Roster Reactions: North Division
Minneapolis - Jack Levy
PC: Minneapolis Monarchs
Summertime can only mean one thing: the Monarchs are taking the North by storm. And no, I’m not referring to the endemic butterfly species, but the quadball team that has dominated the division for the past two years. This franchise has only dropped one game to any North Division team since the start of 2021. Audiences were wondering how the new division format last season would impact the league. To the Monarchs, it made no difference. They swept the Detroit Innovators and Indianapolis Intensity, and finished the job beating the Rochester Whiteout 3-0 at North Division Championship. Coming off of a 2022 undefeated regular season, and back to back division titles, Minneapolis is looking to three-peat as North division champions; something that hasn’t been done since the Intensity took the 2015, 2016, and 2017 titles. Entering 2023, the Monarchs remain the unquestioned rulers of the North.
In order to protect the throne, the Monarchs will need their key returning players to rise up and take flight. Their star chasers from last year are all staying in Minneapolis. The team’s goal and assist leader from last season, Alex “O.B.” Obanor is back and again fulfilling the role of assistant coach. Max Meier, who’s rumored to wear heelys on the pitch, will be flying around the field. Expect him to use his speed to beat defenders and run around the hoops for a shot or a dunk. While Terry Carlson missed some games last season due to injury, he is flapping his wings and is ready to play. Yet, most people are looking forward to watching assistant coach Emma Persons take the field and lead again this summer. She had an incredible season last year and is likely on the preseason shortlist of North MVP candidates. While these four stars will lead the kaleidoscope, they have even more chaser depth to boast. Expect Jack Sellner to play big minutes coming off the bench, Matt Bessard to be making some key assists in close games, and Sydney Stommes to light up the skies with her shot and play lockdown defense.
Speaking of defense, monarchs are known for their mimicry defense against predators. Expect the Monarchs’ veteran beater core to be no different, stopping any attack that comes at them. The headline of this beater core will be head coach and returning 2022 North division MVP Cody Narveson, who’s very comfortable anywhere on the field, even deep into the opposition’s keeper zone. Yet, this beater core would be nothing without Gracie Johnson, who played big minutes for the Monarchs last season. Expect Johnson to start most games for this squad, just like she did last season. She is often paired with Nathan Podolsky. Podolsky, who has spider-fluid on his fingertips, seems to catch every bludger that comes his way and jumps over the ones he can’t catch. Nicole Nelson, a former chaser who seems to have effortlessly transitioned to beating, will continue to play a big role with her near-perfect positioning. The final piece of this strong returning beating core is Ben Schlueter, who has great aim and high velocity beats. The Monarch beating core is returning really strong players.
Yet, as is always the case, some butterflies got lost in the migration. April Grabner, the 2021 North division MVP, will be a missing piece for this team. Grabner’s absence means Minneapolis will lose a veteran player and her loss creates interesting questions surrounding beater pairs, which we won’t get answers to until June. Another big loss for this program will be Liz Hunter. Hunter played a lot of minutes for the Monarchs chasing, and she also was the only player to catch a flag for them last season.
Despite these major losses, some key players from the 2021 roster flew back to Minnesota for the summer, as true monarchs do. When discussing roster additions, it’s hard not to start with one of the best, if not the best, seeker cores in the country. USNT seeker Henry Baer-Benson, or “HBB,” and USNTDA seeker Joe Goulet will be a deadly pair of seekers. Both are solid additions to an already strong chaser core, and both are considered royalty when it comes to catching flags. Considering Minneapolis only caught in one of their ten games all season last summer, the addition of Baer-Benson and Goulet fill a glaring hole. If the beaters can give their seekers looks, and they most certainly will be able too, the Monarchs should be devouring flags like nectar. Also migrating back is Cole Lachmiller who was a key chaser two years ago. Lachmiller will likely play a lot of minutes and may even take the field as a starter, depending on the lines the coaching staff will want to run. Coming with him is veteran beater Joe Blanchard, who is also returning from the 2021 squad. After spending a summer playing for Seattle, Blanchard is soaring back to Minneapolis for his MLQ return and will add another strong beater to their already deep roster.
