Picture Credit: Wade Bricknell

Article by Jason Christensen

HERRIMAN, UT – Friday Night Frisbee did anything but disappoint in the Shred’s return home against the Seattle Cascades.

Salt Lake secured its second win of the season in an instant classic. Their slow start against Seattle in the first half turned into a volley of breaks on their way to a 22-21 victory. Salt Lake’s first lead of the game came in the fourth quarter. Chad Yorgason demonstrated throughout the game why he is a team captain, with several heroic catches contributing to the Shred’s come-from-behind victory. His two goals and team-leading four assists were crucial to bringing the chance of winning the game within range.

Trying to Stop the Bleeding in the First Half

The Cascades lived up to their name in the first quarter, sending down an avalanche of eight scores to Salt Lake’s four. Seattle’s Zeppelin Rownick continued his scoring campaign with two goals in the first few minutes of the game. Before anyone could blink, the Shred were looking down the barrel of a six-point deficit.

“You could tell we had a double bye,” said Coach Bryce Merrill. “We came out really soft, and Seattle took advantage of that, especially in the deep game early.”

Long-range throws proved effective for Seattle throughout the entire game. The Cascade completed 92% of their hucks, compared to Salt Lake’s 50%. That’s far below their average for the season, but they also doubled their attempts compared to their games against Atlanta and Las Vegas. Morale was low among the Shred’s faithful fans, to put it lightly, as Seattle’s lead loomed over them.

But there was still plenty of game to be played.

Making adjustments

A massive huck caught by Chad Yorgason at the buzzer brought some much-needed energy to the offense going into halftime. The message in the locker room was clear: fix the little things, and everything changes.

“We went down early, and there were a couple things we just needed to just change,” said Yorgason. “And a lot of it was that mindset of, we just got to do [...] one small thing better, and if everyone does that one small thing better, then we're going to start getting D’s going and start getting breaks. And that's what happens.”

Coming out of the break, it was clear the Shred had their sights set on reclaiming this game.

Finding a rhythm on offense

The Cascade was first to score again coming out of halftime. Nothing surprising there, based on how the rest of the game had gone up to that point. They went up by five. Then Salt Lake tied it. In five minutes. The Shred’s defense capitalized on several turnovers created by both their playmaking and Seattle’s mistakes, sending their offense into the stratosphere. The defense didn’t let up, successfully taking away the threat of deeper throws.

Coach Merrill said, “Credit to the front three defenders. They started to get the pressure on their throwers that we needed so that we could have the coverage to contain in the back.”

Athletic plays from Salt Lake’s Jace Duennebeil and others tied the game just before the fourth quarter, and ultimately won them the game. One particularly impressive score came from a huck that spanned most of the field’s length. A footrace of three players ensued–two from the Shred, one from the Cascade–and ended with the defender tipping it out of reach of the player next to him, and into the waiting hands of Duennebeil. Great stuff.

Scoring continued to be close through the rest of the game, but Salt Lake never lost its lead. Fans quickly came to the field to celebrate the Shred’s gritty win.

“I love playing in high-intensity games and stressful games,” said Yorgason, “and it's fun to just go out there and compete with guys that are just athletes.”

“Grate” things to come

The game also marked the debut of the Salt Lake Shred’s mascot, a cheese grater wearing a team jersey with “Dread the Shred” written across the back. The mascot selection was the result of a survey where fans voted on what they wanted to represent the team. Another fan vote will determine the mascot’s name in the coming weeks.

The Cascades aren't done with Salt Lake yet. They’ll be looking to get back in the win column when they host the Shred in Washington on May 30. Salt Lake goes from having a double bye to a back-to-back with Seattle and Oregon each hosting May 30 and 31.