Fast Takes with Fast Break: Chicago v Cleveland

Authors: Sam Nielsen

PC: MLQ

Introduction

At the near midpoint of the 2024 Major League Quadball season, all four playoff spots remain up for grabs in the North Division. The Cleveland Riff and the Chicago Prowl find themselves at opposite ends of the table. Chicago has continued to build off their 2023 Benepe Cup finals run, boasting a 5-1 record as they stand atop the North Division. Cleveland sits at the bottom of the North Division with an 0-3 record following a series sweep at the hands of the Toronto Raiders. Every game will be critical for both of these teams, as the North Division is shaping up to be the most contested it’s been in years.

Matchup History

This will be the first time in 3 years that the Prowl and Riff will go head-to-head following the dismantling of the I-90 and I-94 conferences in the North Division. In their last series matchup back in 2021, the Chicago Prowl (known as the Indianapolis Intensity at the time) disposed of the Cleveland Riff handily, with the closest margin of victory being 105 points. The last time Cleveland defeated Chicago was back in 2016. But will that change this year?

Cleveland Riff

Series Roster

Reviewing the Cleveland Riff roster for this series, the absence of key beaters Rae Barnes, Rob Beaton, and Aaron Oehler is glaring in the dodgeball game. Barnes and Beaton led all Riff beater pairs with a -4 +/- against the Toronto Raiders. As well, Oehler led the team in drives played with 38 drives, 11 more than any other Riff beater in the series. For Cleveland to find success in this series, the diminished beater core will need to step up in a big way, and it starts with the pairing of Peter Brechting and MLQ rookie Rachel Yates. Against the Raiders, the pair led the team with 8 stops on the weekend, 6 more than any other Riff pairing. Keeper-converted-beater Brechting particularly stood out, claiming 6 of those 8 stops. Brechting’s average of 2 stops per game puts them in the top 5 of the league for that category, while playing nearly 4 drives per game less than any of the top 5 beaters. In their first MLQ game, Yates played intelligent and disciplined, using their feet to make smart, well-timed beats with few misses or turnovers. Both Brechting and Yates had natural chemistry positionally and in playstyle, and that chemistry will be pushed to the max in this series matchup. Expect to see Lacey Hutchman shifting back to the beater position following a stint at chaser against Toronto. Hutchman’s decision-making and veteran leadership have always been an important source of confidence for the Cleveland Riff, and their impact will need to be large in this series.

On the quadball side of things, the Cleveland Riff will present a similar look as they did against the Toronto Raiders. Leading scorers Adam Thompson and Joseph Lombardi are rostered again, alongside top assisters Fiona Gaffney and Jack Moseley. Thompson emerged as a star for the Riff against the Raiders (their first official game of quadball!), leading the team in both goals and stops. Their athleticism is unparalleled and as their decision-making continues to improve, they can be a stand out in Cleveland for years to come. Lombardi was quieter than normal against the Toronto Raiders. As last year’s team leading assister, they came out of this series with only a single assist on the weekend. They will need to find their footing against the Prowl to enable the Riff’s success in this series. Fiona Gaffney remained an offensive spark for the Cleveland Riff against Toronto. Despite being unlucky to not crack the scoresheet in the series, their apt decision-making helped to enable the fluidity of the Riff’s offensive strategy. Their Quadball intelligence and leadership will be crucial in Cleveland’s success against the Prowl. Head coach Jack Moseley had a mediocre weekend by their own standards. While leading the team in assists, they also nearly led the team in turnovers with 7. Moseley has proven playmaker vision and defensive prowess at the MLQ level, and they will need to be at their best this weekend against the Prowl.

Players to Watch For

The Cleveland Riff players to watch for as they face the Chicago Prowl are going to be the 6 Riff rookies getting a crack at the main roster. Besides the aforementioned Rachel Yates and Adam Thompson, MLQ rookies Will Kozak, Braden Hawk, Mykal Jones, and Connor Scott will also be in action this weekend. Kozak is similar to Thompson in speed, but possesses an incredible driving ability in the Quadball game. They are able to finish with either arm and have the flexibility to score in a variety of different ways at the hoops. Driving Quadball players have been sorely missed in Cleveland over the past few years, so expect to see Kozak fill an important role, notably during seeker-on-pitch (SOP) Quadball play. As Hawk’s name implies, they play the beater role with a deadly tenacity. Hawk brings a high amount of physicality and aggression to the game, something that will be needed when matched against other aggressive Chicago beaters, such as Tad Walters and Maverick Wolf. Jones brings their own physicality to the Quadball game, notably on the defensive end. In years past, Cleveland’s on-hoop defense was highly vulnerable to drivers. Jones will help to remedy that problem by using their strength and intelligence to make the small hoop a non-option to scoring threats. Scott is a chaser who uses their size and strength to drive through defenses. As they continue to hone their fakes and jukes when driving, they can develop into a versatile offensive threat for the Cleveland Riff. While their playing time might be limited on the weekend, keep an eye on 6 future stars of the Cleveland Riff against the Chicago Prowl.

