by Get Lynned » Thu Apr 07, 2016 10:12 pm
Good thread, thanks for starting it. I believe we had several threads similar to this on the old createphpbb board (RIP), and as far as I know they were always awesome to read, post, engage, etc. Plus one could always put names to a face when the tournament rolled around!
As to the tournament...
I'll only make a prediction for the top 12 -
"Locks": Solon, Sidney, Northmont, Tipp, Scioto, Boardman, Copley, Westlake / on "the bubble": Jerome, St. Charles, Beavercreek, Fisher, Liberty, Harding, Wellington, Mason
Miscellaneous thoughts
1) Enjoy playing @ St. Charles if its your first time. The classrooms have a "neat" feeling to them and the building is nice. You may find its different (in a cool way) from other schools you've played in.
2) Most of us on the board have obviously met each other in real life, but I realize some have not. If for any reason you want to meet the miserable, pale-faced soul that is me, I'll be wearing a gray CU-Boulder sweatshirt up until round 1 starts, after which I'll look more presentable.
In previous years, there has generally been a "shocker" or an "upset" or a "darkhorse" at the NAQT States competition.
2012 - Beachwood/Lizzie Bream, who didn't have Scott Remer present (which, if you know how good he was), upset Olmsted Falls A in the morning round. By some standards, that was a stacked Olmsted Falls team. Two other things happened that year: Hawken, which that year was a huge question mark (because so little was really known about the team, other than the fact they were known to be [really] good in NE Ohio) came in and took second. The other story line was Hawken vs Michael Coates and the Warren G Homage crew (Harding) in the final. Harding beat Hawken to win the State Title.
2013 - Two things happened: for the second year in a row, Olmsted Falls had a loss in the preliminary portion that made everyone say "whoa, where did that come from?". They lost to Bexley, and not to speak ill of that Bexley squad, but that was probably the bigger of the two upsets OF experienced between the two states competitions those two years.
The other thing that happened was basically madness. Madness that was fun from a player's perspective, as every team had a loss. Sycamore was the only school to beat Northmont @ '13 NAQT States. We beat Sycamore twice (morning, afternoon) that day, but we had a string of losses in afternoon (and in some way, shape, or form, other schools did too - believe me when I say it was madness.) Sycamore didn't end up playing for the title because of their two losses to us and Olmsted Falls (after OF lost to Bexley that morning). Northmont d. Solon in game 1 of an advantaged final (IIRC) in what was upsets galore.
(I also deeply miss the rivalry we had with Sycamore. Good times, good times...) Also, this was the final year of NAQT States being held at Ohio State.
2014 - there wasn't really an upset IIRC, but I remember us playing Dublin Jerome in round 1 (when they had Roger Jin, who was pretty legit). We were beating Jerome 370-330 approaching tossup 20, the last. (So up 40, I think to myself "play smart Tom, play smart") TOSSUP 20: "In the 2006 edition of this game, Vince Young (okay Tom, its one or the other, DON'T FALL FOR NEGBAIT) ran-" *Roger takes the gamble and correctly powers Rose Bowl* (national title game would've been acceptable, I learned, after the fact. But if there was one ad hoc "WHICH ONE ARE THEY ASKING FOR" moment I can recall, that was it). They got 20/30 on the bonus, and we won by five. What's probably worth taking from that was, while not a *rule*, but generally your first match is either lopsided in a good way or a bad way, but I don't think anyone (myself included) knew how good the Jerome team was because they didn't play hardly any events before that. J
Jerome beat South Range that morning too. SR, for those who don't know (I realize most people on this board know this, but some may not) was pretty good. Objectively, that would be a considered an upset, a big one too. Although, given how well Jerome played us in the morning, and that we beat SR comfortably the next round, it made sense in retrospect that Jerome was going to give SR a 20-tossup game.
2015 - I actually don't think there were any upsets (I could be wrong.) Then again, I barely remember who I read for last year.
Thomas Moore
Ohio Wesleyan '18
Retired from online, for good.