Minnesota State Handball Association

2014 Maverick Open
October 24-25, 2014
Mankato Family YMCA, Mankato, MN

The 2014 Maverick Open was Christmas in October as every divisional winner and runner-up won a special Mankato handball nutcracker to show to Santa this December. Tournaments past were well represented with many familiar faces at the event. Special thanks to all those players from out of town that make the trip to Kato for this tournament, it really makes it special. Tournament current was full with 59 entrants. It was amazing that Friday night matches ended only 7 minutes after the scheduled hour! Pizza eating continued until close at regular hangout, Jakes’ Stadium Pizza. Tournament future is present every year as this tournament and gives a peak into the future of Mankato and Minnesota handball. With purple colored tournament shirts, even the out of town players could join in the Maverick tradition of a PURPLE OUT on the first day of every tournament. You can read the tournament program if you want to find out more about the Maverick handball program, its accomplishments, and this year’s scholarship recipients.

The open singles was won by the University of Minnesota’s Ryan Pesch. He advanced to the finals by avenging his September Rudy Harris loss over the 2011 Maverick Open champion, Isiah Jones of Fargo. Again Jones, Pesch’s serving was dominating to both the left and the right. Isiah had no answer and Pesch advanced in two very quick games. In the other semi, David Miller took out frequent opponent Mat Langhorst. Langhorst had dispatched last year’s champion, Tyler Stoffel, in the quarters. In the finals, Miller jumped out to an 8-0 first game lead, but was not able to hold off a hot serving Pesch. Game 2 offered much of the same as Miller was in many of the rallies, but Pesch’s serve would generate multiple point runs. Congrats to Ryan, he will be difficult to knock off if he returns to defend his title next year. 

The 90+ doubles was divided into two divisions due to the number of entries. In the Purple doubles, Mike Wells picked up a new partner since Phil Craig had undergone shoulder surgery. Ray Miller played up to his Minnesota Handball Hall of Fame status after switching to the left side in the semifinals. Ray kept the ball in difficult positions against Isiah Jones and 70 year old Harry Musser in the finals. Wells supplied a couple of serving runs and converted a few back wall set ups to get the victory. 70 year old Harry Musser played great and handled the court wonderfully in an upgrade in velocity from his normal weekly matches. 

The Gold doubles division was won by Mike Kloos and Brian Coonce. There was definitely more yapping in the hall outside the court than hand errors inside during the finals. Ed Miller attempted the Midway Y head games, but Brian and Mike were immune. With Kloos hitting 3-wall wrap arounds and Coonce supplying the offense up front, they were too much in the second game. The tournament committee is considering a second minimum 100 combined age doubles division next year. 

The University of Minnesota’s Kristina Rude rolled through the A singles and will be preparing for the collegiate nationals in February in Portland. She took care of most of the Minnesota State players in this bracket herself before meeting MNSU alumnus Matt Novak in the finals. This is a rematch of last year’s A consolation match-up where Kristina was victorious. This year was no different, as Matt played better in the second game before cramps got the best of him. He just needs to play more frequently than the Maverick Open and the MNSU Alumni tournament. Someone should invite him to play on their twin cities league team! 

The B singles had the five Lady Mavericks who are returning from last year’s team. Sara Schoborg avenged her ladder match loss against Jessica Herion in the semi-finals, only to lose to the University of Minnesota’s Alex Meyer. Alex dispatched the entire Edwards family, brothers Trent and Tyler, on the way to winning his nutcracker. MNSU’s handball ladder currently has 50 active players from the university and the city of Mankato. Each player is assigned a weekly match and moves up the ladder if they win. 

The C singles participants were all players that have been playing for a very short period of time. Most less than 8 weeks. Many of them are enrolled in the Introduction to Handball class at MNSU. They all learned about 2-bounce from 2-3pm when there was the lone open court for the day. This is a very important division and contains the future of Maverick handball. Some diamonds in the rough were definitely found. Champion Mack Masberg has already committed to sign up for the Advanced Handball class next semester and the Handball Club is hoping the Nikki and Laurie will be traveling to nationals with the Handball team in February. 

