Thanks for everyone who followed our progress on twitter, @dallasunited. Great way to keep in touch with friends and family following the weekend.
2009 was a different year for Grit at Chesapeake. We were all very excited and couldn't wait to get on the field to compete. This is our biggest tournament of the year second to regionals. Unfortunately we were playing with a short roster of 17 players (although larger than 2008). Yet, that roster would go on to prove that Grit has what it takes to win key games against highly competitive teams.
Day 1
We were on the lower bay fields at the Potomac Polo Club. These were the same fields we had competed on in 2008. All the fields were somewhat inclined and positioned such that play occurred uphill-downhill. The fields themselves were in very good shape. The grass was very thick and the ground was very soft relative to Texas standards.
Saturday forecast was for 50% chance of thunderstorms, which luckily held off for the weekend. The morning and mid-day games were all played under an overcast, drizzly east coast sky with little wind. By the afternoon, the weather had cleared out and the sun came out in full force. What had been a cool wet day rapidly turned into a hot and humid day. We were the last team to finish playing at our field site, around 5:30-6:00.
Game 1 (pool play) - 9:00 AM Saturday versus Colt .45
Last year, we lost to Colt .45 in the first game on Sunday at Chesapeake. It was a frustrating loss, and veterans were looking for revenge. Whether it was this motivation or the cool pristine weather, we extracted every ounce of retribution on Colt. We took first half 7-0 and second half 6-2, winning by a margin of 11 points, 13-2. We were rewarded by our quick win with a two hour bye.
Game 2 (pool play) - 12:30 PM Saturday versus Eastern Motors FB
Coming off of a universe point loss against top-seeded Pike, EMFB was certainly a little frustrated. Unfortunately for us, their frustration turned into an early lead. We knew we had better athletes than EMFB, but we couldn't put it together. They capitalized on several of our mistakes (turnovers) and won the game 13-8. Little did we realize that this loss would haunt us later in the day when teams were reseeded for crossovers.
Game 3 (pool play) - 2:15 PM Saturday versus Pike
Our record versus Pike since 2007 is 1-1. We've enjoyed playing them at Texas Shootout in Austin during that time, but now we were on their turf, the east coast. Once again we were the underdogs. This game proved to be just as good as any other we have had. The game started off with both teams fighting their hardest to get breaks. Pike ended up winning the first half 5-7 after rattling a break off right before half. Things weren't going our way, but we knew we were still in the game and only down a break.
The second half of this game can't be transcribed effectively here. I can't begin to say how important and incredible the second half of this game was for our team. In brief, we demonstrated a level of composure and maturity to maintain our intensity, focus, and drive to win in a case where we easily could have lost. Two important points. First, offense scored relentlessly. Second, defense went on a run, converting key breaks at the end of a game. Grit wins 11-10 on universe point. (fyi, the point to win was a "TICONDEROGA-CLASS SKY" by K-Rich as described on the twitter account, @dallasunited)
Game 4 (crossover) - 4:00PM versus Roots of Rhythm
After pool play was over, we found ourselves in a three way tie with Pike and EMFB for 1st in pool G. The rules stated that the tie breaker was point differential between the three tied teams. This did not work in our favor given our close win over pike and -5 loss to EMFB. Long story short, we ended up third despite having beaten colt by a +11 margin where EMFB nearly lost on universe point.
Regardless, we found ourselves playing Roots of Rhythm (second seed out of pool F). We knew this was a must win game. We would have been sorely disappointed with our weekend if we were to lose. Unfortunately, we started slow yet again and let Roots slip out with an early lead. Once again we found ourselves down a break at half. We've been here before and we knew it was going to take a solid showing to get ourselves the win.
Since our team loves last minute comebacks, we let ourselves stay down two breaks until around 10-8 (young players beware, this is not a good strategy). But, a strong showing is exactly what happened during the last four points of the game. Despite terrible push-pas turnovers on defense and key successful scores on offense, we put our foot down when our backs were against the wall. Before we knew it, the game was tied at 10-10 (thanks in no small part to k-rich) with the soft cap on, game to 12. The ensuing point was one of the strangest we've ever witnessed, but we pulled it out to make it 11-10. In true Grit form, defense came on the field to win the game. Point and game, Grit takes it 12-10 after a 4-0 run.
