Day four of dodgeball saw some truly huge blowouts, with an unprecedented number of routs in the eight games played. It also marked the final day of round one of the tournament. 32 teams remain in contention for the dodgeball championship title, and in a short two days, that number will be cut in half again. Let’s take a look at what happened today:

Court A:

White Rice and Karl vs. Team Headshot (3-0 White Rice and Karl)

White Rice and Karl took an easy 3-0 win over Team Headshot and advances to face off against Down to Dodge on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

Flock vs. Los Dreamers (2-1 Flock)

Flock advances and will play the Toon Squad on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

Please, Not in the Face vs. Dade Grandfathers (2-1 Please, Not in the Face)

Senior Alex Lee of Please, Not in the Face put the team on his back and carried it to a 2-1 victory over Dade Grandfathers. Please, Not in the Face advances and plays Sean Baker and the Cakers on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

Double-O-Six vs. Team Global (1-0)

Team Global scored a 1-0 win in its low scoring match against Double-O-Six. Team Global advances and plays IKEA on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

Court B:

Down to Dodge vs. Dodgeball Squad (3-0 Down to Dodge)

Down to Dodge easily overpowered Dodgeball Squad 3-0 to secure itself a second round spot. Down to Dodge advances and will play White Rice and Karl on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

The Toon Squad vs. Moulest Awesome Team (3-0 Toon Squad)

The sophomore team of Moulest Awesome Team simply could not compete against the throwing and catching power of Toon Squad, hwo handedly took three games in a row. The Toon Squad advances and will play Flock on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

Sean Baker and the Cakers vs. Dodge and Debate (3-0 Sean Baker)

Dodge and debate couldn’t successfully argue its way to victory in its matchup against Sean Baker and the Cakers, an underclassmen team. Sean Baker and the Cakers advance and play Please, Not in the Face on Wednesday, May 21, on the second day of round two of the tournament.

IKEA vs. Hannonball (5-0 IKEA)

Hannonball had a tough break in being re-allowed back into the tournament bracket after its no-show on the first day of dodgeball. IKEA smashed Hannonball 5-0 in the biggest blowout of this year’s tournament to date (and perhaps even ever), catching every one of its opponent’s ‘Hannonballs’. Senior Aidan Mahoney, one of Talon’s Players of the Day from last year’s dodgeball tournament, continued to showcase his catching prowess. He will likely be a huge asset to IKEA in later rounds. IKEA advances and plays Team Global on Tuesday, May 20, in round two of the tournament.

Bracket Adjustments: Bubba Gump and Catch You on the Flip Side have switched brackets. Bubba Gump will play Wrestler’s Only on Wednesday, May 22 in round two of the tournament instead of the Fruit Fighters on Tuesday, and Catch You on the Flip Side will play the Fruit Fighters on Tuesday.

Round 1 Analysis: Round one of dodgeball has seen some seriously impressive individual and team performances, even though its matchups have not given way to particularly intense competition by any means. This is to be expected, but as we head into round two with only 32 teams left, expect the competition for the championship title to heat up.

Upon a Glance: A number of tough teams will all be vying for a third round spot in round two:

• *Watch out for senior-team Peedo Encendido’s Carlos Rivera to go hard on Tuesday, May 20 on Court B against 3 Hunna Squad.
• *Expect a solid matchup in Past our Prime vs. 300 Dark Squad, with Past our Prime’s water polo arms (seniors Sam Lisbonne, Jordan Stout, Ryan Seltzer, Surya Ram) expected to be a big factor in the game.
• *Same goes for Tryna F(x) vs. Hard Ballerz, as throwing power is pitted against size and sheer athleticism.
• *Phat Boi Phresh returns with perhaps the most size of any team and some serious throwing power in its football players, including juniors Sami Fakalolo and Aaron Horne, and senior Dakota Kratzer.
• *Cluck Dynasty, arguably the tournament favorite, will likely make short work of the Robotics Team in round two. However, Bubba Gump’s bracket transfer into the same bracket could complicate things in round three. Expect an exciting, potential match-up in Cluck Dynasty and Bubba Gump.
• *The Freshman Phenoms are expected to have another strong showing against Ball or Nothing on Wednesday, May 21. Round three, no matter what team advances, looks to be an easy win for the Freshman Phenoms. If things align as expected, we could have a repeat faceoff between Cluck Dynasty and the Freshman Phenoms, in which the Freshman Phenoms gave Cluck Dynasty a run for their money, which nobody predicted. If both teams are on their game, we may very well have one of the best games of the tournament on our hands. Cluck Dynasty will have its hands full in rounds two and three.
• *Look out for IKEA, particularly senior Aidan Mahoney, who has some serious catching and throwing abilities.

In Conclusion: Round one highlights include IKEA’s 5-0 dismantling of Hannonball on the last day of round one competition (something almost never seen because time usually expires too quickly) and Cluck Dynasty’s dominant first round performance over Dummy Fuh Bruh (albeit a performance not without its slip-ups).

Stay tuned for round two: the weak have been weeded out and it’s time for those teams remaining to test their mettle.