RECAP: MVHS Dodgeball Tournament

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

The third annual MVHS Dodgeball Tournament took place this February. It was open to all students at Moapa Valley High school. The MVHS Student Council started the tournament in 2017 as an exciting opportunity to get students from various groups involved.

With sixteen teams, the tournament saw an increase in participation from their thirteen-team bracket the year before. Each team carried six players: three girls and three boys. Fifteen of the teams included exclusively students, while one team was headlined by MVHS teachers Kevin Walker, Gavin Coburn, Michelle Anderson, and Lisa Cornwall.

Coburn and Cornwall were apart of last year’s championship winning squad, but this year Goliath met David in the first game of the tournament: The crew of teachers, known by their team name I Love the 90s, ironically lost to The Losers, which was made up entirely of freshmen.

This set the tone for a first round full of upsets; upperclassmen could not catch a break in last Wednesday’s games.

Notable senior teams included the Average Joes, who have been around for three consecutive tournaments, and Jerrick’s Angels, who have been around for two. Both lost in their first match to underclassmen teams. The squad that defeated the Average Joes called themselves 4 on 6. Their team was formed the evening of the tournament and quickly became the Cinderella story of the night. The makeshift team of sophomores went on to make it to the final four, joining The Significant Six, The Rollers, and The Heaters.

To get to the championship match, The Rollers topped The Heaters in one of the evening’s best games. The Rollers’ lineup featured Luke Bennett, Hunter Wrzesinski, Coby Longman, Abbie Evans, Ellie Cornwall, and Kaitlyn Anderson. In the other semifinal, it was the bracket-busting team called 4 on 6 that conquered yet another team of upperclassmen, the Significant Six. The roster for 4 on 6 included Justin Proffitt, Emilie Lyon, Bailee Andrew, Fox Soderquist, Dillon Jones, and Annabel Lounsbury.

In the championship, it was a one-sided affair from start to finish. In a school assembly in front of the entire student body, the Rollers and 4 on 6 met in a best two-out-of-three showcase. The event was complete with commentators, officials, and arena-like boundaries. Despite their Cinderella run, 4 on 6 met the powerful throwing arms of the Rollers. The six members of the Rollers beat 4 on 6 in two rounds and claimed the championship trophy.

The third annual Dodgeball Tournament was a success in the eyes of its founders. Senior Abby Rose, the Student Council Dodgeball Committee Chairperson, said, “I think it went really well. We had a really awesome turnout!”

Rose also highlighted the emergence of 4 on 6, saying their run to the championship match was “really fun to watch.” Rose hopes the tournament lives beyond the current class of seniors that created it.

The MVHS Dodgeball Tournament is carving its spot as one of Moapa Valley’s great traditions.