On top of this talent, some caterpillars are getting their wings this year. University of Minnesota’s Anna Nelson and Jonah Furhman and Macalester College’s Ben Zimet will all be playing in their first MLQ season. Beater Meredith McDowell, another University of Minnesota player, was rostered in 2022, but will likely see an increase in playing time this summer for Minneapolis. The addition of more college-level talent is huge for the Monarchs, not just for this season but to create a succession to the throne.
One thing is clear looking at the Monarchs’ roster, they are loaded with talent. Not only is the team returning several fantastic players, but they are also bringing back key pieces from the 2021 North championship group and taking students of the game to the next level. Without question this roster is skilled. No one can doubt the high level of play of this team nor its depth. But the questions don’t surround the Monarchs’ skill, but rather the context of this season.
First, Minneapolis has yet to win a game at the MLQ championship. Despite ruling the North for the past two years, they haven’t been able to win any games outside the region. They fell 0-2 to Boston in 2021 and 0-2 to San Antonio in 2022. Yet, this season feels different. This roster is a combination of the past two championship teams, and this franchise now has two years of experience at MLQ championship. Remember, the Monarchs’ inaugural season was in 2019, so the past two playoffs in Maryland were new experiences for them. Also, MLQ championship is heading back to the midwest, an environment monarchs thrive in during the summer. With two years of postseason experience under their wing and more seasoned players, expect this Monarchs team to fly to some wins at MLQ championship.
Minneapolis will most certainly be in Iowa in August, but where they will be seeded is the headline of the season. While in 2021 and 2022, the Monarchs won every regular season series, this summer they have a taller task. The western half of the North division is stronger than ever. On June 10th, they will face a Detroit team that has geared up to new strength, and all eyes will turn to the Monarchs when they flap their forewings to Chicago on July 8th. This is Chicago’s first ever series, and it will be Minneapolis’ toughest competition to secure the crown. The Monarchs vs. Prowl series is the North Division’s most anticipated series of the year, not just because both rosters are more talented than past seasons, but because the stakes make it the most important regular season series across the league. As the two favorites to win the North division, winning two series gives one franchise an automatic bid into bracket play at MLQ championship, and not to mention a shot at the North division title. Even if Minneapolis and Chicago do end up being the two best teams in the North division, only one of them is guaranteed to be in bracket play in Iowa. Can Minneapolis beat Chicago and keep their North division crown? They certainly can, but it will be harder than ever. That being said, this Monarch team has only gotten better, and this year’s roster is flying to new heights. Expect Minneapolis to make an impact, both in the North division and at MLQ championship.
Prediction: 4-2
Rochester - Jack Moseley, Caleb Van Buren
PC: Madeleine Fordham
As the Rochester Whiteout approach the 2023 season they are staring down the barrel of their second rebuild in 3 seasons. Rochester Whiteout is the Ajax of Quadball (soccer fans understand) for the amount of talent this small market team has developed and lost to other teams in their history. Rochester will be looking to see if they can find more black diamonds in the snow this season.
The biggest question mark on this Rochester team is who will step in following the departure of several key pieces. The loss of three top class players in Basem Ashkar, Sollie Gominiak, and Emily Hickmott leaves Whiteout without an established superstar for the first time in its history. At North Championship last year without Ashkar and Gominiak, Whiteout looked lost and lacked the firepower to compete with a more dynamic (and cohesive) Monarchs squad. Even with just Ashkar missing at MLQ Championship, Whiteout still felt disjointed in their quarter final matchup with New York. On the beater side, Hickmott’s rock-solid beating and Gominiak’s penchant for explosive plays played a large part in the success Rochester saw at the beginning of last season. It would be bad enough it was just the loss of three star players but they lost several lines worth of role players and depth pieces as well. In total, Whiteout is losing 42% of goals scored, 37% of assists, 42% of defensive stops, and 52% of beater shifts from last season. In particular the losses of Joseph Lombardi and Jack Moseley, both moving on to purpler pastures with conference rival Cleveland Riff, have to sting as Whiteout is due for a collision with the duo in late July. Only rostering 24 is the proverbial cherry on the mud-pie, leaving Rochester dangerously thin in the event of injuries or absences.
