Madison to travel to 5th consecutive Championship Weekend

When Madison Radicals (12-2) travel to Championship Weekend 6, they will be looking for their ninth straight win when they face off against West Division Champions San Francisco Flamethrowers (11-3). Hosted in Montreal, QC, Madison has never defeated a West division team, with an 0-3 record over the last four years.

There were many questions for Madison heading into the second half of the season. Following up a undefeated regular season with an unfortunate home loss last year, Madison  struggled to string together any momentum as they faltered against Minnesota Wind Chill (11-3) early in the season, lost a hotly contested game to reigning AUDL Championship team Dallas Roughnecks (12-2) and were unable to pull off a big win against any other Midwest division team, having an overall point differential of just plus nine despite a 5-2 record.

However, after a thrilling overtime win against Minnesota and a continued dominance over the other teams in the division, Madison was able to wrap up the season on an undefeated streak with a point differential of plus 47 (plus five from the playoffs). A lot of this can be attributed to attendance and depth, as Madison may still be very strong at the top of their lineup, they have struggled when major key players have missed.

The offensive line has changed very little over the past few season, but this year made some key additions that has improved it immensely. While it is still centered by core handlers Andrew Brown (4G/19A/2D with 368 completions over 166 points) and Tom ‘Animal’ Annen (6G/12A/2D with 187 completions over 105 points), another player has stepped into that roll in a major way. After being with the team since its creation, Ben Nelson (7G/22A/3D with 268 completions over 168 points) has dominated for Madison this season.

Immensely dangerous with a disc, Ben has benefited from an offensive line that has had seen a bit of restructuring this last year. With Animal, Adam Drews, Benjy Keren and Nate Thibedeau each only playing in six games this year, as well as Scott Richgels only being able to commit to three games, Madison’s offensive line has benefited greatly with the addition of two big play makers. While Avery Johnson (12G/3A/1D with 39 completions over 70 points) might be an AUDL rookie, he is no rookie to Ultimate, having played five years of college with University of Wisconsin-Madison (Hodags), as well as playing in his first season with Madison Club. Bringing both his ability to handle, his quick up-line strike cuts and his experience, Johnson will make a huge impact for Madison going forward.

Joining him is fellow Hodag teammate for the last five seasons, Madison Club four year veteran and 2018 U24 member Ross Barker (20G/14A with 157 completions over 133 points). Playing most of the season on offense, Barker has opened up Madison’s downfield options with his speed and athleticism, drawing a lot of attention from key defenders in the Midwest.

While the rookies added some much needed firepower to Madison’s offense, Madison did have some big guns without them. Colin Camp (41G/23A/2D with 214 completions over 218 points) dominated for Madison this year. While it has been no secret that Camp is one of Madison’s most dangerous receivers, he was able to create a ton of separation this year and continue his high scoring ways. For the second year in a row, Camp lead the team in goals (36 last year), but also improved in the assists column (17).

Despite being sidelined most of the season with a leg injury, Madison’s Kevin Brown (11G/16A/4D with 118 completions over 106 points) was able to dominate in the Midwest Division Championship game, scoring a personal best seven goals in that game alone.

While the offense found its groove, Madison’s defensive line had quick a few setbacks. After losing Jay Froude and Abe Coffin to Dallas, and with Mike Swain, Dan ‘Dirty’ Rowan and Matt Weber departing the team, there was a huge hole in a defense that has been the strongest in the league. Add to that the mid-season injuries to Thomas Coolidge and Bill Everhart, and you have a very different Madison defense.

While these losses were painful, several players stepped up into bigger rolls. While Andrew Meshnick (9G/21A/28D with 139 completions over 316 points) and Peter Graffy (28G/29A/31D with 211 completions over 314 points) continued to be the superstars of the defensive core, Madison benefited greatly from the improved efforts of Kevin ‘KPS’ Pettit-Scantling (20G/13A/29D with 121 completions over 324 points). While KPS has been known for his defensive prowess, his continuing efforts to improve have paid off with both his cutting and throwing abilities. Despite suffering from a stomach illness in the Midwest division title game, KPS was still able to pull down two goals and two d’s.

Another veteran that with a long Madison history is Seth Meyer (2G/1A/5D with 9 completions over 59 points), and while he has been severely limited this season due to injury, Meyer has proven time and time again that he can have a huge impact on a game. Sliding into Madison’s already dangerous zone, he has been known to continually pressure both the opponents handler core and their cutters in a stifling manner.

Sterling Knoche (17G/3A/20D with 37 completions over 214 points), a four year Hodag and two year Madison Club member, brought a new intensity to the defensive line this year. In his first year with the team, he has already made multiple top 10 AUDL plays of the week, and his 20 defensive efforts are good for fourth on the team.

Two other defensive rookies that have had major impacts for Madison are Chase Marty (10G/5A/1D with 18 completions over 135 points) and Jeff Maskalunas (2G/3A/5F with 23 completions over 80 points). Marty brings a strangling, lock down defense to an already fast line, and Maskaluna’s height and quick movement make him a dominant force on the field.

With a constantly revolving door of players this season, Madison seems to have finally found its groove and will be ready for the upcoming Championship Weekend.

When Madison faces off against San Francisco, they will see some familiar faces. Madison fell to San Jose Spiders 17-15 in 2015 at Championship Weekend, and this San Francisco team has eight players from that team. Ashlin Joye, Beau Kittredge, Cassidy Rasmussen, Kevin Cocks, Seth Reinhardt, Greg Cohen, Jordan Marcy and Marcelo Sanchez were apart of that 2015 championship team that beat Madison.

Madison and San Fracisco will face off live on AUDL.Tv at 3pm CST on Saturday, August 26.

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