin Eau-Claire and a 15-11 win over 6th seed Wisconsin-Milwaukee).
Some players that deserve consideration:
#22 Kyle Lavrisa - An all-around amazing frisbee player who can do it all. Offensively, he has the ability to just take over games. He’ll also get the craziest layout Ds when you most need them too.
#0 Ollie Bostian - One of the best cutters in the region who is always open, while also being an excellent thrower. He isn’t afraid to put his body on the line to make the difficult catches and can lock down your team’s best player.
#12 Jason Chen - A beast in the handler D, he is very dangerous to throw near. He has many different tools to break the mark with and is potent in quick give-go action.
#15 Wyatt Sailer - There isn’t an all-region pulling award, but if there was, Wyatt would get it. Regardless of the conditions, he will pin you in the back of your endzone. He’s that guy.
Iowa State ISUC also has several players that deserve recognition:
#62 Justin Hua - He might not be the tallest or biggest player on the field, but he plays like it. Athlete beast who plays lockdown defense and protects the disc on offense.
#13 Gabe Schoepke - Tall dude who can roof people. Also just a sophomore!
First Team
- Paul Krenik
- Declan Miller
These two should be locks, the discussion for them starts at All-American level. Krenik is too quick with his John Randolph jab steps for anyone in the region, and Declan has so much confidence in everything he does on the field with good reason, because there’s no way to stop him.
Rest of the field (in no particular order)
- Max Dehlin: Do-it-all defender with ridiculous speed, he’s so much fun to watch.
- Anthony Jirele: Still the best leaper in the region. Puts offensive players in jail with regularity.
- Ian Mccosky: Paul wouldn’t be the same without Ian, their chemistry is incredible. Ian has some of the most creative throws and absurd angles of anyone I’ve ever watched. Also spent more time in the cutter set this year and didn’t look at all out of place.
- Daniel Chen: Is he a handler that can sky anyone, or a cutter that beats anyone in the under spaces? I haven’t figured it out yet. His athleticism and lack of regard for his body is awe-striking. He really has every single skill in the toolkit to be an incredible player (even more so than he already is).
- Kyle Lavrisa: Simultaneously the best offensive and defensive player for his Iowa team, locks down handlers all the way up to Declan and Leo Xiao, and is an incredibly calm handler with every throw in the book. He also never seems to lose energy.
Honorable Mentions
- Levi Dohman
- Cullen Baker
- Nico Ranabhat
- Oliver Bostian
- James Harvey
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Iowa’s Will “Which-Wich, Washington Wizards” Walters deserves mention for all-freshman. While 3 members of IHUC’s promising rookie class went down with serious injuries, Will Walters stepped up. With great size, frisbee knowledge, throws, and catching ability, Will became a dependable safety blanket on IHUC’s O-line. Scoring 3 times and assisting another against CUT, Will has shown he deserves to be in contention for this award.
Kyle Lavrisa (#22) from Iowa should get strong consideration for All-Region. You would be hard-pressed to find a time where he wasn’t the best player on the field, and much of IHUC’s success and competitiveness this season can be attributed to his impact. He has a relentless motor, defensively capable of rendering any teams best player useless. Most players he defends don’t get thrown the disc due to his blanketing coverage, but when he is thrown at, he generates some pretty ridiculous layout Ds. He also happens to be far and away IHUCs best offensive player, a versatile chess piece who can fill any role on the team. He’s virtually unguardable in the handler space, athletic enough to sky players much taller then him, and quick/fast enough to dominate the game as a handler or cutter. He also can hit any throw on the field and plays with great patience and IQ. Watching him play, it is apparent he should be in conversations with the other best players in the region.