(BALLWIN, MO) Saturday night’s conclusion of the six-event regular season cycle for the Arch Rival Roller Girls (ARRG) and GateKeepers Roller Derby (GKRD) saw the victors post impressive wins as they surge into next month’s championship finale.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
In front of 750 at Midwest Sport Hockey, the M-80s notched a 226-169 victory over the Stunt Devils in the women’s main event while the Central West Friends posted a 204-149 duke over the Creve Coroners in the men’s opener.
Both winning squads will compete for their respective league’s local title on April 2 in Ballwin as the M-80s (3-1) face the defending champion Stunt Devils (2-2) in a re-match for the ARRG trophy game while the Central West Friends (3-1) tangle with the Raiders of Forest Park (3-1) for the GKRD Turf Wars championship.
ARRG: M-80s 226 STUNT DEVILS 169
The M-80s possessed a calculated methodology Saturday night against ARRG’s reigning queenpins. Knowing that they would face them again in three weeks for the league title, the M-80s elected to not display all their collective cards on the table by keeping the team’s top scoring jammer, D’Manda Flapjack and her 100-plus points per game average, contained to primarily blocking responsibilities. This, combined with the utilization of nine jammers overall, kept the Stunts perpetually perplexed as to how each jam’s skater line-up would unfold.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
Consider it a winning formula as the M-80s notched its second straight win and split the regular season match-ups between the pair.
Conversely, the Stunt Devils were playing its own numbers game prior to the first whistle as injuries and absences resulted in a shortage of players. It resulted in the one-time acquisition of four skaters from the Smashinistas, who had already concluded its regular season and was eliminated from the title picture last month.
With the additional quartet supplementing the roster, the Stunts grabbed a 27-12 lead three minutes in following a 27-8 non-lead power jam for Bricktator. The M-80s stopped the surge with Bloody Gaga’s nine-point jam with 25:30 left that whittled the score to 27-21.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
On the next rotation, Let’s Get Beard recorded a 29-point backbreaker via the powerjam, resulting in 50-27 scoreboard flip in favor of the M-80s at the 23:00 mark.
The Stunts Devils countered with a 14-0 rally over the next four jams. Back-to-back four-pointers from Bricktator and Flash (one of the aforementioned acquisitions) was followed by a pair of three-pointers from Salty (addition number two) and Bricktator that narrowed the M-80s’ lead to 50-41 with 18:10 left in the period.
The M-80s shifted momentum and possessed a 63-43 lead following Snotface’s nine-point strike at the period’s midway point.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
By capitalizing on power jams, the Stunts churned a 26-4 rally over the next three jams, resulting in the game’s fourth lead change. Trailing 67-50 heading into Jam 15, Bricktator’s 19-point power jam gave the defending ARRG champs a 69-67 advantage with 11:30 remaining.
The M-80s flipped the script and shot the plot with its own power jam on the next rotation as Gaga’s 23-point strike logged the “lumberjills” a 90-69 edge with 9:30 left. This launched a M-80s’ 42-0 rally as Paul Funyun added 10 in Jam 17 and Warpath O’ Jen finished the stretch run with a nine-pointer with 6:30 left to widen the lead to 109-69.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
When it appeared that the game could have been out of control early, the Stunts rebounded and whittled the differential. CupQuake’s 22-7 collection in Jam 19 was followed by Bricktator’s grand slam and the Stunts sliced the M-80s’ lead to twenty, 116-96 with 2:45 left.
The M-80s Molotov, who became the team’s jammer of record at that point, collected seven in the period’s penultimate jam that widened the score to 123-96. A 4-4 push in the half’s final jam resulted in a 129-100 lead for the M-80s at intermission.
Bricktator mortared a baker’s dozen to launch the second period and the Stunt Devils narrowed the score to 129-113.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
As the period progressed, points were minimal as both team’s blocking schematics and respective defenses became focal points. The M-80s’ front walls, which included the aforementioned converted jammers listed alongside blockers by-trade Oak C’Mon!?!, Lumberjam, Lone Pine, Arcane Sugar, Bad Adze, Jenforcer, Quicksandz and Trigger Happy Jackie, pushed its lead to 150-120 with 18:50 remaining in the game.
The Stunts countered with its blocking battalion of Danisaurus Rex, Aggie Wartooth, Pegasass, Cruella Belle-ville, Momentum Mori, Sound-Proof, Midnight Smack, Stormin Norma and game-day Smashie adds Fletch-A-Sketch and Bad Mutha T.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
With this foundation, the Stunt Devils posted a 20-0 rally over the next four jams and tightened the game to ten points. CupQuake started the run with a 10-point power jam, Bricktator collected a trey two jams later and Salty added a seven-point power jam with 13:30 left to whittle the M-80s’ lead to 150-140.