Upon first glance this Whiteout squad looks to be a shell of the team it was last year, but as you dig into the roster this may be a team that too many people will overlook. Despite high turnover, this roster features 16 players with MLQ experience (plus three promoted practice squad players) and inherits ready-made chemistry from the USQ season. Seven players played for the University of Rochester this year under head coach Alyssa Giarrosso, five competed with the Atlantic Dragons, and two more are coming from RPI. Also in their favor is the timing of their first series in six weeks, giving them ample time to build on this chemistry and become a cohesive unit. With several major losses Whiteout will need some younger players to step up this season, here's a few we think are up for it: Joe Glichowski had an impressive showing at last year’s Rising Stars Challenge and followed that up with a strong USQ season with Rochester. Evalien Duyvesteyn, Zach Sobel-Pressman, and Ashley Wilson are other promising players from Rochester, Sobel-Pressman is even a dark horse to lead the team in scoring. Lastly, Adeoluwa Ojo and (recent Team Mexico call up) Viviana Estrada from RPI are two of the most exciting young names in collegiate quadball.
Strategically, Rochester has two particular strengths they can lean on in the upcoming season. First, is the continued use of a high pressing 2-2 zone that they played against Cleveland and Toronto last year to great effect. With Rochester returners and coaching staff already comfortable with a defensive scheme that lets their defensive chasers press and cause chaos they’re well positioned to take advantage of the no-resets rule change. Secondly is what should be an extremely strong seeking game. The last few seasons Rochester has pinned its seeking hopes on “Sweetheart of Quadball” Kit Powpour. Returning from last season’s rotation is Kit “Sweetheart” Powpour, with Cody Keefer and Ashley Dolan in reserve. This year Joe Glichowski and Viviana Estrada provide more depth, and the addition of Ojo (two flag catches at USQ Cup) gives them a long and lean build they didn’t previously have. With a likely seeker advantage in every game they’ll play this season, Rochester has a distinct advantage that could come up huge in close games.
Whiteout is a franchise with a history of building a competitive team with the pieces they are given and will do so again this year. The big questions to be answered are who will be the offensive engine of this team and can the beaters step up and replace the talent lost. If they are able to integrate their new and young players into their hard hitting aggressive defense and find a consistent offense this team can become a real sleeper. Luckily, Rochester’s regular season schedule is easier than most, and though they may not return to the North Division Final, this team has the ability to steal a bid to Championship. The 2023 Rochester Whiteout may be fielding a very different looking roster this year but, if they lean on the identity they have developed the past two seasons they have the potential to play spoiler this season.
Prediction: 3-3
Cleveland - Joseph Lombardi, Madeleine Fordham
PC: Cleveland Riff
The Cleveland Riff enter the new season coming off of a 2022 campaign that fell flat. With an 0-6 record during the regular season, and an 0-3 North Championship record to boot, it was difficult to pull many positives from last season. However, with major shake-ups to the roster and an upgraded coaching staff, the Riff have every reason to be upbeat about the upcoming 2023 campaign.
Coaching Staff Changes
For the 2023 season, Austin Howe will remain as head coach of the Cleveland Riff, but a new triplet of players will fill the assistant coach role; Fiona Gaffney, Korey Johnson, and Jack Moseley. All three assistant coaches arrive with notable reputations for captaining or coaching at the college or club level, and their experience will provide much-needed direction under a new-look Riff team. The 2023 coaching staff will have to answer two pressing questions:
What will the offense look like in the new John Gaffigan-less era?
What changes will be made to last year’s struggling defensive formation?
