Northern Virginia Hams Rain Down Goals Galore Against Maryland Bogans In Grand Final

West Potomac Park, Washington, DC - 31 May 2008

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Over the course of the season, Northern Virginia has been the team to beat. Riding momentum from their dominating performance in last season's grand final (114-15), the Hams took to this season's metro like a fish to water. Piling points up on the scoreboard and doubling overall points against both DC and Maryland, losing only one game in four games played in local action, losing by one point in the inaugural Liberty Cup metro tournament's grand final, all the Hams had to do to cap off a fantastic metro season was quickly dispatch of Maryland's surprising and youthful surge at the end of the metro season.

On the other side of the field was a Maryland Bogans team that has really picked up energy and excitement for the game. With a handful of veteran players and a core of first year players, Maryland shocked the more experienced DC Capital Punishment in the final week of regular play and thus earning them a shot at the Denis Ryan Cup against the Northern Virginia Hams.

Braving foul weather, teams arrived at West Potomac Park for a heated exchange of play that capped off another great season of local action.

With Northern Virginia notching the first goal on the day, Maryland was quick to respond by kicking one of their own in. Battles in the middle with Alistair and Geoff contesting at ruck made for some quick snaps from engine rooms consisting of Stuart Ritchie, Jay Levesque and Dave Waldron for Northern Virginia and Shane Frearson, Denis Ryan and Troy Venuto for Maryland.

Start of the second, Northern Virginia took things up a notch as ball movement was rather easy and the kicks were straight on from 35-45 yards out. Using fitness and good ball reading, the Hams exploited Maryland's hesitation and took the game out of the Bogan's reach.

Knowing that they had nothing to lose and that giving the Hams a challenge for loose balls, the Bogans played with renewed vigor for the first five minutes. But fitness and experience prevailed for the Hams as they quenched those fast breaks and piled on more and more goals. Losing Shane Frearson to a groin injury also didn't help matters for the purple and black as Northern Virginia were just hitting stride.

Finishing the game up, the Bogans were outplayed and took encouragement that no one gave up the intensity even though the scoreboard was completely owned by the Hams. Meanwhile, Northern Virginia walked off cleanly with their second consecutive Metro title and established themselves as the most dominant local squad since metro was installed. Congratulations to the Hams on a fantastic metro season!

QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: NVA 7.2 (44) to MD 2.1 (13); 02Q: NVA 15.5 (95) to MD 2.2 (14); 03Q: NVA 21.8 (134) to MD 3.5 (23); 04Q: NVA 25.17 (173) to MD 4.6 (30)

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GOALS:
NVA: Boyd, Moore (5); Blanchard (4); Bludau, Levesque, Ritchie, Waldron (2); Hamshar, Polsusny, Stanley, Tyndall (1 ea.)
MD: Alistair, Florence, Marshall, Ryan (1 ea.)

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PLAYERS:
NVA: Wheelock, Hamshar, Ritchie, Tyndall, Levesque, Stanley, Polsusny, Waldron, Moore, Blanchard, Boyd, Bludau, Kyle ???

DC: Ryan, Schall, Stankovic, Stablein, Venuto, Fenlon, Smith, Florence, Alistair ???, Goodman, Marshall, Rich ???, Frearson

Umpire: Bishop   Boundry/Goal Umpires: Borchardt, Elliott, Chase, Merlin

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Northern Virginia and Maryland Represent At Inaugural Liberty Cup Tournament

FDR Park, Philadelphia, PA - 17 May 2008

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Years ago when Baltimore Washington drafted up their metro competition, one of the hopes would be to have a six team metro system between the Eagles and the Hawks in Philadelphia. Due to team directions and recruitment, the Eagles' focused on a three team, local system with the Hawks focusing on a local development of two teams. With a new year and new aspirations, it was decided that both clubs would combine for one weekend and have a metro tournament and get in some quick games to better introduce each teams' newer players to the game in a fun and learning environment.

Taking the trip up north, the Eagles' top two squads of Maryland Bogans and Northern Virginia Hams would square off against Philadelphia's own Old City Benjamins and the South Street Whiz. The weekend saw a lot of action, the occasional injury and plenty of excitement as fourteen players (who had never played contact footy before) combined with veterans in a day-long tournament that eventually saw the Old City Benjamins (1-1) challenge the Northern Virginia Hams (2-0) in a epic grand final. At day's end, the Old City Benjamins tallied one point over the Hams to claim title to the inaugural Liberty Metro Cup.

