The weather in Lebanon, Ohio was nearly perfect for a day of Ultimate on Saturday.  The morning started out in the 50’s and only warmed up to the mid-70’s in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies.  The slight to gusty wind was the only issue, since it kept switching directions throughout the day, making it a little hard to adjust.

Pool A

Pool A was definitely the most surprising of the pools.  Pennsbury showed why they were the overall No. 1 seed by easily moving past the Madison West and Princeton in their 1^st and 3^rd games each with a score of 15 – 4.  The game of day in Pool A was between Pennsbury and the No. 4 seed in the pool Northfield Mt. Hermon.  No team had more than a one-point lead in the first half, with Pennsbury fighting the wind and Northfield Mt. Hermon’s four-person cup for an 8–7 half time lead.  Pennsbury was able to pull away towards the end of the game for 11–9 hard fought win.  Northfield Mt. Hermon finished 2^nd in Pool A, with two comfortable wins in their other games.

Another good game in Pool A was the game between Princeton and Madison West.  Right from the get-go, it was obvious that this was going to be a close game.  Princeton took the first half into their own hands with hucks up the sideline one after another.  It seemed that Madison West could not keep a good force on.  At half, Princeton was leading: 8-3.  Game over?  Out from the half, it was apparent that Madison West wasn’t going to hand anyone a win.  Madison West’s VerHoeve had a huge layout D in the endzone, which set the tone for the remainder of the game.  In no time at all, Madison was trailing Princeton by one and two points.  Princeton got their heads back in the game and took the win 13-12.

Pool B had one of the most exciting games of the tournament when the top two teams in the Pool, North Hills and Needham met undefeated in the final game.  Both teams played hard and tight defense throughout the entire game, with neither team able to out distance the other.  The game was tied at 11-11 when the hard cap was sounded.  After a couple of turnovers, Needham was able to work the disc down for a diving score at the goal line that appeared to win the game.  After a few minutes of discussion it was decided that Needham would take the disc at the line and continue the point.  They were able to work the disc back in a couple of throws later for the Pool winning score.

Pool C’s top two seeds featured two traditionally strong programs lacking the star power they’ve enjoyed in the past.  A young looking Amherst squad took on Columbia in 1-2 game for Pool C.  Amherst jumped out to an early lead and took half 8 –2.  Endzone throwaways and drops plagued Columbia, and Amherst’s zone defense was the story of Columbia’s offensive frustration.  Amherst went on to win the game 13 – 4 to take Pool C and the bye into the quarters.

In Pool D, undefeated HB Woodlawn met undefeated Nashville Brutal Grassburn for the last game of the day.  Sideline chants of ‘YHB D!’ turned out to be prophetic as HB Woodlawn stuck with Grassburn all game long.  Grassburn played a short rotation anchored by Nicky Spiva and Gray Dowsley.  HB Woodlawn took half 8–4 behind solid handling of Kyle Fredricks and Chase Raines.  HB Woodlawn’s depth proved too much as they shut down Grassburn in the 2^nd half for a 15–9 win to take Pool D.  The rest of Pool D, like Pool C, finished according to seed.

The game of the pre-quarters had to be the Northfield Mt. Hermon vs. Lexington Catholic game.  Northfield started the game with the same intensity that they showed in their pool play by going up on Lexington Catholic 7–1.  Northfield seemed to relax a bit and Lexington Catholic put on an amazing comeback getting as close as 11–10.  A late drop at the goal line cost Lexington Catholic a chance to tie the game at 11.  Northfield quickly regained their focus and ended up winning the game 13–10.  The remaining winners of the pre-quarters were North Hills, Columbia, and University School of Nashville.