7th Annual Lumberjack Invitational Preview

Written by: Cameron VomBaur and Jeremy Taylor

The second Western Collegiate Conference tournament, the Seventh Annual Lumberjack Invitational hosted by the Northern Arizona University Narwhals, is going to be a battle between the teams of Arizona and Utah. This articles shows a look at teams headed to Flagstaff this weekend ranked first to seventh.

1. Arizona State University

Coming off of a 2017-18 season that would’ve seen them comfortably take the WCC if it existed. ASU faces a rebuilding season they’ve knew would be coming. With decimation across all positions, Arizona State will lean on their program’s depth and massive recruiting pool to maintain the high standard they’ve established. And with the program making cuts for Sun Devil Quidditch, this year’s recruiting class looks to be promising. With a starting line’s worth of returners, plus a handful of promoted Sun Devils, the team is a mass of unknown talent. However, athleticism is never an issue for ASU, and talents like chasers Celia Evans and Colton Lish and beaters Kasandra Rascon and Amani Burton will have the opportunity to step out of the shadows of the program stalwarts they’re replacing. Games against NAU and Utah State will help establish the early pecking order of Division 1 outside of California.

Photo: Shirley Lu

2. Arizona Scorpions

Like Nomads at Top of Utah, the first-year Scorpions may have too much experienced firepower for the collegiate program to handle this early in the season. Even if they clearly lack the depth or talent of a top-shelf club team like Nomads, the Scorpions’ front line will certainly be formidable. Former NAU stars Paulo Pena, Christian Stevens, and Colin Statt will slash through defenses again and again. Skilled beaters Paul Davis and Adam Beller, formerly of Utah State and NAU, respectively, will clear lanes for these capable drivers. Come snitch-on-pitch, Davis may seek, or he may keep the black headband to preserve he and Beller’s assumed success in the beater game, leaving another seeker on the roster to pull, perhaps coach Belmina Mehmedagic. Unfortunately, their schedule at Lumberjack seems soft, with all three Division 2 teams on the menu, as well as Utah State. While their tilt with USQC will be the only true test for such a seasoned team, the Scorpions’ less-heralded bench will get opportunities to show they aren’t as top-heavy as they seem.

3. Utah State Quidditch Club

With a 5-0 start against collegiate competition, all out of range, Utah State will try to preserve momentum at their first true road test of the semester. Chasers Paul Marygold, Amber Zehner, and Blake Rodman have scored in bunches, and seeker Kellan Huber has caught 4/6 official snitches so far this season, in addition to two game-winning overtime grabs against an unofficial Crimson Elite to take Crimson Cup in September. As expected, beating has been the strength of the team, with Dru Smith, Alli Bouwman, and Anthony Snapp controlling bludgers and pace. However, this weekend, beating depth will be slightly depleted, with only four true beaters in attendance, and missing Bouwman. Smith and Snapp will need to be at their best during a long day for USU, being the only team in the top four that plays the other three during the tournament.

Photo: Sofia de la Vega

4. NAU Narwhals

After a disappointing trip to Logan for the Top of Utah Classic, including out-of-range losses to Utah State and a rookie heavy Cal, the Narwhals will surely be hungry for a bounceback performance at home. Talent and athleticism isn’t lacking for NAU, but the formations and strategies that worked well enough to beat ASU and USU last season were not effective three weeks ago. The primary reason for this seemed to be a lack of confident beating, as typical chasers Jacob Davis and Chris Hayes saw time at beater, but were unable to generate much momentum. With the minutes they've gained and having Carlos Lopez and Blake Jeffreys back on the roster will provide the experience at the position to allow their chasers to make the sorts of plays they’ve capable of. Playing teams above and below them on this list will give the Narwhals a chance to prove they belong in Division 1 come relegation, but could also show any signs of a Division 2 team nipping at their heels.

Photo: Shirley Lu

5. Raptor Quidditch at the University of Utah

After winning the first match in program history at Crimson Cup in September over Northern Colorado, a slew of injuries and the absence of star keeper Luke Steining kept the University of Utah from making much of an impression at Top of Utah. Steining’s return to a formidable group of drivers and passers will allow for the Raptors to continue to establish themselves as Division 2’s most improved team. So far, the Raptors have focused on giving their new players a great deal of minutes, keeping playing time nearly equal across all lines. They may need to lean more heavily on their front lines if they want to put away the other two D2 squads, but if games are still in range, the diversely skilled and shaped seeking stable of Nathan Liou, Alex Cervantes, Danika Liou, and Steining ought to put close games away, if they can get enough beating support.

Photo: Sofia de la Vega

6. Sun Devil Quidditch

Despite losing a handful of players to ASU’s A team, SDQ maintains a few veterans on the school’s second squad, including Tom Henschel and coach Brook Yearin. While most of the rest of the roster is predictably unknown, the Sun Devils surely benefit from their relationship with their schools other team, and a full 21 person squad indicates that there’s plenty of depth in Tempe. Their lack of experience will likely keep them from posting any impressive results, but an early tournament like Lumberjack will be a great learning experience.

7. University of Arizona

The good news: nearly half of the Wildcats’ roster is returning to Flagstaff from last season. After graduating, Jon Ingram will bring his intelligence and experience back as a coach to a program that may sorely need it. The bad news: “nearly half” here means 3/7, and success for U of A here may just mean making it through a grueling schedule that includes ASU, Scorpions, and Utah State without needing to forfeit. Arizona deserves credit for pulling together a roster from another extremely undersized team, and if injuries can be avoided despite practically no substitutes on the day, hopefully the tournament will galvanize them into building stronger rosters going forward.