Pain Train is back for 2013!!!
This past fall was a great one for the Pain Train. Coming off a loss to Tufts in the game-to-go for the 2nd straight year at Regionals last spring, the Pain Train left for the summer with a chip on our shoulders and something left to prove. The Pain Train earned some valuable club experience this summer, with Ian Engler making it to Club Nationals with Wildcard, Dan Harris and Spencer Diamond playing for Dark or Light, among others.
Due to some good luck, the Pain Train returned 21 players from last year. We added '16s Peter Lobel, David "D-P-Free" Friedman, and Sean "Badger" Howe in the fall, adding to an already incredibly strong team. The Pain Train took off running at the beginning of the fall, with an increased focus on tenacious defense and calm, possession-oriented offense. At Huck a Hunk of Burning Pumpkin, Pain Train went undefeated, capping off the weekend with a 15-7 win over Harvard Redline in the finals. Our 2nd tournament of the fall was the Classic City Classic in Athens, Georgia, traditionally one of the premier fall tournaments. Pain Train stumbled on Saturday, falling to FSU in pool play, giving us a 2-1 record to take 2nd in the pool. Facing a prequarters elimination game on Saturday afternoon against Virginia Night Train, the Pain Train came roaring back for a strong 13-11 win to put us into the quarters.
The Pain Train kept rolling Sunday morning, with a 17-15 win over Georgia in the quarters and a 16-15 win over Georgia Tech in the semis. Both games featured Scott Sottosanti and Dan Harris running the show on offense, with Jon Xu and Richard Lange also stepping up big on the o-line. Ian Herrick and Spencer Diamond bolstered the defensive effort, getting critical D's when we needed them. The Train roared into a finals rematch against Florida State hungry for revenge. The Train struggled early in the game, perhaps tired from the 2 long games earlier in the day. However, the depth of our team really showed in the 2nd half, as a whole cast of players stepped up and helped the Train fight back to a 13-13 tie. FSU scored to make it 14-13, and then after a quick turn, scored again to take the 15-13 win. A disappointing end to a great weekend. Nonetheless, it was an incredibly successful fall season for the Pain Train, and a sign that the Train has the potential to do big things this season.
After a long winter break that saw all members of the Pain Train working hard while spread around the country, the Pain Train returned to Hanover bigger, stronger, and faster. After adding '14 Gerben Scherpbier at the beginning of the winter, the Pain Train is complete and ready to take off running.
After being stuck in Leverone these past few weeks, we're gearing up for our first test of the year, Warm Up: A Florida Affair, next weekend. The Pain Train kicks off our season at 9am next Friday, February 15 against Central Florida. Follow all the action on our twitter or on Score Reporter.
