June 21, 2024
By, Quincey McKeen
There were many questions leading up to the Salt Lake Shred versus Los Angeles Aviators game. How will the Shred come back after their one-point defeat to the Colorado Summit? How will they handle missing some of their O-line stalwarts? Elijah Jaime was unable to make it out and Jordan Kerr did not play due to a broken hand (broken in the Colorado game after a collision with another player). This was the first game in Shred’s 37-game history that Kerr has missed.*
The repercussions of the Colorado game continued, with Matt Russnogle suspended for the first quarter of the game. This didn’t stop the Shred from getting a break in the first point of the game, scored by Ben Field, who moved over from the O-line. A few points later, Field went up for a huge D and landed hard. He was able to walk off the field, but did not return to play. The Aviators got their first break of the game after a Shred huck went too far, bringing the score 2-3, on serve for the Aviators. After trading a couple holds, the Aviators got another break. Shred is able to break back in the final point of the quarter, after the Aviators stalled out right outside of the Shred end zone. John Hanni got his first point of the game, in his first game of the season. The quarter ended tied, 5-5.
The second quarter opened with a series of hucks. The Shred scored with a huck from Jace Duennebeil to Sean Connole, followed by a big huck for the goal by the Aviators.The Shred got their first break of the quarter after an overthrown Aviator dump throw - Nathan Huff hit Kyle Weinberg for the Shred goal. The Aviators got the break back a couple points later in a long point, after a timeout and a complete line change. As the commentators wisely noted, sometimes to go forward, you gotta go backwards, and the Aviators were not afraid to gain negative yards until the right cuts opened up downfield. The Aviators scored and tied the game at 8-8. In the most exciting point of the quarter, Hanni made his presence known with a big lay out D on an upline pass. Ben Ashton quickly picked up the frisbee and hucked it deep, but it was D’d by a frisbee mob. Tony Mounga went on to get a double D - interrupting the pass, but having to chase it down to ensure the turn. Mounga was a crowd favorite all night: there were numerous Mounga face signs and chants of “Mounga” when he took the field. Joe Merrill hit Chad Yorgason in the end zone for the break. The Aviators ended the quarter with a hold - a big huck to another mob of players, with Milan Ravenell able to reel it in. The quarter ended 11-10 for the Shred.
The Aviators continued their hucking strategy in the third quarter. A floaty Aviator throw was swatted down by Merrill, but a Shred huck attempt was D’d by Everest Shapiro and the Aviators answered with their own huck for the goal, tying the game again. The teams traded holds until Chad Yorgason got the D on a reset and scored for the bookends. The Aviators scored on a huck, the Shred worked it down the field, the Aviators scored on a big Ravenell huck, rinse and repeat. A huck from Connole found Simon Dastrup just outside the end zone. He floated it in to Grant Lindsley, who got it on the second attempt. Dastrup moved over to the O-line for this game, a change that seemed to go over well. Dastrup got open with ease and kept the frisbee moving, despite numerous shoulder injuries from this and previous seasons. After another Shred hold, the Shred got their second break of the quarter, after an Aviator huck attempt went awry. Merrill whipped out a huck to Weinberg, who pizza tossed it to Chad Yorgason for the goal. Connole had a great game, on both sides of the frisbee. He scored the final point of the quarter with some quick feet to toe it in, catching a quick inside pass from Jacob Miller. The third quarter ended 18-15 for the Shred!
The Shred managed to open the fourth quarter with a hold after a dicey beginning. A Connole huck to Duennebeil floated a bit too much and Eddie Finley was able to swat it away. The Aviators worked it down the field with some quick give-and-go’s, but McKay Yorgason pounced and got the D, leading to a Shred goal from Dastrup to an emphatic Duennebeil, bringing the score to 19-15. Then the Shred got on the break train, with a goal from Alex Forsberg, another player stepping up to play in his first game of the season. The crowd was stoked to see him out there and his goal brought chants of “Forsberg, Forsberg, Forsberg” from the stands. An amazing pull from Eugene L’Heureux floated for absolute days, which allowed the Shred defense to get down the field and set up. Defense forced the turn and Mounga hit Ashton for the goal. Connole reeled in a big throw despite two Aviator defenders right on his tail, bringing the score to 22-16. The Aviators continued to take and make the big shots deep. One Ravenell huck to James Franklin was nicely covered by Forsberg and Merrill and the Shred got the turn, but an unclear foul gave it back to Aviators, who capitalized and scored. Franklin had a great game for the Aviators, with one assist, five goals, and one block in this game. The Aviators then got a break in the final minutes of the game. Shred was playing catch all over the field: forward, backward, side to side, but Sean McDougal was in the right place at the right time and disrupted a pass, bringing the score to 23-19, much to the delight of all (see: Monsters, Inc.) The Shred kept to their plan and kept the quick passes coming, with 30 seconds left, until they had secured the win. Now the Shred have one week to regroup and refocus before they head East to take on the New York Empire.
*Of the 37 Shred games, Jacob Miller and Luke Yorgason have played in all 37; Chad Yorgason and Jordan Kerr have played in 36; Sean Connole has played in 35; and Kyle Weinberg has played in 34. Shred legends, all.
