Tournament Results

Saturday 8/2

Game 1 v Floodwall
13-6
This was the second meeting of these two teams in 2008 (though neither team was at full strength in their June match). Floodwall started out strong with a break and an early lead, but Los answered back to tie it up and re-take the game's momentum. This game set the tone for Los' Saturday - strong defensive pressure on in-cuts, trying to take the opponent out of their comfort zone.

Game 2 v Boneyard
13-6
Game 2 featured another rematch from the June Los Round Robin - though it lacked the testiness of the previous encounter. This game was tight early on, but Los managed to dictate terms both on offense and defense as the match wore on. Boneyard had some nice grabs in the endzone throughout the course of the match, but Los emerged victorious.

Game 3 v Greenville
13-6
The biggest game of the day so far - both teams were undefeated in pool play. And this was another game that was tight early on. Greenville executed their offensive gameplan, using short reset cuts to set-up big sidelines gains or deep shots. With a shorter roster and fatigue setting in, the X-Rates' defensive intensity wasn't as strong - but they managed to keep pressure on and force turns down the stretch. Los continued to build on its day, with the offense executing with increasing accuracy. The Raleigh/Chapel Hill boys looked deep often and Darden (#22) and T. Sayre-McCord (#2) responded with some nice deep snags.

Game 4 v Pike
11-6
Game 4 was preceded by a 45-minute delay due to a series of thunderstorms that had rolled through Highpoint. Before gametime, the TD came by to announce that the round was shortened to accommodate the loss of some fields and an extra round of play. However, this match-up was highly anticipated, and did not feature any let-down in intensity. Los came out strong from the outset, spurred on by the fiery play of James Murray (#7). The North Carolina squad scored the first three points before Pike managed to get on the board. The New Jersey side featured a number of new faces for 2008, and after the initial flurry they settled down and began executing their offense. However, Los' pressure remained constant throughout the match and they captured both the game and the pool.

Sunday 8/3

Quarterfinals v Iron Men
15-11
The Quarterfinals featured the first ever match-up between Iron Men (Birmingham, AL) and Los (NC). Iron Men had dispatched the new DC team - Eastern Motors - and Los was coming off a bye-round, but despite this the North Carolina squad seemed to have more energy in the first half. Los' offense was unbroken and the defense kept the pressure on to take half 8-4. The second half seemed to be more of the same and Los opened with two more breaks, taking a commanding lead - 10-4. However, the momentum began to swing after this. The Birmingham boys started to execute their offense, punishing any defensive lapses, and the Iron Men defense began to chip away at the lead with a number of break points. The game tightened up considerably - but Los managed to hang on for the win and their second-consecutive semifinal match against a Ring of Fire squad.

Semifinals v Ring Y
5-15
Los received a needed wake-up call in the semifinal match, courtesy of the Ring O squad. The letdown in the second half against Iron Men continued into this game and Los was ineffective on both offense and defense. The cross-town team took advantage of each mistake and gave no ground. Los took the drubbing and vowed to use the lessons in practice and its preparation for Chesapeake in two weeks.