Series Decider

The winner of the series will be determined by two aspects; the Cleveland Riff’s beater game and the Chicago Prowl’s defensive structure. While I might sound like a broken record at this point, the Cleveland Riff have struggled at beater depth over these past two MLQ seasons. Between injuries to star beaters such as Austin Howe, and the departure of lead beaters like Sam Beeler, Cleveland has lacked consistency at a position that is crucial to team success in Quadball. Can this younger, more inexperienced beater core hang with the likes of the Prowl’s Nojus Ausra, Jim Richert, and Tad Walters? This question ties into the next aspect, breaking down Chicago’s defensive structure. Despite the notable talent on their roster, the Prowl’s key to success last season was well-drilled fundamentals and strategy. They play a simple Quadball game that doesn’t rely on individual play, but instead focuses on strategic beats and pass timing to create easy goals. The same can be said for their defense. Great decision-making and chemistry has made them a tough egg to crack this season, boasting a league-best 63.3 points against per game. In order for Cleveland to succeed this series, the Riff’s beaters must push for turnovers and fastbreak opportunities so that the Prowl can’t get comfortable in their defensive system.

Chicago Prowl

The Season Thus Far:

Chicago started the season on a disappointing note, with a very close 2-1 series win over Detroit on a rainy early June afternoon in Illinois. In that series, Chicago struggled at times to score in the wet conditions without several key chasers, but still looked very solid defensively against an explosive Detroit roster.

Two weeks ago they made the trip to Minneapolis to play their division rivals and came away with three blowout victories and an average margin of victory of over 100 points. The offense was much more dynamic, and received a huge boost from the missing players: of the top five Chicago scorers against the Monarchs, only one was also at the Detroit series. Also providing a boost was the return of quick line changes, exemplified by starting the series with three completely separate lines coming in and out by 10 minutes in.

The other big improvement from the Detroit series was in the seeking game. Chicago could not catch a flag against Detroit, but came away with three against Minneapolis, including two with Nojus Ausra. The biggest difference here was simply better seeking by Prowl and worse seeking by Minneapolis than Detroit, as Chicago still was unable to generate consistent dodgeball control with their beating depth. 

The biggest question going into the season for Chicago was what they would do about their beater depth, and it very much continues to be a question after two series, although we seem to have discovered at least a few answers. Caleb Williams has emerged as the clear third option along with Ausra and Tad Walters, both in terms of drives played and in stats like average dodgeballs and plus/minus. Without Williams on the roster this weekend, however, who will step up is a large question mark. Michael Mrowiec, also not on roster this weekend, played very well against Minneapolis, but the remainder of the team has an average dodgeball control of just 1.2, and only one has played more than 13 drives in any series (Jim Richert against Detroit with 1.03 dodgeballs over 18 drives).

Look-ahead for Cleveland:

Against Cleveland, Chicago brings a beating-heavy roster that is notably without Mrowiec or Williams, a clear indication that they plan to use the series to get more playing time for their beating depth. This weekend should continue answering whether new additions to this year’s Prowl such as Annie Petrelli, Maverick Wolf, or Camilla Rodriguez can step up and reliably fill playing time, or if Chicago’s top line will need to carry them through the entirety of MLQ Champs.

The chasing and keeping roster look somewhat similar. Top-line players, such as Nathan Digmann, Kennedy Murphy, and Ally Manzella, should keep the game flowing in the Prowl way, but the lack of top scorers from last week Ryley Andrews and Darian Murcek-Ellis provides plenty of space for less experienced players to put up a big game. Matthew Troy is one player who hasn’t lit up the stat sheet thus far,  but has still found ways to make his presence felt and could be in for a big series.

Concluding Statements

Cleveland

Comparing the series rosters side-by-side, it would be unexpected if the matchup didn’t go in the favor of the Chicago Prowl. The Prowl bring a team with far more talent, experience, and chemistry than the younger, inexperienced Cleveland Riff side. Winning a game in the series is possible for Cleveland, but not likely. However, the Riff must take at least a single win from this series to have any realistic chance at making MLQ Championship. As accentuated earlier, the Riff will need to play incredibly efficiently, forcing and capitalizing on all of the Prowl’s mistakes. At the end of the day, expect the Chicago Prowl to come away with a dominant series sweep against the Cleveland Riff.

Chicago

Overall, this is unlikely to be a particularly competitive series. Chicago’s commitment to excellent defense, no matter the roster, should keep Cleveland’s scores low, and has plenty of scoring depth to put things away. A real win for Chicago will be if one or two of their beaters not named Ausra or Walters can produce better dodgeball control and goal differential than in the season thus far. I wouldn’t expect any of these games to be any closer than the 2021 series.

Series Prediction

Chicago 3 - 0 Cleveland (from both writers)