A growing girls' division is a welcome sight at RTTD.
March 17, 2017 by Guest Author in Preview with 0 comments
This article was written by Kameron Horn, a junior captain at Holy Family Catholic, and is presented by CUT Camps; all opinions are those of the author. Please support the brands that make Ultiworld possible and participate in CUT Camp!
The third annual Rivertown Throwdown is taking place in Mason, Ohio, this weekend. The tournament will host its largest girls division ever: 11 teams will take the field just outside Cincinnati. Almost all of teams are from the USAU Central region, with the exception of Moxie (Northeast) and Independence (South) region. Especially with the addition of Edina this year, the Central region is well-covered by teams attending the tournament.
Each team is excited for some awesome competition but also hoping for more tournament-friendly weather than last year. With rain and overnight freezes, Cincinnati was not so welcoming in 2016; things are looking better this year.
Since the tournament is near the start of the season, the majority of these teams will be playing each other for the first time this year. It will be exciting to see how they stack up against each other from last year and how the new teams join the mix.
Tournament Format
- Dates: March 18-19
- Location: Mason, OH
- Weather: Highs in the 40s and low 50s
- Top 25 Teams: 2
- Score Reporter
Holy Family Catholic vs. Neuqua Valley
The past two years of RTTD has featured Holy Family v. Neuqua Valley in the final, with Holy Family claiming the win both times. Holy Family is the hosting team for RTTD and their girls’ team “Omega” is in its seventh year of competition. Neuqua Valley’s “eNVy”, from Naperville, IL, has been competing for roughly seven years as well.
The two teams have always proven to be tough competition for each other, usually facing off at a few tournaments every season. RTTD will be the first meeting of 2017. Games between the two teams are always very intense, but the level of spirit matches that of the skill on both sides.
Returning Teams
Along with Holy Family and Neuqua, there are several returning girls’ teams. Also hailing from the Cincinnati area are Milford and Mount Notre Dame high schools. Both teams have competed well at the tournament, last year claiming 3rd and 4th place, respectively, and they look forward to putting up a similar performance this year.
The Center Grove “Trojans” from Greenwood, IN, will be returning as well. The girls’ team was founded in 2015, but already they have grown in number and skill.
Kentucky’s “Pi” and Illinois’ Geneva also make the trek to Mason again this year. They competed as a combination team last year, but this year each program has grown enough to bring their own separate squads.
Walter Payton from Chicago, IL, rounds out the returner lineup. They finished 6th in 2016.
New to the Tournament
There will be three new teams joining RTTD this year. The first is Independence “Flight” from Thompson Station, TN. They are in their fourth year of competition and have built their team from the ground up, going from scoring one point in a season to winning a state championship.
Edina, Minnesota’s “Green Lantern” will be bringing their girls team which is looking to compete at a higher level to build experience for their program.
Finally, from Pittsburgh, PA, is “Moxie.” Moxie has been a regular Youth Club team at YCCs for some time, but almost always has the smallest competing team. They are looking to grow their program by extending their season.
