Keys to success vs Minnesota

As Madison Radicals (9-2) gets set to square off against Minnesota Windchill tonight, the team will need to concentrate on a few key areas in order to succeed and claim first place in the Midwestern Division.

First and foremost, the offensive line will need to establish a rhythm early. With the return of Andrew Brown (3G/15A/1d with 255 completions and 5 throwaways over 120 points through 7 games), Madison will easily be able to swing the disc around the field and stall for time as long as it needs. Factor in the throwing abilities of Tom ‘Animal’ Annen (3G/7A/2D with 102 completions and 3 throwaways over 56 points through 3 games), Jadon Scullion (6G/6A/1D with 97 completions and 7 throwaways over 102 points through 7 games) and Adam Drews (2G/2A/1D with 47 completions and 4 throwaways over 39 points through 3 games), and Madison has skill to throw to any spot on the field at anytime.

The question will not be Madison’s abilities with throwing, but rather the skills of their receivers. Colin Camp (34G/18A/1D with 167 completions and 9 throwaways over 170 points through 10 games) has been invaluable for Madison, from catching the easy under throws and continuing the flow of the disc, to skying defenders in the endzone. Camp leads the team in goals scored by nearly double the next Madison player, and is in the top five for completions on the team. His absence will be felt deeply by Madison.

Also absent from the offensive line will be Dave Wiseman (14G/16A/2D with 120 completions and 17 throwaways over 173 points through 10 games). While at first glance Wiseman may seem like the typical downfield receiver, but his big advantage for Madison was less about his height and more about his throwing ability. Since many defenders play Wiseman deeper due to his size, he often had very little difficulty on his infield cuts, giving him ample opportunity to take the deep shot.

With the absence of these two key Madison players, they will need a new deep threat to keep Minnesota defenders honest in the backfield. A key player for the team will be returning from a heel injury to do just that, as Kevin Brown (4G/13A/2D with 85 completions and 12 throwaways over 71 points through 3 games) suits up for Madison once again. K. Brown has a very similar style to Wiseman and while not quite as intimidating in jump ball situations, he will look to prove himself early and often against Minnesota’s defensive line.

Since K. Brown cannot be Madison’s only deep threat, a lot of pressure will lie also on the shoulders of Pat Shriwise (9G/10A/5D with 227 completions and 15 throwaways over 143 points through 10 games). Normally, Shriwise uses his speed and accurate throws to anchor the handler line, but with a crowded handler line his skills will likely be more valuable as a downfield deep threat. Factor in his ability to read the disc and sky or layout past his opponents, Shriwise could be invaluable as a downfield cutter.

Joining both of them will be Ross Barker (10G/2A with 77 completions and 5 throwaways over 66 points through 4 games). Barker was instrumental in the win over Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (5-4) just a few weekends ago, using his quick cutting skills to get open all over the field. While he has found success with Madison early, he still needs to find his place on the offensive line. With continued time, he will adjust to the AUDL field and be able to more effectively time his cuts, making him a greater asset.

Second, Madison will need to pressure Minnesota early and often in order to jump out to an early lead. Andrew Meshnick (7G/23A/23D with 109 completions and 17 throwaways over 239 points through 9 games) will be missing the game today, so Madison will need to rely heavily on the rest of its defensive line.

For Madison’s zone, there will be three key factors. The first and most important will be the strength and hustle of deep defender Peter Graffy (18G/15A/18D with 131 completions over 213 points through 8 games). Graffy has a history of poaching off his targets and baiting throws with varying results, and Madison will need the strongest version of him if they hope to take down Minnesota.

The second factor will be the cup. With Meshnick absent, Madison will rotate three players through the cup; Mason Marquis (4G/5D with 7 completions over 100 points through 10 games), Jeff Maskalunas (2G/1A/3D with 12 completions over 45 points through 3 games) and Chris Wilen (1A/1D with 6 completions over 18 points through 2 games). Madison needs not just a pair of large defenders to have an effective cup, but also two quick players to consistently and constantly apply pressure to Minnesota’s handler lines.

Lastly, Madison will need to have a pair of strong middle defenders in the zone. In previous encounters with Minnesota, throws through the center generally went uncontested and allowed them to march the disc up the field generally uncontested. Madison will likely swap a few different players into these positions until they find the right fit, and the effectiveness of the middle defenders will be extremely important in forcing Minnesota’s offense to turn over the disc.

Madison’s man defensive line’s will be in extremely good shape for this contest. Handler pressure will be intense with Thomas Coolidge (16G/12A/12D/1CH with 101 completions over 187 points through 10 games) prowling the backfield. The only Madison player with a Callahan this year, Coolidge was able to achieve this against Minnesota in their first match-up because of his pressure on the reset throws.

Brian Hart (11G/15A/6D with 138 completions over 155 points through 8 games) pairs well with Coolidge, not only with his constant pressure on the offense but also with his quick paced offense. Hart and Coolidge often use their speed and their short throw abilities to cut through the opposing team on a turn, but when patience wears thin Hart can often use his pinpoint accurate hammers to end a point as well.

While Hart and Coolidge use their quickness to pressure the offense, players like Kevin Pettit-Scantling (18G/9A/23D with 94 completions over 240 points through 11 games) and Sterling Knoche (10G/3A/13D with 23 completions over 128 points through 6 games) are more known for their height and speed. While Graffy will continue to take the toughest match-ups, both KPS and Knoche will be key players against a Minnesota offense that has many good receivers

Despite not mentioning several players, every Madison player on the roster for tonight’s game is hungry for the win, and will use all of their skills in order to bring back the Midwest title to Madison.

A reminder of the game time and roster below:

Madison’s 6:00PM CST face-off against Minnesota will be the American Ultimate Disc League game of the week, live on AUDL.TV.

  1. #1 Adam Drews
  2. #4 Pat Shriwise
  3. #6 Jeff Maskalunas
  4. #7 Tom ‘Animal’ Annen
  5. #10 David ‘Buddy’ Meinecke
  6. #11 Andrew Brown
  7. #12 Ross Barker
  8. #13 Brian Hart
  9. #14 Logan Pruess
  10. #16 Chris Wilen
  11. #18 Sterling Knoche
  12. #25 Ryan Tucker
  13. #26 Peter Graffy
  14. #27 Mike Swain
  15. #40 Marquis Mason
  16. #42 Chase Marty
  17. #44 Jadon Scullion
  18. #48 Thomas Coolidge
  19. #80 Kevin ‘KPS’ Pettit-Scantling
  20. #92 Kevin Brown

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