A great day was had by all and there was something for everyone. New players learned and feasted on the excitement of at least two games of hard hitting football, with veteran players shaking off some of the rust and having a kick against some familiar faces. A big thanks goes out to the Philly boys for hosting the event; Alex, Jon, Ryan especially. We can't wait to see which metro team will take the trophy in next years' event!

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>> Pictures from the weekend's games

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GAME #1 SCORES:
Old City Benjamins vs. Maryland Bogans

01H: OCB 4.2 (26) to MD 2.3 (15); 02H: OCB 8.3 (51) to MD 7.3 (45)

GOALS:
MD: Florence (3); Frearson (2); Borchardt, Venuto (1 ea.)

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GAME #2 SCORES:
Northern Virginia vs. South Philly Whiz

01H: NVA 4.6 (20) to SPW 1.1 (7); 02H: NVA 9.13 (67) to SPW 3.3 (21)

GOALS:
NVA: Boyd (3); Ritchie (2); Chase, Wheelock, Waldron, Levesque (1 ea.)

GAME #3 SCORES:

Maryland Bogans vs. South Philly Whiz

01H: MD 3.3 (21) to SPW 3.3 (21); 02H: MD 9.7 (61) to SPW 4.5 (29)

GOALS:
MD: Florence (4); Alistair, Borchardt, Frearson, Lilly, Ryan (1 ea.)

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GAME #4 SCORES:
Northern Virginia vs. Old City Benjamins

01H: NVA 4.2 (26) to OCB 3.1 (19); 02H: NVA 9.4 (58) to OCB 8.1 (49)

GOALS:
NVA: Chase (4); Goodman (3); Ritchie, Wheelock (1 ea.)

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GRAND FINAL SCORES:
Old City Benjamins vs. Northern Virginia

01H: OCB 1.0 (6) to NVA 2.7 (19); 02H: OCB 5.1 (31) to NVA 3.12 (30)

GOALS:
NVA: Boyd (2); Bludau (1)

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PLAYERS:
MD: Ryan, Schall, Frearson, Stablein, Venuto, Fenlon, Smith, Borchardt, Lilly, Alistair, John, Brian, Florence

NVA: Wheelock, Chase, Goodman, Strayer, Hamshar, Kyle, Bludau, Waldron, Polsusny, Boyd, Levesque, Ritchie

Umpire & Scores: Ryan & Ritchie (numerous guys boundary & goal umpires)

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Maryland Breaks Through And Into the BWE Metro Spring Grand Final To Face NVA

West Potomac Park, Washington, DC - 10 May 2008

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Between storms that pounded the Washington, DC area, seventeen Eagles players descended on West Potomac Park and played the final game to round two of the 2008 BWE spring season. DC's Capital Punishment, though short a few key players, made up for things by tapping into some stellar Northern Virginia mates. On the other side of the coin, the Maryland Bogans came with a squad just short of their full roster, picking up a aussie defense guy, Shaun, who's in the area for a couple of weeks and looking for a good hit out.

With the winner of this match going on to play for the Denis Ryan Cup in the 2008 BWE Metro Grand Final against Northern Virginia, both teams put in a good fight with plenty of quick maneuvers, lots of spectacular plays and some real cohesion going on among players.

Immediately Maryland struck fast and struck hard as players piled up five goals and sent DC scrambling into defensive mode. Sticking the new guy in as ruck against DC's aussie Alistair, the center went straight to work with Dwayne Marshall and Dave Waldron doing battle for the scraps and making the most of any open space that their respective forwards could find. This would be a trial by fire for newcomer and American Seth who had only previously played in Ausball games before. Taking the game in as a forward pocket, Seth actively sought opportunities as Cord Chase worked aggressively against a tough and veteran Maryland backline of Schall, Smith and Ryan. At whistle's time, Maryland had a dominating lead of 33-0.

Coming out of their huddles, both sides clashed with even more vigor as players like Greg Borchardt, Shane Frearson and Ben Merlin elevated the level of play with some fantastic decisions and fancy moves on the overgrown grassy pitch. Taking a note from his fellow veteran players, Jonathan Mott towered on defense with some great plays as he threw his body into every pack for the loose ball. By half time, Maryland still held a lead but DC was slowly working their way back into the picture, 39-26.

