Fast Takes with Fast Break: Kansas City v San Antonio
Authors: Naresh Edala and Christian Barnes
PC: Major League Quadball
Many South Division series have been defined by the ability of the away team to show up in force. Many series require travel of a considerable distance to play in considerable heat, which makes playing a 3-game series an uphill climb. Last year, San Antonio's small roster was overcome by Kansas's home roster advantage. Now, Kansas seeks to flip the script by bringing in a bolstered away roster to San Antonio's backyard this Saturday.
I think the key element for both these teams will be their ability to use their female and non-binary players. Both teams maintain the ability to drive and cut through defenders in the scoring game, something to be expected for the MLQ season. Defensive tackles and strong beaters are also in supply on both teams— San Antonio has Kristopher De La Fuente, Maya Hinebaugh, Bradley Himes, and Milena Sousa. Kansas City brings with them Lauren Curry and Keighlyn Johnson, backed up by Justin Dewick and Brian Mclannahan.
With beaters able to play in parity, and top scorers from Jay Stewart and Dilan Freeman to Sena Morimoto and Billy Quach, using an entire offense and defense will be important to edging out the other team. San Antonio will need to set up their female chasers in successful positions, using Catherine Hay and Alyssa Villaba's positioning to generate goals when driving and shooting doesn't pan out. On Kansas's end, distributing to Bitzy Archibold and Layla English could decide whether or not their offensive drives turn into points on the board.
Overall, the scoring game is going to be scrappy. Both teams understand the need to win this series definitively to earn their aspirations of 2nd in the South Division. Given the parity of the South Division, it will be a significant advantage to walk into their series against League City and New Orleans respectively with more room for failure; providing the winner of this weekend room to test out different strategies. To make that decisive win, I expect flag catches will provide the energy needed to push to the set score. In that regard, Jay Stewart may look to switch between an attempt for a quick catch and giving over the job to new pick-up John Alvarez, keeping his chaser physicality in the mix for a quick succession of points to set score. Kansas will also look to Aaron Stout to earn a catch with his lankiness and experience, relying on Brenna Duncan and Brian McClannahan to leave him uncontested.
San Antonio will look to show off their chemistry from a blending of leadership, a product of the Texas Quadball Conference in action. Playing 3 games with a small number of female and non binary players could be a tough feat however, and a necessity to manage their subs may deny the players a chance to pick up steam. Kansas, on the other hand, has persisted each year with small rosters, and is prepared to use their 21 to punch through a San Antonio team that may underestimate them.
Prediction: Kansas Stampede 2-1
