Madison wins big at home, but some challenges lie ahead

Madison Radicals (4-1) were able to claim sole possession of the #2 seed in the Midwest division with their convincing 31-25 win over Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (2-2) and continued their three game win streak.

Madison has long relied heavily on their strong defense to win games, and the game against Pittsburgh was no different. Starting the game on defense, Madison threw their strongest defensive line at Pittsburgh, and their pressure defense was able to generate several turns and eventually a break score. Looking to continue the pressure, Madison threw out their zone defense and were able to generate the turn. When their offense stagnated, however, Madison called the timeout and threw out their main offensive line. An unforced error allowed Pittsburgh to get the disc back and eventually hold, but not before taking significant time off the game clock.

After the second offensive took to the field and quickly secured their own goal, Madison’s defense stormed the field. A big defensive interception by Peter Graffy (7G/2A/1D with 23 completions over 38 points, 0 turnovers) gave Madison a two point lead. Continued pressure on the next point gave them a chance to extend their lead, but an overthrown disc allowed Pittsburgh to keep the game close.

When the offense began next took the field, they did so with the assistance of long term veteran handler Tom ‘Animal’ Annen (1A/1D with 27 completions over 19 points). Taking charge of the offense, the handler core and he quickly shredded through Pittsburgh, scoring in under a minute. After the defensive core took the field and generated their yet another break, Pittsburgh responded with a goal of their own and, thanks to an unfortunate drop, were able to come out and break the offense, shortening the gap to 5-4.

After Madison was able to respond by with a hold of their own, Andrew Meshnick (1G/4A/5D with 13 completions over 38 points) came up with a crucial interception. A quick give-and-go with Kevin Pettit-Scantling (3G/2A/1D with 10 completions over 31 points) and Meshnick found himself with the assist bookends. Madison was able to get the d on the following point, and threw out its offensive line in an attempt to get one more break before the half, but an unforced error allowed Pittsburgh to keep the deficit at 7-4.

Coming out of half, Madison took only a minute to increase their lead to 8-4. When the Madison defense took to the field, Thomas Coolidge (3G/4A/2D with 13 completions over 26 points) continued his pressure against Pittsburgh’s handler core, denying the swing and allowing Madison to generate yet another break.

Despite being down 9-4, Pittsburgh did not falter, coming out and scoring on the next offensive possession. When Madison’s offense next took the field, an unforced error allowed Pittsburgh to score a break, bringing the score to 9-6. After trading scores, Madison came out and scored three straight goals. Pittsburgh responded with two of their own, and Madison took one more goal before a big huck by Meshnick fell short to end the half. With Madison leading for the first time at half since 2016, Madison was in a good position leading 14-9.

Coming out on defense, a big play by Bill Everhart (1G/4A/1D with 29 completions over 37 points) helped Madison to secure their first score of the 2nd half in less than 20 seconds. Pittsburgh was able to convert their offense before scoring a break on their own. Both teams would trade points until the score was 19-13 Madison, Meshnick came up with a run through d on Pittsburgh’s handlers, allowing Madison to break five seconds later. The teams then went back to trading points, and although Pittsburgh was able to generate two breaks, Madison kept their lead. A big d by Seth Meyer (2D with 3 completions over 16 points) ended the 3rd quarter, 22-18.

Madison has a tendency to get fired up in the 4th quarter, and this game was no exception. Coming out on offense, Madison was able to score fairly easily and then added two more goals to their lead thanks to extreme pressure from their defense. Pittsburgh scored two in a row to follow, but Madison didn’t falter, responding with two of their own. The teams would continue trading points and the occasional break, but Madison never gave up the lead, ending the game 31-25.

Now that Madison has taken down one of their toughest rivals, the real question is whether or not they will be able to build on this momentum. While new, young players like Sterling Knoche (3G/2A/3D with 3 completions over 29 points) are slowly making names for themselves, Madison will find itself without core players in their upcoming match-up against Chicago Wildfire (1-4). Animal, as well as Andrew Brown, Benjy Keren and Jadon Scullion, will all be absent for Madison’s next home game. This will mean several defensive handlers will likely move over to the offense, and Madison will suffer for it.

Despite this, Madison will still have star players Graffy, Meshnick, KPS and Everhart. Also returning this week will be longtime Madison players Brian Hart and Kevin Brown, who will look to make big plays as Madison tries to continue their streak.

Madison will play against Chicago on Saturday, May 27, at 6pm CST at Breese Stevens Field.

  1. #2 Andrew Meshnick
  2. #4 Pat Shriwise
  3. #6 Bill Everhart
  4. #9 Joshua ‘Jdub’ Wilson
  5. #10 David ‘Buddy’ Meinecke
  6. #12 Scott Richgels
  7. #13 Brian Hart
  8. #18 Sterling Knoche (r)
  9. #21 David Wiseman
  10. #26 Peter Graffy
  11. #29 Nate Thibedeau
  12. #32 Colin Camp
  13. #40 Marquis Mason (r)
  14. #41 Victor Luo (r)
  15. #42 Chase Marty (r)
  16. #48 Thomas Coolidge
  17. #68 Ben Nelson
  18. #80 Kevin ‘KPS’ Pettit-Scantling
  19. #92 Kevin Brown

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