May 18, 2024
By Quincey McKeen
For the past couple of years, whoever won between the Salt Lake Shred and the Colorado Summit came out as the West Division Champs. In 2022, that honor went to the Summit; in 2023, the Shred claimed the title.Will Saturday’s game between these two teams continue the pattern? Colorado was missing a few key players, including Jonathan Nethercutt and Quinn Finer, but that alone does not account for the Shred’s emphatic 20-15 win.
The Shred opened the game with a big break, scored by Simon Dastrup. Both teams went on trade holds and breaks, keeping the game close throughout the quarter. It was a quarter of hucks, with some really gorgeous throws and grabs. Joe Merrill ran down a big huck, putting the Shred in a good position to score. And in the last point of the quarter, Alex Atkins threw an insane, full-field huck that Noah Coolman somehow managed to bring down over a big pack of players.
The second quarter opened with a Shred hold and was followed by a mega point, with multiple turns from both sides. Ben Ashton had a big D, getting the frisbee for the Shred. Matt Russnogle, aka Snog, had a huge catch and was fouled, but then overthrew Ashton, giving the frisbee back to the Summit. The Summit had a big throw, but it was misread, leading to another turn. The Summit’s Saeed Semrin played some great defense, getting the frisbee back for the Summit, but then there was another overthrown huck. The Shred had a bobble and a drop and the Summit finally managed to score, for the hold. Throughout the quarter, Ashton and Tony Mounga showed off their defensive prowess, both with big defensive moves that allowed Shred to break. The quarter ended 11-8 for the Shred, definitely not the cleanest quarter for either team.
After the half, the teams trade holds until a great D from Kyle Weinberg leads to a flying bid from Jonny Hoffman for the score. The Shred broke again in the next point, after an amazing layout D from Merrill in the end zone. Unfortunately, the Shred turfed it and the frisbee went back to the Summit. However, the Summit gave it right back after Atkins turfed a throw. Atkins showed moments of brilliance but seemed to be having a rough game, with multiple misthrows, perhaps feeling the pressure of his missing teammates.
Both teams cleaned it up for the fourth quarter, but the Summit were unable to get back into the game. Midway through the quarter, the Summit had a huge block on a Connole huck, and had the chance for back-to-back breaks, but a great read from Jacob Miller got the frisbee back for the Shred, who scored. Ben Field and Elijah Jaime were a fun duo to watch throughout the game, connecting for goals a couple times. Jaime had an amazing game against Colorado, scoring four times. The Shred closed out the game with another Snog break, bringing the score to 20-15. This brings Shred to 5-0 for the season. They maintain their #1 ranking and wrap up two difficult double-header road trips. Jordan Kerr’s MVP campaign continues; he had 6 assists and one goal in the Colorado game, and 10 assists and 2 goals throughout the weekend. The Shred will return home this Saturday (May 25) for a rematch against the San Diego Growlers.
