Thrilling Dodgeball Tourney Hits the Mark

By Marshall Borrus It’s that time of the year: Halloween decorations, leaves falling off trees, and a dodgeball tournament. Friday marked the Branford Dodgeball Association’s first tournament, and it was the most exciting yet. A total of 18 teams from all grades were entered, each with their own teacher. Polemini the Slugger was such a hot commodity this year he found himself on two separate teams. Other honorable mentions include underdog Park’s Angels making it to the semifinals and Talpey’s crew pulling it together at the last second to make a quick turnaround into the quarterfinals. Opening Rounds The tournament started with 18 teams and single elimination games. Those who couldn’t quite make the grade fell quick. The first teams to face off in the arena were those of Briganti and Gruendel, with Briganti victorious. They eventually made their way into the quarterfinals where they suffered a saddening loss. In the following rounds, we saw numerous heroic dives, but to little avail. Most notably, Rome McColl of Team Gluck risked life and limb to turn up the heat on his court. Seeing a stray ball and seizing his moment, valiant McColl dove into the line of fire to secure the ball and provide a quick turnover. Much to his surprise, he was quickly pegged without seeing contact on his part. Sporting a similarly great play, Greg Bradshaw of Talpey’s Crew changed the dynamic of his team’s first game with a late match catch and ending it with a curve ball to the side of John McColl’s head. Moving into the Quarterfinals the playable area was reduced to one court. As spectators encircled the battling teams, one could feel the tension. Hopes. Dreams. Foam balls. All balancing on the fragile line separating these elite teams. Rizzi and his group – the Palluzzi Prodigies – made sure to bring out the claws this time and found success once again, advancing to the semifinals against Polemeni. This was the round where we saw Bradshaw fall, noting, “It was heartbreaking to get knocked out, but was overall fun.” Wullaert and his team, sporting all white and bandanas, continued to play very dominantly, controlling the field, and advancing to the semis with ease where they would face Park’s Angels. Semifinals Palluzzi Prodigies and Polemeni Pummelers. Wullaert Bandanas and Park’s Angels. In the first match, Polemeni put up a strong fight against Rizzi but we saw Rizzi come through once again to get the win. Although earlier feigning questions on how he viewed the strength of his team, Park and his squad stood against Wullaert’s fast-paced players. Despite earlier key catches by Jessie O’Connor, they were not able to stay afloat without the towering Park (who earlier was pegged as he wrestled for the first balls of the game). Sophie Angelo described their performance saying, “Mr. Park was the glue that held us together.” The Finals In the final round of the tournament the Palluzzi Prodigies (Kory King, Jake Jacobson, Jay Sullivan, Mikey White, and Ryan Sember) met the Wullaert Bandanas (Mitchell Petrillo, Nick Cordero, Harrison Smith, Scott Klouda, and Brennan Beauton) for gold and glory. Both teams played their best, but only one could come out on top. Catches were abundant from Sullivan and Jacobson, with Mikey White ducking and dodging everything thrown at him. Kory King, his arm (cannon, if you will) gifting The Palluzzi Prodigies the winning shot, secured the title after an exhilarating match. King described his emotions after clinching the win for his team: “I would like to say that my performances during the exhibition rounds were decent but during the final-round I really came out strong. This is the most fun I’ve ever had at high school… Well that is debatable, but still, we are the champions,” he said. “I just put a lot of time and effort into this training, getting prepared, and conditioning for the dodgeball tournament which shows. This is what we are; this is what we do it for.”