Day 1: Saturday 3/8/25

Game 1  vs Whitman: 9 - 13 Loss

Arriving before sunrise with frost freezing our toes, the Squids started warming up for the first game of the tournament bright and early against Whitman. Unfortunately, this early start compounded with long travel days on Friday, resulted in the squids starting out slow and asleep. This slow start led to the O-line being broken multiple times, making it difficult to get the energy going for the rest of the tournament. The squids couldn’t bounce back for the early breaks, and ended-up losing our first game.

Game 2 vs British Columbia B: 13 - 9 Win

After a tough loss the Squids were ready to adapt and take a victory against UBC B, the only B team at the tournament. Continuous defensive pressure and the O-Line punching in scores led to a much needed first win of the tournament. Great handling movement on the D-Line especially rookie Bodhi “Cass” Brenner, and former B-team players Nico “CBH” Nonemaker and Daniel “Red 40” Bonkowsky. This game really showed the improvement members have made since the Fall.

Game 3 vs Cal Poly-SLO: 9 - 13 Loss

After our first victory, spirits were up and we were ready to take on a team that is historically always an intense game, national finalists Cal Poly SLO. The squids struggled to gain our footing however, going down early. Despite moments of brightness we were unable to overcome an early deficit, though we fought our hardest until the very end. Intense defensive pressure from Eli “Dewey” D’Amico and Aidan “Hooch” Reedy-Schneider, allowed us to stay in the game, but not overcome our deficit.

Game 4 vs USC: 12 - 9 Win

The last game of the day and our first game of bracket play (pre quarters) was against USC. Starting the game off very strong and continuing to keep gas on the foot, stopping USC to form any type of comeback. USC was simply outmatched by our simple play, making the game look easy. Almost every undercut was open and we were able to walk down the field. The few times we attempted a huck it didn’t work out, but the O line played hard D to ensure the turnover and also score. Tyler “Dumpty” Kurpanek made a surprise appearance on the D-line, playing a crucial role in the zone.  He had two great D’s despite terribly egregious foul calls by USC.

Day 2: Sunday 3/9/25

Game 1 vs Western Washington: 9 - 13 Loss

The next game was against Western Washington in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, we got broken a few times by both some miscommunications and execution errors by our O-Line, and morale went down a bit. There were a few good plays like a big D from Max “Agapito” Gibson. Overall we had too many deep shots that weren’t working, when we could have easily worked our way down the field easily. This loss knocked us out of the championship bracket and into 5th place consolation. 

Game 2 vs Stanford: 11 - 10 Win

Morale was a little down and legs were a little tired going into this matchup with the hosts, Stanford. We started the game well with both teams converting on offense and keeping us ahead. We had a small loss of focus allowing for Stanford to take the lead going into half time and for almost the rest of the game, but a nasty layout score from Ethan “Tendy” Wang brough spirits back up into the next point. On D, Bradley “Cosmo” Zanteson made an incredible layout D on an under for the break, forcing a universe point. On universe, our D line forced an early throwaway from Stanford which resulted in a Cass hammer assist to Cosmo in the back corner of the endzone to win the game. This win was a small redemption for the Squids after a home loss to Stanford at Pres Day. 

Game 3 vs Cal: 8 - 12 Loss

Last game of the tournament started off badly against Cal, with the Squids immediately getting broken by their pesky zone and the slightly windier conditions than the rest of the tournament. The team had minimal energy after a long two days and seemed to have given up a bit. Cal was playing a zone defense since the wind had begun to pick up, but it only took us a few points to get comfortable in this game. Team energy was able to pick up a bit and we kept the game close in the eventual loss. This marked the end of the Stanford Invite.