Fast Takes from Fast Break
North Division Preview- Cleveland vs Indianapolis
This North Division opening weekend series features the Indianapolis Intensity, four-time North Division Champions, and the Cleveland Riff, coming off an 0-12 record in the 2019 season. With the Toronto Raiders unable to compete in the 2021 MLQ season due to COVID-19 restrictions, this series features half of the North division and will set the tone for what we can expect from the North this year. More notably, the absence of the Raiders means that Intensity and Riff are entering the season knowing they are headed to the Championship tournament in August. At the 2019 Championships, Indianapolis lost to the San Antonio Soldados in game three of their quarterfinals series while Cleveland is fighting to get back to Championships for the first time since 2016. With both teams gunning to prove their worth and improve their seed spots for Championships, who will come out on top at this weekend’s matchup?
While the Intensity might be the easy favorites to sweep this series it has to be seen how they game plan. Will they be able to maintain their league best quaffle points against, 60.8, as they did in 2019? Is it possible that the loss of a USQ club season has also dissolved the chemistry between Indy’s core of Boom Train players that has been key to their past success? Maybe. Maybe not but this team brings back the most diverse skill set of any roster as every player can play multiple positions which not only helps as a competitive advantage as it will be hard to game plan against but also a strategy that allows for depth everywhere. Allyson Manzella as in Team USNDT fame, will be a huge addition for a roster that already has Krystina "K-Pack" Packard and Hannah Miller- both listed as keepers which allows for many unique defensive looks. The Intensity team is surely under a lot of pressure to perform well this weekend. They want to be the unequivocal champions of the North division while simultaneously working their way into a higher seed position for the Championship tournament. It will be up to their team’s leadership to manage that pressure and keep their players focused on their “do your job” mindset.
Cleveland will be fighting hard to prove their merit this weekend. To have their opening series be against the most difficult opponent they will likely face in the regular season is a tough position to be in. They will have to improve on their league worst 47.5 QPF/G (quaffle points for per game) in 2019 to take those next steps. However, we will have to see if the huge addition of Jon Gaffigan’s new born (congrats!) will provide the Cleveland keeper with “new dad strength” to help this Cleveland team put up more quaffle points. They will also have to rely heavily on Ben Strauss (HC) in anchoring the beater game to provide the stability needed against a tough opponent. However, the addition of Melinda Staup provides this young team with a leader who can communicate and inspire with her abilities. But it has to be said that with the short time frame between starting practices to entering official games, will Cleveland be able to rely on the experienced quidditch players on their squad to see them through? Have they been able to get up to speed in time to compete against the new offensive and defensive looks Indianapolis head coach Nathan Digmann has created?
No matter the outcome of this weekend’s North division series, the games will provide valuable competition to both teams which will help them learn, grow, and adapt throughout the season.
Final Record: 3-0 Indianapolis