Day 2
The weather has completely moved out. It’s a cool clear morning. The fields are wet from heavy dew, but the skies are clear and the sun dries things out very quickly. Fields are still in great shape. We are still on the lower bay fields of the Potomac polo club.
Quick note regarding seeding for the open-tier bracket. After our win against Roots, we were supposed to play Pike (again); luckily the TDs were very accommodating and worked with the seeding such that we would be playing Mephisto instead. This was fantastic and we couldn't be more grateful to the Chesapeake staff for working with the tournament format limitations.
Game 5 (pre-quarters) - 8:30AM Sunday versus Mephisto
An early round on Sunday is never "fun", but we were pretty pumped after our big Saturday wins. We knew Mephisto would be challenging, but a win meant playing elite teams in the quarter-finals. Side note, Mephisto is out of Quebec. They are French Canadian. They all speak French Canadian. It’s the second "international" game for Grit after playing Goat at Texas Shootout in 2008, but it is the first "international" win. That makes it 1-1 for Grit versus Canada.
The first half was all about offense. Both teams traded points straight up until half. Unfortunately we were broken once again right before half, 8-7 bad guys. Mephisto proved to be a challenging team. They had strong athletes and played a physical game, but their lead proved to be largely a result of our shortcomings rather than their performance. So once again, we were forced to clean up our game and outperform them in the second half. For the third time that weekend, we successfully stayed the course and pulled out key defensive stops to win the game on a 3-0 run. This was much thanks to repeated defensive deep skies by newcomer Arthur Corbitt, consensus MVP of the weekend. Grit wins, 12-10.
Game 6 (quarter finals) - 10:15AM Sunday versus Tanasi
After beating Mephisto, we were excited to find out that we would be playing Tanasi from the Elite bracket. Seeing Tanasi at Chesapeake was a blessing in disguise because it would give us exposure to a key regional opponent that we would otherwise not have seen. Unfortunately our roster dwindled to 15 for this game due to injuries to Matt Jackson and Kevin Richardson.
Nevertheless we were determined to fight hard throughout the game and learn as much as we could about our opponent. Yet, after playing in so many close games, we had a very difficult time holding our own against a team who was looking for a win after going 0-4 in the Elites. We worked hard and had opportunities, but couldn't convert enough to keep the game close. Grit loses 14-8.
Game 7 (consolation bracket for 5th in open-tier) - 12:00PM Sunday versus Sons of Liberty
The loss against Tanasi and the accumulating injuries didn't serve us well (roster fell to 14 after Tanasi due to injury to Phil Rollo). Since several players had to catch flights between 5:00-6:00, we new this would be the last game of the day. This certainly did not help our mental fortitude that had proven so strong over the weekend. We made it a goal to push each other to try new positions, and get out of our comfort zones.
The game never swung our way. We managed to convert on offense and get a few breaks on defense, but there wasn't enough for us to finish the weekend out with a win. Some great plays by players grinding out the weekend, working hard in the last game on Sunday. Grit loses 13-7.
Summary of the Weekend
We considered this a very successful tournament for Grit. We held on to key come-from-behind victories against competitive teams. We completely decimated Colt .45, who beat us in 2008. Our offense scored consistently when we couldn't get breaks. Our defense pushed to get key breaks late in key games. Several players had big weekends. Not the least among these was Arthur Corbitt, MVP of the weekend.
Most importantly, the team had a fantastic attitude all weekend long. We were positive regardless of performance. We didn't let our mistakes get to us and we thrived off of our big plays. It is a sacrifice for everyone to travel to a tournament like Chesapeake. Yet, the team bonding and growth that occurs here is second to none. Everyone came away feeling great about the team and about each other.
Three weeks till sectionals (September 19-20 in Austin). Key games for Grit will be against Doublewide and Seuss. Regionals is only a month away. The season is coming to its peak. After this weekend, Grit is ready and hungry to win.