Open Singles
Play in

•  Mat Langhorst def Jerad Michels 15, 14
• Jim Grota def Ricky Ness 9, 2

Quarterfinals

• Langhorst def Tyler Stoffel (9), 18, 8
• David Miller def Matt Job (20), 14, 5
• Ryan Pesch def Jordan Taylor 12, 9
• Isiah Jones def Grota 14, 5

Semifinals

• Miller def Langhorst 11, 9
• Pesch def Jones 1, 9 

Finals

• Pesch def Miller 13, 9

Consolation

• Job def Ness 17, 4

PURPLE Doubles
Quarterfinals

• Mike Wells/Ray Miller def John Stoffel/Brent Friedrich 4, 0
• Dan Passolt/Jay Spooner def Dean Held/Tyler Stoffel 9, (20), 1
• Harry Musser/Isiah Jones def Paul Dorland/Jerry Pietz 13, 16
• Bob Ewald/Ryan Pesch def Mike McQuillan/Mat Langhorst 7, 3 

Semifinals

• Wells/Miller def Passolt/Spooner (13), 17, 2
• Musser/Jones def Ewald/Pesch (20), 19, 5

Finals

• Wells/Miller def Musser/Jones 7, 19

Consolation

• Ricky Ness/Held def McQuillan/Langhorst (10), 19, 7 

 

Gold Doubles 
Semifinals

• Mike Kloos/Brian Coonce def Jim Howe/Bruce Pesch 13, 4
• Ed Miller/Curt Schlenner def Mike Leiter/Dean Held 8, (19), 10

Finals

• Coonce/Kloos def Miller/Schlenner 16, 4 

Consolation

• Leiter/Held def Howe/Pesch 11, 1. 

Super Masters Singles 
Play in

• Russ Forbes def Tom Pearson 1, 2 

Quarterfinals

• Jay Spooner def Forbes 7, 16
• Jim Howes def Mark McQuillan 17, 4
• Dan Passolt def Ron Allen 3,3
• John Nakasone def Bruce Pesch 2, 2

Semifinals

• Spooner def Howe 9, 19
• Passolt def Nakasone 11, 11

Finals

• Passolt def Spooner (18), 3, 9

Consolation

• McQuillan def Allen 14, 12

A Singles: 
Quarterfinals

• Kristina Rude def Nolan Titchner 5, 9
• Adrian Andersen def Jessica Bohlken 5, 4
• Josh Hoflock def Joey Lupient 4, 10
• Matt Novak def Steve Gering 8, 7

Semifinals

• Rude def Anderson 13, 10
• Novak def Hoflock 13, (8), 9 

Finals

• Rude def Novak 4, 17

Consolation

• Gering def Titchner 9, 5

B Singles 
Quarterfinals

• Sara Schoborg def Courtney Johnson 6, 3
• Jessica Herion def Missy Kohout 9, 11
• Alex Meyer def Tyler Edwards 3, 5
• Trent Edwards def Shannon Strand (20), 9, 5 

Semifinals

• Schoborg def Herion 15, 12
• Meyer def Tr. Edwards 3, (18), 3

Finals

• Meyer def Schoborg 8, 14

Consolation

• Kohout def Strand 11, 17

C Singles 
Quarterfinals

• Ben Christensen def Laurie Hiebert 2, 5
• Chandler Goodin def Cody Bunting 7, 18
• Mack Masberg def Lance Meyers (12), 19, 2
• Keenan Corona def Nikki Theobld 0, 8 

Semifinals

• Goodin def Christensen forfeit
• Masberg def Corona 14, 19.

Finals

• Masberg def Goodin 7, 11.

Consolation

• Meyers def Bunting (10), 18, 6