Inside the huddle on the Maryland side, head coach Denis Ryan encouraged players to step up on being accountable for the guy next to them. With communication being key, Maryland felt confident on Ryan's words and took things to heart stepping back onto the field. Popping in four more goals on the feet of Danny Thompson, Dwayne Marshall and Shane Frearson, Maryland felt a victory was ever so close. However, DC fought tooth and nail for the loose balls that they then turned over into the waiting arms of their forward line of Chris Carroll, Chase and Merlin. With everything on the line in the third quarter, things were pretty much a wash with both teams clawing for every point they could muster. Maryland still held a death grip on the lead over DC, 67-49.

Allowing DC back into the game would be a serious mistake, so Maryland entered the fourth and final quarter with a sudden shift of energy and some monstrous plays. Perhaps nothing capped the game off more-so in a one massive play that involved all eight of the Maryland players touching the ball from a kick-out by Schall and ending with Danny Thompson kicking a goal on a surprised DC backline. Teamwork, via communication, follow-ups and determination pushed Maryland into another gear and they finished the day with a commanding 28 point victory over arch-rivals DC. Great stuff by all and a big thanks goes out to Aaron Tyndall for hustling all over the field as the umpire and score keeper.
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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: MD 5.3 (33) to DC 0.0 (0); 02Q: MD 6.3 (39) to DC 4.2 (26); 03Q: MD 10.7 (67) to DC 7.7 (49); 04Q: MD 17.13 (115) to DC 11.9 (75)

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GOALS:
MD: Marshall (9); Frearson (4); Shaun ??? (2); Lilly, Thompson (1 ea.)
DC: Chase (3); Borchardt, Carroll, Merlin (2); Mott, Waldron (1 ea.)

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PLAYERS:
MD: Marshall, Frearson, Ryan, Lilly, Schall, Smith, Shaun ???, Thompson

DC: Merlin, Borchardt, Carroll, Chase, Mott, Alistair ???, Waldron, Seth ???

Umpire & Scores: Tyndall

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Northern Virginia Suffers Their First Loss Of The Season Against Maryland

Bonvegna Park, Baltimore, Maryland - 03 May 2008

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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: MD 3.3 (21) to NVA 1.3 (9); 02Q: MD 6.5 (41) to NVA 4.6 (30); 03Q: MD 10.6 (66) to NVA 6.11 (47); 04Q: MD 13.8 (86) to NVA 10.11 (71)

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GOALS:
MD: Marshall (5); Frearson (4); Ryan, Smith, Stankovic, Venuto (1 each)
DC: Goodman (4); Bludau, Wheelock (2); Levesque, Poslusny (1 each)

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Northern Virginia Hams Serve Up Some Serious Capital "Punishment"

Kenmore Middle School, Arlington, Virginia - 19 April 2008

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The NOVA Hams continued in their dominating ways, handing out a football lesson to the DC Capitals on their way to a just under 100 point victory in round 4 of Metro footy.
It wasn’t so much that DC was undermanned, it was more the power of the NOVA lineup that was missing some stars of its own.

They work so well together that you could be forgiven for thinking that they’d be able to take on and beat North Carolina next week all on their own. Working the rotations and running in numbers so well, RJ had his charges pouncing on every turnover and capitalizing to take the life out of the DC team.

This wasn’t helped by the apparent impending sense of doom that hung over the Capitals before proceedings began. A listless and insipid first quarter by DC saw Virginia kick six straight goals before the Capitals were able to apply enough pressure to make them miss a shot.

What’s so amazing about the NOVA team is the depth of their talent pool. Missing stars AT, Damo and new Revolution representative, Jay, they slotted newcomers Brandon and Kyle straight into the team as if they’d been playing for years. There’s some raw talent and strength in both of these guys and they seem such a natural fit for the game, that if they keep at it, one day could see them running out in the stars and stripes alongside teammates RJ and Jay.

And then of course, there’s the mercurial James Boyd. Having had more weight fluctuations than Oprah Winfrey, at first Boydy couldn’t find a jumper to fit him. Once on the field though, he twisted and turned like Dwayne Marshall at his best and most importantly, kicked through a gun barrel at every opportunity, of which there were plenty. On his way to 12 goals, he’d kicked 9 straight before he finally missed the big sticks.

