June 14, 2019
By Louis Zatzman

Isaiah Masek-Kelly has had a relatively quiet season for the Toronto Rush. He’s long been one of the Rush’s most explosive athletes, but he’s stepped into a smaller role this season. In 2015, Masek-Kelly recorded 50 assists, 51 goals, and 26 blocks as the focal-piece of the Rush’s offense. Even though Masek-Kelly doesn’t fill the same role for Toronto anymore, he remains just as deadly.

This year, Masek-Kelly has tossed five assists and caught one goal. He’s been quiet near the endzone, where he’s preferred to let fellow D-Liners like Jacky Hau or Phil Turner catch all the goals. Masek-Kelly does have five blocks, which shows how critical his athleticism remains to this team. At any moment, he can return to the spotlight and do the spectacular, either launching a disc the length of the field, or jumping over a pile to dunk on opponents.

This weekend, the Rush play the DC Breeze. Despite the season already being half over, DC and Toronto have not yet played; they’re the last divisional opponents that Toronto has yet to face. Last year, they played three times. Though two games were blowout Rush wins, the Breeze won a 25-24 nailbiter on June 9. The Breeze are a high-level team. Though they’re only 4-4 this year, three of those losses have come against the undefeated New York Empire.

The Breeze are led by reigning MVP Rowan McDonnell. McDonnell was also an All-Star captain, and he put up a well-rounded three assists, two goals, and three blocks surrounded by stars, including Toronto’s Cam Harris. McDonnell is a monstrous downfield threat, which is also Masek-Kelly’s role for Toronto’s defense. Even if Masek-Kelly isn’t McDonnell’s primary defender, they should still collide in a variety of moments throughout the game. And for the Rush (5-2) to push their lead for second-place in the division over the Breeze (4-4), Masek-Kelly has to win some of those battles. The Rush are confident, because despite his quiet year, making big plays has always been his speciality. ​