Fast Takes from Fast Break: Austin v League City
Authors: Fiona Wisehart & Naresh Edala
PC: Major League Quidditch
Coming Back New, Coming Back Strong?
On the first weekend of the season, the Austin Outlaws will face off against the League City Legends. Last year, the Outlaws swept the Legends 3-0 with scores of 245-70, 215-30, and 185-30. This year, a very different cohort of Outlaws and Legends will face off. The Outlaws are returning 14 players from last season and the Legends are returning 11. That’s where the similarities end, however, as many of the “new” players on Outlaws are simply coming back from a hiatus, whereas many of the new players on Legends are coming off of their first-ever quidditch season.
It’s not often that teams can lose multiple team USA players and still be a safe pick for the #1 seed in their division. As wild as that sentiment might seem, it is the exact position that Austin finds themselves in. Almost every player on Outlaws has ended at least 1 national championship with a medal around their neck. While the rosters may bring an exciting shake-up to the lines these teams employ, we expect that the win/loss record for AUS v LC will reflect the same as previous years- a sweep for the Outlaws.
On Outlaws, their powerhouse ability stems from a beater depth that, despite losing quite a few star players, is still held down by multiple championship-winning beaters. Kayse Bevers, Augustine Monroe, Purvi Mujumdar, Kyzer Polzin, and Jack Wang all return but the additions of Bailee Fields and Cameron Ogilivie should answer any questions of if there’d be a gap in the absence of Jackson Johnson, Tate Kay, Hallie Pace, and Cole Travis. At their worst, the beaters of Outlaws maintain a level of play that can compete with any other team, so they should have no problem even in their opening weekend- especially facing off against only one rostered beater who has competed in an MLQ series.
PC: League City Legends
Legends in the Making
On the beater side for Legends, the posted roster only shows three beaters for this weekend’s games, and all of them are men. They will be relying on Carlos Elarba, a veteran with deep understanding of South Division players, to hold the line against Austin. We personally hope to see Hayden Boyes don the black headband (fans of SHSU will have seen this during the most recent USQ season) and hop in as a beater to provide much-needed depth. Boyes, who was a standout with SHSU this past season, showed that he was an important piece in every game. We expect to continue to see him make big hits and lead important offenses to chart a path for the young League City teammates, continuing to show his impact regardless of position.
While it is hard to see the games being close in this series- we saw how much heart League City had at MLQ Championships last year. Day one saw them play three games in a row and they were able to compete in every single one, powering through exhaustion and maintaining physical play. As Julius Campbell once said, “attitude reflects leadership” and the passion and heart with which Ashton Jeanlewis plays and exudes will only help this League City team grow this summer. As head coach, Jeanlewis will look to get this team back into the hard-hitting ways that made them a tough out. The Legends last year were comfortable breaking out multiple defensive sets and that will be instrumental in their ability to resist allowing an easy blowout for the Austin Outlaws. One of the biggest losses for League City’s roster has been Haley Dupre, often one of the few players that would set screens on offense and a stout defender on defense. Her absence, though, sets the stage for Lisa Reisenauer to continue growing as an offensive weapon. She is a consistent goal-scoring threat when given the opportunity, and it’ll have to be seen if League City can emphasize more ball movement in their offense. Often last year, they were caught relying on their athleticism and power even against other South division teams who can meet them in those metrics. They’ll need to find an answer to opponents who also crave contact, as physicality might not be enough this weekend, or if they want to make it to champs this season.
The answer to making this series competitive may lie in League City’s decisions in how they play snitch on pitch. The ability to catch quickly to disrupt Austin’s usual ability to run up the score will be key- but with Austin’s roster additions like Swathi Mannem, defensive seeker extraordinaire, it only becomes more difficult for League City to improve upon their previous snitch catch record (3 catches - 7 catches given up - 2 games ended in no snitch catch). Historically, Austin’s game plan has been to create an out-of-range game and control the pace of play. However, with the large differences of beater depth, MLQ experience, and chemistry between Austin and League City, Austin may choose to defensive seek while their beaters create lanes for the chasers to run up the score.
This will be an uphill fight for one of the youngest teams in the league, but the experience of playing the Outlaws early in the season will serve them well competitively. In a South Division that doesn’t yet look to have a definitive #2 (honestly all the rankings after Austin are up in the air), League City needs to get back to their hard-hitting ways to show the South that they are going to compete at a high level this year. This opening weekend will be a tough matchup but a great first step in a new season under new leadership.
Prediction: Austin Outlaws win 3-0