From my observation, the Revolution still lacks a consistent, reliable full forward who’ll make the most of his chances. A different set of circumstances and the right motivating inspiration and Boydy would be making the trip to Aus in August with best mate RJ. There’s no doubt the talent is there and it’s a shame he didn’t find it.

DC’s pride clawed them out of their funk as they certainly tried harder as the game wore on, outscoring the Hams in the last quarter until the last kick of the day saw RJ kick his fourth. With the Spring Metro season seemingly in the bag, we can only hope the Hams maintain their level of professionalism. Let’s hope they bring DC and Maryland up, not the other way round.

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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: DC 1.0 (6) to NVA 7.1 (43); 02Q: DC 3.1 (19) to NVA 11.4 (70); 03Q: DC 3.3 (21) to NVA 18.7 (115); 04Q: DC 6.5 (40) to NVA 22.11 (143)

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GOALS:
DC: Florence (3); Elliott (2); Goodman (1)
NVA: Boyd (12); Wheelock (4); Ritchie (2); Waldron, Stanley, Kyle, Bludau (1 ea.)

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PLAYERS:
DC: Elliott, Bishop, Goodman, Mott, Borchardt, Venuto, Stablein, Florence, Pritchard

NVA: Wheelock, Bludau, Poslusny, Stanley, Hamshar, Waldron, Ritchie, Kyle

Umpire & Scores: Ryan

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Tightly Contested Battle As Maryland Falls To DC By Three Points

George Washington Middle School, Arlington, Virginia - 05 April 2008

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Chased away by rain-soaked fields at the Eagles' new home ground, metro teams Maryland and Washington, DC were forced to square off at George Washington Middle School. Either it was the anticipation of the upcoming Fort Lauderdale Tournament or it was having to play yet another game on rocks and sand, both teams fought tooth and nail for every loose ball and field space. In the end, nobody knew who had the lead until both sides had wrapped things up and realized that DC pulled ahead in the last few minutes with three points more over Maryland, 12.5 (77) to 11.8 (74).

Maryland, attempting to bounce back from a difficult match the week prior, ran with the lead up until the half. With some fantastic stuff on all ends of the field, they played the game with passion as coach Denis Ryan organized a game strategy that set most of the DC players reeling with on their own kick outs. Some great stuff from the likes of Dwayne Marshall, Joe Lilly, Phil Stablein and new American Rich who, in only his second game rucking, challenged a younger, more experienced Denver Rob repeatedly.

On the flipside of the field, veterans like Garth Elliott, Aaron Pritchard, Matt Bishop and Cord Chase stepped things up and had a stellar showing. Garth piled on the goals as he walked away from the day with six to his name. Trying to stuff up the middle where Maryland veterans Denis, Dwayne and RJ Wheelock resided, DC played to the strengths of the sides, where with long and precise kicking, peppered the Maryland backline. Any missed targets were immediately scooped up by the likes of Tony Goodman, Wes Brightman and Cord Chase.

As one player remarked at the game's closing, "this was by far one of the best metro games I've played in a long while." This game has assured the committee and the coaches that metro intensity is indeed back on the map and that newer players are experiencing that next step, from non-contact ausball matches to the full-on run that is Aussie Rules. Great stuff all around.

Due to the Fort Lauderdale Tournament next weekend, the next round of metro will pick back up the following weekend as we start the second and final stretch of the spring season. With weather permitting, we'll be breaking in the new fields at Kenmore Middle School.

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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: DC 2.3 (15) to MD 3.3 (21); 02Q: DC 4.3 (27) to MD 4.6 (30); 03Q: DC 10.5 (65) to MD 9.7 (61); 04Q: DC 12.5 (77) to MD 11.8 (74)

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GOALS:
DC: Elliott (6); Chase (3); Goodman (2), Bishop (1)
MD: Thompson (4); Marshall (3); Stablein (2); Lilly, Wheelock (1 ea.)

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PLAYERS:
DC: Bishop, Borchardt, Boyd, Brightman, Chase, Denver Rob, Elliott, Goodman, Mott, Pritchard, Strayer

MD: American Rich, Lilly, Marshall, Ryan, Schall, Smith, Stankovic, Thompson, Wheelock

Umpires: Levesque, Waldron Scores: A.Bishop, D.Wheelock

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Northern Virginia Uses Experience To Dominate Fresh Maryland Side

George Washington Middle School, Arlington, Virginia - 29 March 2008

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Another impressive victory by coach RJ Wheelock and the Northern Virginia Hams this past Saturday as they handedly beat a new Maryland side by the score of 15.21 (111) to 3.4 (22).