Feeling the heat, the M-80s procured its winning recipe by putting D’Manda Flapjack back on the griddle and re-establishing her customary jammer role. A 76-26 stretch run ensued as Flapjack first cooked a ten-pointer with 12:00 left that pushed the M-80s’ lead to 160-140 and additional jams of nine and seven points widened the score to 174-140 with 8:00 remaining.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The late-game clinchers, punctuated by Flapjack’s 27-11 jam in the game’s final rotation, resulted in the M-80s’ 226-169 victory and third straight win.
Six M-80s jammers finished with double digit scoring as Bloody Gaga posted an ARRG career-high 59 points, followed by Flapjack’s 50 in only four jams. With its depth displayed Saturday, the M-80s is arguably a dangerous team as it heads to the showdown with the Stunt Devils for the ARRG title on April 2.
Bricktator topped the Stunt Devils’ scoring ledger with 95 points, followed by CupQuake’s 59. With some absentees at this particular game scheduled to make a return in three weeks, one can predict that the defending champs will be more than primed to reclaim its position in the ARRG hierarchy and net its fourth trophy historically.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
M-80s (226): Bloody Gaga 59, D’Manda Flapjack 50, Let’s Get Beard 40, Snotface 21, Paul Funyun 14, Warpath O’ Jen 13, Molotov 9, Lone Pine 7, Lumberjam 7.
STUNT DEVILS (169): Bricktator 95, CupQuake 59, Salty 17, Flash 4, Fletch-A-Sketch 4.
GKRD: CENTRAL WEST FRIENDS 204 CREVE CORONERS 149
After being idle for two months, and after suffering a stinging setback in its last local game played, the Central West Friends wanted to re-establish itself as a not-so-friendly force within the complexion of the GKRD Turf Wars’ regular season backstretch. Its 55-point duke over the improved Creve Coroners provides the momentum heading into April’s clash with the Raiders of Forest Park for the men’s league championship.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The Friends’ jamming combo of Mailbox and Fruit Wall-Up set the tone early as CWF posted a 19-0 lead after the game’s first three rotations. Coroners’ jammer Magnum P.I.M.P. notched an eight-pointer with 25:10 left in the period that narrowed the score to 19-8.
The surge was quickly thwarted as CWF collected 24 points, paced by Mailbox, on the next rotation to widen the score to 43-8.
The CWF walls built by blockers SoGo, Perc in Boots, Cpt. Kramerica, Red Rider, Monster Jam, Bower Ranger, Great Stromboli, Blue Suede Bruise, Last Rights and Dent, continued to maintain pressure on the Coroners as the period progressed. The Friends sported a 77-28 lead with 14:15 left in the half.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The Coroners, to its credit, managed to tighten the score in the first half’s back half. With jammers P.I.M.P. and Jagged Little Will simultaneously collecting points, aided by the muscle provided by blockers Double Excel, Boney Fangers, Hulk, O’ Connell, Cat Daddy and Specs, the Coroners whittled away at the differential and trailed 101-78 at intermission.
Sensing the surge by the opposition, the Friends wasted little time to grab the early advantage in the second period by posting a 40-8 run the first four rotations. Eighteen straight, thirteen by Mailbox and five by Wall-Up, launched the rally and a 9-5 rotation from Mailbox combined with a 13-4 strike from Stromboli concluded the four-jam onslaught. When the dust had settled, the Friends sported a 141-86 lead with 21:20 remaining.
Photo Credit: Bob Dunnell
The momentum continued for the Friends as the period progressed as Mailbox’s 22-point power jam collected at the 16:00 mark pushed the score to 165-92.
The Coroners attempted to whittle at the huge deficit but time, and stubborn CWF blocking, became an issue down the stretch. The Friends outscored the Coroners, 103-71, in the second period en route to the 204-149 victory.
Mailbox topped Central’s scoring with 141 points, followed by Wall-Up’s 38. With all pieces now in place and solidified, CWF aims its inaugural Turf Wars title in April against the Raiders of Forest Park.
The Creve Coroners, who finished the season winless but displayed upward trajectory as the year progressed, was paced by P.I.M.P.’s 95 points.
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
CENTRAL WEST FRIENDS (204): Mailbox 141, Fruit Wall-Up 38, Great Stromboli 13, Monster Jam 6, SoGo 6.
CREVE CORONERS (149): Magnum P.I.M.P. 95, Jagged Little Will 36, Hulk 14, Boney Fangers 3.
For more information on the Arch Rival Roller Girls, go to archrivalrollergirls.com.
For more information on GateKeepers Roller Derby, go to stlgatekeepers.com.