Departures
The Riff have 12 departures from last season’s roster, which isn’t shocking considering the league average for this season was 13 departures. What should be shocking is the loss of star-studded scorer, John Gaffigan, to the Washington Admirals. Gaffigan was an absolute rockstar for the Riff last season, serving as the team’s constant scoring threat in all situations. Their long-distance accuracy was a perfect balance for the Riff’s off-ball scorers like Melinda Staup and Carrie Cowden, which often found success until teams reverted into a 3-trees defense. With the departure of Gaffigan, expect the Riff to have a complete offensive revamp for the 2023 season.
Returners and Arrivals
A team without their star scorer is going to rely heavily on their veteran leadership to carry them through tight games, and fortunately for the Cleveland Riff, the bulk of the veteran core has remained intact for the 2023 season. The ever-steady beating group consisting of head coach Austin Howe, Jillian DeKiel, and Aaron Oehler, boasts quality beaters that can go beat-for-beat with some of the league’s best beater pairs. On the quadball side of things, a new Riff offense will lean on the scoring of Gabriel Boris, Peter Brechting, Carrie Cowden, and Melinda Staup as they look to quickly build chemistry with the new nucleus of the team.
The Cleveland Riff acquired 15 new players for the 2023 season, slightly above the league average of 13 players. In fact, the new acquisitions boost the Riff roster to its first 30-player maximum since at least 2017. However, unlike the predominantly young additions that the Riff have had in the past two seasons, the 2023 arrivals feature several players transferring from high-level MLQ programs or players that have had considerable playing experience. Some of the bigger MLQ names include Jack Moseley and Joseph Lombardi from Rochester, Gabbie Benda from Washington, and Will Templin from Minneapolis. Outside of the MLQ transfers, one of the most exciting additions for the 2023 season has to be the return of team veteran, Lacey Hutcman. The last time Hutchman bore the purple and gray stripes was the 2019 season! Hutchman adds to a beater squad filled to the brim with depth, featuring 10 beaters on the main roster.
Players to Watch For
In a season of notable roster changes, the Cleveland Riff’s make-or-break players will continue to be seasoned veterans Melinda Staup and Peter Brechting. Staup is a natural leader for the Riff team, and will always score when the ball is in their hands 10 feet from the hoop. Following a rather limited season with Boom Train in USQ, expect Staup to hit the ground running this MLQ season. Brechting has continually been a cool customer for the Riff. On a team that normally lacks size and driving ability, Brechting is the antithesis in both departments, and is usually amongst the top three scorers during each campaign. Expect a combination of Staup and Brechting to naturally plug the gaps left from the Gaffigan-era offense. Amongst players that will have a huge impact this season, expectations are sky high for new arrivals Frank Abbey, Erik Lamb, and Jack Moseley. Moseley enters the Cleveland Riff program following a stand-out 2022 MLQ season with the Rochester Whiteout. After a relatively average campaign in 2021, Moseley became a critical cog for the Whiteout in 2022, serving as the top line point chaser for the team. Moseley’s defense is comparable to any of the league’s best shutdown point chasers, and they have all of the athleticism and skills required to be a reliable scoring threat. Abbey joins the Riff as an absolute athletic machine. Besides the clear physical attributes, Abbey brings a motivation and enthusiasm that is rarely seen in the sport. Expect Abbey to bring an infectious, high energy personality to this team. Erik Lamb will bring a similar high energy mentality to the team, but with a more experienced background. Lamb’s experience will be vital to provide balance to the Riff’s multiple chaser line assignments this season. As the season progresses, keep an eye on Rae Barnes. Last year, Barnes entered the Riff fresh to the MLQ scene. Now with both a year’s worth of MLQ experience, and USQ experience with the Black Swamp Banshees, expect to see them continue to grow as they take on much heavier workloads this season.
With the addition of highly-experienced players and upgraded offense and defensive playbooks, the 2023 Cleveland Riff are more than capable of gaining their first win since 2021, and can expect at least one series win over the Toronto Raiders or Rochester Whiteout (more likely the latter).
Prediction: 3-3