Maryland, led by coach Denis Ryan, had six new players ruck up to the field to play their first ever contest outside of ausball. Quite the introduction as Northern Virginia dominated the middle and flooded Maryland's backline with shots from 35-40 yards out.

Riding the backs of some stellar footwork by the likes of Jay Levesque, Stuart Ritchie, Kevin Stanley, Geoff Hamshar, David Waldron and Nate Polsusny, the Hams pounded the packs and played a smart game with little turnovers.

As bad as things got on Maryland, the side never put their heads down and instead, set their minds to learn what they were doing wrong and how to make them right. Players like Philip Stablein, Troy Venuto and Joe Lilly all had a good show and added pressure on the ball in the middle whereas Shane Frearson and Dwayne Marshall pulled the socks up that much more and sacrificed their bodies on every play that came their way.

Overall, it was a great victory for the Hams who now roll onto a bye-week undefeated and the Maryland Bogans take away a fantastic effort and a learning experience that hopefully will pay out against the DC Capital Punishment next weekend on the Eagles' new home ground in Arlington, Virginia.

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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: NVA 4.6 (30) to MD 0.1 (1); 02Q: NVA 6.9 (45) to MD 2.2 (14); 03Q: NVA 12.13 (85) to MD 3.2 (20); 04Q: NVA 15.21 (111) to MD 3.4 (22)

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GOALS:
NVA: Polsusny, Wheelock (4); J.Levesque (3); Stanley (2), R.Levesque, Ritchie (1)
MD: Marshall (2); Thompson (1)

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PLAYERS:
NVA: Hamshar, J.Levesque, R.Levesque, Moore, Polsusny, Ritchie, Stanley, Waldron, Wheelock, Ben, Brandon,

MD: Brunton, Fenlon, S.Frearson, Lilly, Marshall, Ryan, Schall, Smith, Stablein, Stankovic, Thompson, Venuto, American Rich

Umpires: M.Bishop, Borchardt, Brightman, Mott, Strayer Scores: A.Bishop, G.Frearson

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Northern Virginia Hams Start The Year Off Where They Left Off... At The Top Of The Ladder

George Washington Middle School, Arlington, Virginia - 15 March 2008

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An impressive first match as Northern Virginia continued their winning ways and sealed a tight victory over adversaries, the DC Capital Punishment by a final score of 9.11 (65) to 8.6 (54).

Led by returning head coach RJ Wheelock, Northern Virginia started strong and then went into a second quarter shell as DC powered their way to a halftime lead of ten on the backs of veterans Matty Bishop, Garth Elliott and Greg Borchardt.

Sensing how close they were, the Hams rallied up and put 29 points on DC's backline by the end of the third. With a wiley fourth quarter, players were holding nothing back as both teams peppered shots from one end of the field to the other. Stand out performances from some notable veterans like Aaron Pritchard, Jon Mott, Jake Engwerda from DC and Nate Polsusny, Geoff Hamshar, Kevin Stanley and James Boyd from the NVA squad. Some excellent stuff from first timers, Eric and Ben who both laced them up with the Eagles for the first time. Both contributed to some major plays and brought some fresh new faces to the Eagles' day out.

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QUARTER SCORES:
01Q: NVA 3.1 (19) to DC 1.2 (8); 02Q: NVA 3.5 (23) to DC 5.3 (33); 03Q: NVA 7.10 (52) to DC 5.4 (34); 04Q: NVA 9.11 (65) to DC 8.6 (54)

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GOALS:
NVA: Chase (3); Boyd (2); Moore, Stanley, Waldron, Wheelock (1)
DC: Elliott (4); Bishop (2); Borchardt, Pritchard (1)

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PLAYERS:
NVA: Boyd, Chase, Hamshar, Moore, Polsusny, Stanley, Waldron, Wheelock, Eric, Dennis

DC: Bishop, Borchardt, Brightman, Carroll, Elliott, Engwerda, Goodman, Mott, Pritchard, Strayer, Ben

Umpires: Marshall, Ryan; Scores: Schall

>> Click here for a snippet of game footage from USFootyNews.com

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SPRING GRAND FINAL

Marshall

Dorobowski

Knuth