Machine attended the Pro Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin over Labor Day Weekend. It was a blessing to have a tournament within driving distance of Chicago. This was the first tournament of the year with a full roster, as Connor McHale made his Machine debut.
The tournament featured 12 teams, all ranked within the Top 14 in USAU’s rankings. Machine’s pool included Rhino Slam, Doublewide, Truck Stop, and Ring of Fire. Machine opened against Rhino Slam and fell behind early before clawing back into the game. Jeff Gao got a layout block on a swing on Universe point and Jace Bruner scored the game-winning goal on a blade from Jason Vallee. After a bye, Machine took on Doublewide, featuring alumni Abe Coffin. Machine took control early and finished off the game with a 15-10 win. The final matchup of the day was against DC Truck Stop. This was the first matchup between the two teams since 2021. The beginning of the game was marred by a scary dangerous play that forced Raymond Lu to see a trainer with a rib injury. Lu returned to action the next day. Machine struggled to convert break chances in this game, going just 2 for 10. Truck Stop capitalized on some mistakes from the Machine O-line and took the win 15-12. The final pool play game was the following morning against Ring of Fire. Machine held on the first point, then broke on the next two points to take a 3-0 lead and never let Ring of Fire get much momentum back. Machine walked away with a comfortable 15-10 win and finished second in the pool.
Machine’s 3-1 pool play record set the team up for a “Pre-semi” matchup with Atlanta Chain Lightning. The wind was pretty strong for this round. Machine broke upwind on the first point of the game, but the momentum soon went the other direction as Chain scored 6 of the next 7 points to grab a 6-2 lead. The teams held out to halftime at 8-4 in favor of Chain. Machine clawed back to make it 9-10. Both teams scored a hold downwind, and then Chain got an upwind break to extend their lead to 13-10, with a game to 14. Machine held and broke downwind to make it 12-13, but Chain held to close it out with a final score of 12-14.
Machine was relegated to the consolation bracket and fell to Ring of Fire on universe and then Doublewide 13-15 to finish in 8th place.
Tim Schoch organized the 1st Annual Machine Talent Show/Show and Tell on Saturday night. The highlights included spoken word poetry, a rap about a deli (and more), original songs, team-wide roasts, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and a haircut.
Play of the Weekend: Keegan North layout D vs Chain Lightning
Player of the Weekend: Johnny Bansfield