Madison gears up for big game following Chicago win

Madison Radicals (5-1) were able to overcome an early deficit against Chicago Wildfire (1-6) at home, despite missing several of their core offensive players. As Madison moves forward, they’ll need to continue working on their offensive efficiency if they want to retake first place in the Midwest.

In the first point of the contest, Madison tested out their long game on only their second throw, leading to a turnover and an eventual Chicago break. Offense Prime responded with their own score, and after the teams traded a pair of points, things started to go very wrong for Madison.

A pair of drops and throwaways prevented the defense from getting the break, Chicago’s defense came out with a vengeance, scoring three straight breaks and widening the lead to four, their largest lead of the night, 6-2. Madison’s offense would finally get back on track, but only after a marathon point spanning almost a fourth of the quarter. A big d by rookie Sterling Knoche (1D with 3 completions over 24 points) ended the quarter and kept Madison within striking distance.

Madison’s defensive unit came out and, thanks to an unforced turnover, were able to break in a matter of moments.Despite this mental error, each team had found its groove and would trade points until the score was 10-8 Chicago. Madison was finally able to pressure Chicago into a turn, with Peter Graffy (2G/4A/3D with 7 completions over 27 points) coming down with the defense/assist bookends, making it 10-9.

After three uneventful points, Madison had a mental lapse of their own, dropping the disc and giving Chicago another break, widening the lead to 13-10. Madison had a chance to get back their own score before half, but were unable to complete the pass, and a big defensive play by Scott Richgels (2G/3A/1D with 19 completions over 14 points) kept Chicago from increasing their lead. Unfortunately, it came at a price, as Madison’s Kevin Brown (1G/2A with 9 completions over 9 points) injured his heel in a collision, and will miss at least one game due to the injury.

Madison started on offense to begin the second half, and it looked as though they were going to convert an easy score, but the mental pressure continued to mount. Two throwaways followed by a drop kept Madison off the scoreboard, but the defensive pressure proved to be too much for Chicago’s defensive line to score, so they called a timeout on the sideline and put out their defensive core. A key mistake, as Madison’s zone defense trapped Chicago on the sideline, and a handblock by Brian Hart (4G/2A with 12 completions over 26 points) couldn’t quite seal the point for Madison, but a second effort by Graffy gave Madison the disc inside the red zone. A quick give-and-go between Hart and Andrew Meshnick (1G/2A/2D with 11 completions over 25 points) gave Madison the first goal of the half, 13-11 Chicago.

The rest of the third quarter was on serve, with Madison unable to make a dent in the lead until the score was 16-14. Chicago looked like they were going to continue the status quo, but a layout from Meshnick on the goal line allowed Madison to take some deep shots and bring the score to 16-15. With the third coming to a close, Meshnick was able to come up with another big d, but they were unable to take a last second shot and the third came to a close without a throw.

The fourth quarter is where Madison has been shining this season, and this game was no exception, as Kevin Pettit-Scantling (1G/1A/1D with 6 completions over 22 points) got a d off the swing in Chicago’s red zone, allowing Graffy and Hart to take control and finally tie the game up, 16-16. Feeling the pressure, Chicago threw the disc away in the following point, and Madison stormed back, with Graffy pulling down another goal and pulling Madison ahead 17-16.

The teams traded points, but Graffy came up with a critical d on the following point. Madison worked the disc slowly up the field, and thanks to a cross field throw from Meshnick to Hart, extended the lead to 19-17. While the teams traded points for the last few minutes of the quarter, Chicago was unable to come down with a d to end the game, and Madison closed it out 21-20.

While Madison was missing their core handlers Andrew Brown and Tom ‘Animal’ Annen, as well as Benjy Keren and Jadon Scullion, both Pat Shriwise (2D with 50 completions over 16 points) and Ben Nelson (1G/2A with 50 completions over 16 points) filled in nicely.

Going up against the reigning AUDL Champions next week, Madison will face off against Dallas Roughnecks (7-2) in the AUDL Cross Coast Challenge next weekend. Madison will welcome back its core handlers, but with K. Brown out, it will make some room on the offensive line for Hodag player Ross Barker. Having just completed his season at USAU College Nationals, Barker has already been highlighted on Sportscenter’s Top 10 for throwing a World’s Greatest (throwing the disc back from out-of-bounds for a score after jumping from in-bounds).

Also returning to the team this week will be fellow Hodag and third year Madison player Chris Wilen, who will be joining the defensive line. Wilen, a tall and athletic player, will supplement Madison’s strong defensive line. Also returning to the defensive line will be Seth Meyer and Logan Pruess, adding not only more defensive power but also adding strength to their Prime offensive group.

While Dallas may be having a struggling year, it is unlikely to be an easy challenge for Madison. A big key to the game for Madison will be establishing their flow early, and not giving up breaks. On the other side of the disc, Madison must mix-and-match their defensive efforts, keeping pressure on core Dallas players. However, Madison must be careful not to tire out their core. Players like Meshnick, Graffy, Hart and KPS often find themselves playing 20 plus points in a game, but often tire up and become lax midway through the game. Keeping them fresh while continuing the pressure will be a big key to Madison’s success.

Madison takes on Dallas this Saturday, 6/3, at 6pm CST. As part of the Cross Coast Challenge, the game will be livestreamed, but at a price. Visit AUDL.Tv to purchase it!

Madison Radicals active roster:

  1. #2 Andrew Meshnick
  2. #3 Seth Meyer
  3. #4 Pat Shriwise
  4. #6 Bill Everhart
  5. #7 Tom ‘Animal’ Annen
  6. #9 Joshua ‘Jdub’ Wilson
  7. #11 Andrew Brown
  8. #12 Ross Barker
  9. Scott Richgels
  10. #13 Brian Hart
  11. #14 Logan Pruess
  12. #16 Chris Wilen
  13. #18 Sterling Knoche
  14. #21 David Wiseman
  15. #26 Peter Graffy
  16. #32 Colin Camp
  17. #42 Chase Marty
  18. #48 Thomas Coolidge
  19. #68 Ben Nelson
  20. #80 Kevin ‘KPS’ Pettit-Scantling

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