Bout #2: HR vs. HH

Last Saturday, Feb. 5, the High Rollers took on the Heartless Heathers in a match-up that was similar to the championship bout from last season––at least in terms of the outcome. The High Rollers defeated the Heathers 134-126, remaining the #1 seed among the RCR home teams.

Contrary to what the final score may indicate, the score throughout the bout was not always close. The Heathers were unable to produce any points for the first three jams, because the jammer, The Blast Unicorn, got sent to the penalty box.

The same jammer for three jams in a row? Yes, that is unusual unless your jammer gets sent to the penalty box and the jam ends while she’s still in there. This is what happened to Blast––twice. By the third jam, though, Minstrel Psycho got lead jammer and the High Rollers’ pack defense prevented BU from getting anywhere close to scoring position. All of this allowed the High Rollers to jump out to a 36-0 lead.

White Flight helped the Heathers to gain momentum in the first half. (Photo by Sharkey)

Even though there was the whole HH-jammer-going-to-the-penalty-box-twice-in-a-row thing, the entire Heathers team seemed to come out a bit flat. There were several missed blocks and sloppy pack play. But by jam #5, White Flight turned out a 15-point jam which seemed to bring the Heathers back to life. In the very next jam, Twat Rocket put 14 points on the board, bringing the Heathers within eight points of the High Rollers.

For the rest of the first half, the High Rollers continued to build their lead while the Heathers struggled to find some sort of offensive rhythm and defensive strategy to contain the HR jammers. At the end of the first half, the High Rollers were up 88-67.

In the second half, the Heathers added more variety to their jammer rotation with the likes of Mercy, Wetback Attack, and Sol Train. It wasn’t until jam #6 that the Heathers closed the gap in the score after Sol Train found herself in a power jam situation, scoring 14 points. The Heathers blockers also showed some strategic moves by slowing down the pack and trapping one of the HR blockers.

In jam #9, White Flight’s 5-point jam put the Heathers ahead of the High Rollers by one point. After a High Rollers timeout (in which the Heathers let loose a war cry), Napoleon Blownapart stepped up to the jam line against Sol Train. Napoleon earned lead jammer and tore apart the Heathers pack defense like it was no trouble at all. Half of the time during that jam, the Heathers seemed unaware of Napoleon approaching the pack, allowing Napoleon to earn 24 points before the jam ended.

Rookie Napoleon Blownapart helped the High Rollers win with a 24-point jam. (Photo by Sharkey)

The High Rollers held onto a considerable lead until the 19th jam when Twat Rocket scored 15 points to bring her team within eight points of the High Rollers. During that jam, it appeared as though TR was going to attempt to make up the rest of the difference in order to tie the game, but she ended up calling off the jam with eight seconds remaining on the play clock. The Heathers immediately called a timeout to stop the clock so there would be time for one more jam.

Initially Twat Rocket looked to be the Heathers jammer for the final jam, but at the last minute Blast Unicorn took her place. BU lined up against Wreck Deckard, and there were two blockers from each team in the penalty box, leaving just four blockers total on the track.

Everyone in the Hangar appeared to be on the edge of their seats. If Blast Unicorn got lead jammer she would have the opportunity to make up the point difference and have  a chance to win. If Wreck Deckard got lead jammer she could call it off immediately and the High Rollers would win.

Getting past two Heathers blockers was no problem for the amazingly talented Wreck, and she was able to establish lead jammer easily and call it off to give the High Rollers the win.

Although the score was lopsided at times, it was fun to watch the Heathers pull it together and make a comeback. I must admit that I expected the Heathers to give the High Rollers a run for their money (no pun intended…okay I lied, I thought it was clever), and I was definitely surprised to see them play the way they did. I have a feeling, though, that the Heathers will bounce back and bring their “A” game next time.

As for the High Rollers, they are looking pretty solid this year. The loss of Sully Skullkicker, who went travel team-only, doesn’t seem to have affected the team much. Although, the High Rollers did pick up a few fantastic new skaters, particularly Napoleon Blownapart. For a rookie, that girl sure can juke and jive around defenders, and her perseverance is impressive and inspiring.

Layla Smackdown creates a hole for Wreck Deckard to sneak through. (Photo by John Rudoff)

In terms of the HR veterans, I was very impressed with Layla Smackdown and her stellar blocking ability. She was able to switch from offense to defense in the blink of an eye, creating holes for her jammer to get through and knocking HH jammers down to the ground. I suspect this comes not only from Layla’s innate awesome-ness, but also from the increased focus on strategy and training during the Wheels of Justice of practices.

The Heartless Heathers and the High Rollers, along with the other two home teams, travel to Seattle next Saturday, Feb. 19, to each take on one of Rat City’s home teams at Key Arena. Check out more information here. After that, the High Rollers take on the Guns N’ Rollers on March 19 at 6 p.m. at the Hangar.