At long last, PoNY return to the final
October 27, 2024 by Edward Stephens in Recap with 0 comments
Ultiworld’s coverage of the 2024 Club Championships is presented by Spin Ultimate; all opinions are those of the author(s). Find out how Spin can get you, and your team, looking your best this season.
#8 New York PoNY booked a return trip to the national championship game after two seasons away with a 15-13 win over #5 San Francisco Revolver. The teams combined for only five breaks.
Chris Kocher (4A) and Sam Little (1G, 3A) led a crisp effort for New York that saw the offense give up the disc only four times. The two of them were more than ready for the intense matchup defensive set Revolver brought down to start the game, getting free in the backfield for one another regularly before Little pivoted hard for a backhand to open up an inside forehand score to Scott Heyman. Heyman (4G), a first-year PoNY player, was instrumental throughout the semifinal as a release valve.
Though they would settle later in the game, Revolver faltered a little at the start. Nathan Kwon gave PoNY defender Jibran Mieser an easy block when he saw a false opening. PoNY’s D-line transition offense stormed into the end zone for the game’s first break to take a 3-1 lead.
They immediately tacked on another when Mac Hecht, Revolver’s load-bearing handler, saw what he thought was a free look at a scoober shot to the break sideline. Conrad Schlör, watching it all unfold from the stack, read the play and motored over for a help block. PoNY centered the disc, took a time out, and scored quickly on a huck from Drew Schnaudigel to Jeff Holm.
“[PoNY] have an athletic defense. When they started tight, they really made us work for everything we were trying to get” said Revolver’s Byron Liu. “I was really impressed with the way they were able to lock into some of our sets, having never seen them before. There’s very little film of what we’ve been doing [at Nationals].”
Trailing 4-1, Revolver needed a get-right point, and they got just that with a D-line dominator set. Michael Ing, Jason Vallee, and Dan Ritthaler have been key crossover pieces for the entire tournament. They found a foothold against the agile New York defense and punched in a hold to stop Revolver’s skid.
Kocher and Little remained magnificent for PoNY. As Revolver’s offense settled in, Anton Orme (2G, 1A) and Adam Rees (4G) were every bit as excellent on their own side. Orme’s deep throwing and ability to get open equally in the lane or the backfield was the trellis upon which the vine of Revolver’s offense could climb, and Rees’s finishing capability was often the fruit.
Revolver cut into PoNY’s lead after a monumental handblock at the goal line. Sawyer Thompson, reading Jimmy Mickle’s step out, lowered his arm at the perfect moment to stop a backhand attempt that would have resulted in a score. Twenty or so passes and a barrel of pure distilled patience later, Ing, Colby Chuck, Sean Liston, and the rest of Revolver’s D-line had their first break to pull Revolver to within 7-6.
They nearly added on another. The combination of Kyle Lew getting a finger on a Little away shot and Ing running within a few inches of Jagt yielded a drop. Jagt, though, whether wanting to atone for having a hand in (and on) the turnover or fired up because the observer did not agree with his foul call, exploded into a layout to break up an under to Ing. Little found a much freer option the second time around, blading over the top of a front-loaded defense to Marques Brownlee.
Ben Jagt with the massive goal line layout and @PrideofNY convert the score in the men’s national semifinal! pic.twitter.com/EsYJjCdH7r
— Ultiworld (@Ultiworld) October 26, 2024
PoNY’s 8-6 halftime lead started to feel even flimsier than its one-break cushion as Revolver dialed in their deep game. Leo Gordon and Byron Liu both connected as Rees and Simon Higgins skipped beyond the deepest defenders without much trouble.
While PoNY were able to match Revolver’s offensive efficiency for each team’s first two holds – Mickle dropped a patented OI forehand around the mark, and Harper Garvey connected with Heyman on a missile up the flick sideline – they continued to have trouble defending the air attack. Revolver ran a time-consuming pull play that culminated in an Orme sprint and sky. The tally stood at three hucks out of half for three holds.
Revolver’s steadfast offensive work to stay close paid off when PoNY finally gave them a break chance. Heyman tossed a huck that, despite an all-out effort layout by Jagt to make the play, carried a yard or two beyond the back line. Once more, Revolver steadily ate away at the PoNY O-line defense until they found a clear window for a quick Lew forehand. The break tied the game at 11-11 and gave new life to San Francisco.
Revolver’s hope would be short-lived. In the first place, PoNY have been in no mood to let off break runs this weekend. “I think [the O-line] haven’t gotten broken twice in a row this tournament,” said Schlör. John Randolph found Ben Katz with a nifty scoober to keep their narrow on-serve advantage.
Then Hecht, straying momentarily from the deep game script that had powered their second half, opened the next Revolver offensive point by trying the softest of scoobers into the area just behind his mark. The only person in the area, however, was Schlör, who happily took the pass as if it had been intended for them and set in motion a swift, 10-yard transition score for the break.
“It was impressive. PoNY scouted the throws to soft spaces and had a body looking,” said Liu.
That final advantage held through to the end. Revolver’s final two defensive stands were relatively toothless compared to some of their earlier efforts. In the first, a lapse of a few seconds after the pull allowed Jagt to head to the end zone unmarked to receive a trademark epic Mickle flick huck. The game winning drive saw Kocher and Little once more eat up most of the yardage on the field with all the blind relentlessness of a machine.
The 15-13 victory was the most difficult test PoNY have faced at the tournament. That they weathered Revolver’s solid comeback attempt augurs well for their championship potential.
In fact, to hear them tell it, everything about the season so far has augured well for PoNY’s championship potential. “It’s incredible. This is why we’re doing this,” said Schlör.
“One difference we’ve had this year is we’ve been really growth-oriented from the beginning, and I think that relieved a lot of pressure heading into Nationals,” Schlör continued. “10 seed. Not a great regular season. Early exit last year. Not that we didn’t have expectations, but they weren’t dragging us down like they did in years past.”
They feel good about their chances in Sunday’s final against #9 Portland Rhino Slam!, with good reason.
“It feels so loose and correct right now. The energy is where it needs to be to do what we’re doing right now, and it feels like we’ve earned it,” said Schlör.
Revolver’s 2024 campaign was an unqualified success. The systems, confidence, and incorporation of the Bay Area’s younger generation of players that they put into place in 2024 will almost certainly form a sturdy platform from which they can equal – or better – this season’s result in the future.
“We’re putting out a lot of young guys and building something really amazing here,” said Liu.
