After a break in CCFA action that has lasted since February, foosball is coming back in full force for the second biannual Championships. It's going to be a demanding week for the twenty cousin-athletes participating in the games, and anything could happen, but I still took the liberty of ranking them in order of their likelihood to achieve the ultimate prize: foosball immortality.
1. Jared: It's never been easy to count this one out. Ever since he jumped to the top of the foosball world in his CCFA debut at the St. Anthony 2010 Championships, Jared has shown no sign of slowing down. Instead, he has established himself as the man to beat, with a sizzling career record of 54-3, winning two Dixon Classics and a Championship along the way. Without a shadow of doubt, the road to the Championship goes through Jared.
2. Seth: Probably the best foosballer never to win a tournament, Seth likely has the best chance out of anyone to upset Jared and take home the trophy. He has a frighteningly fast-paced style - when he gets angry, spectators are lucky to be able to see the ball as it flies into the goal - that confuses younger opponents, so he should be able to sweep the group round and make it to the semifinals fairly easily. In his first and last CCFA Championship appearance, Seth will try to get even with his brother and solidify his position as one of the best ever.
3. Ryan: It's hard to make a case for Ryan as the second best player in the tournament, and it's even a bit of a stretch to put him at third, because of how little he has played in regular seasons. The most impressive item on his resume, however, is too substantial to overlook: he's handed Jared two of his three career losses. Ryan, like Seth, has never won a tournament, but he's got a little more time to get things right.
4. Zach: The oldest cousin in the family has one shot at the title before he leaves for college, literally. The Championships will be his last public appearence before making the drive down to college and ending his foosball career. Two years ago, before he was a member of the CCFA, Zach put a beatdown on newly crowned champion Jared in a series of unofficial games. He has since been out of practice, however, and could be one of the first Primeros to go down. If he can get on a roll in the group round and carry some momentum into the second round, he could be a serious title threat.
5. Kahlin: Much like Zach, Kahlin has showed some potential in the past, winning the inagural Wacker Classic in 2011, and playing in one of Jared's closest games this year, losing 11-7. Unlike Zach or Seth, however, this is likely not Kahlin's last shot at the title - he has two more years.
6. Alex: Alex has yet to prove that he is a top-tier foosballer, but hopes to do so this year. He's going to be right at home at Paradise Point, with all its water sports... home field advantage?
7. Jennabee: Another cousin with a lot of potential. Kahlin claims her to be the best in the family, but she has yet to be truely tested against players outside of her family.
8. Erich: Erich has turned down all but two challenges to play in an official game this season, both of which he won to earn the fourth seed in the tournament. However, his lack of practice could come back to get him when he reaches the elimination round, as a likely match-up with Zach looms large.
9. Henry-Jon: Nothing would please the youngest player in the league more than proving his doubters wrong and making it to the second round. His goalie shots confuse the best of them, although they can make his game a little predictable. While it's likely that this isn't his year, HJ has the heart to become a foosball legend.
10. Rachel: With only a 3-7 record last season, Rachel looked as though she would be no large threat to anyone this year, but she put together a surprising turnaround, going 3-3, including an impressive 10-6 win over Jerome, avenging a loss in the 2011 Campbell Classic title game.
11. Jerome: A lot of people expected more from Jerome this year than a 2-5 record, but he didn't play in any cupcakes - he played Jared, Zach, Alex, Rachel, Tim and Miriam, beating the latter two. After looking like he was on the rise to greatness with his Campbell Classic win last year, Jerome has disappointed some but shown that same fire in a couple games, including an impressive 10-2 beatdown of Miriam.
12. Tim: There are times when Tim can go off for several unanswered goals in rapid succession. He claims almost every time that he has no clue how the ball went in. He then can follow it up with a run of missed saves and botched shots. In short, he's the most spontaneously and unpredictably explosive player in the league. With a respectable 3-2 record this year, he's earned a spot in Jared's group with a good chance to take the second playoff spot in that group from Asha.
13. Miriam: Being in the third in the CCFA's strongest family isn't easy, and though Miriam showed glimpses of promise this year, she stumbled in some games, such as a 10-2 blowout at the hands of Jerome. The Championships will be a good measuring stick for her progress.
14. Isaac: Having just moved to the Palouse from New York, Isaac's foosball career has yet to truely start, so a lot remains unknown about his abilities. His one game, a 10-0 loss at the hands of Jared has landed him in a group with Seth, HJ, and Miriam, all big contenders for the elimination round berths. It appears he'll have to learn the ropes in the Down In the Dumps Tournament.
15. Sarah: With a very impressive record of 6-9, Sarah was far and away the most successful player in the lowest division of the CCFA. She trains against Jared several times a month, and she could pull off a few upsets if she is overlooked. It would be very surprising if she made it to the single-elimination round, but Sarah is a real threat to win the Down In the Dumps tournament.
16. Asha: In the two games she has played this year, Asha has performed fairly well, with a solid 10-3 win over Caroline and a 10-5 loss to Tim. She's going to be in the thick of the race in the DID tournament, and she has plenty of time to progress.
17. Caroline: Prior to the 2012 season, Caroline only has 1 win, from the 2012 DID. This year, she's been slowly making progress, posting a 2-9 record. It's another building year for Caroline, but the Championships will be a good place to take some steps.
18. Jacob: He dropped from 3-7 in 2011 to 1-5 this year, but last year, all three wins came against Nigel, whereas this year his victory came against Sarah, a worthy opponent (Sarah would later beat Jacob 10-1). In a tough Group D, any scenario where Jacob doesn't lose out would be favorable. Like Caroline, this is a building year for Jacob.
19. Nigel: In Group E, the only game in which Nigel should really be able to compete in will be the last one against Sarah. Sarah won both matchups in the regular season, both 10-9, and a win over one of his biggest rivals would be monumental.
20. Eliza: No one has seen a Eliza play very much, so she's a big unknown. Best case scenario for Eliza would be the top seed in the DID tournament, and the worst would be an early out in a DID play-in game.
3. Ryan: It's hard to make a case for Ryan as the second best player in the tournament, and it's even a bit of a stretch to put him at third, because of how little he has played in regular seasons. The most impressive item on his resume, however, is too substantial to overlook: he's handed Jared two of his three career losses. Ryan, like Seth, has never won a tournament, but he's got a little more time to get things right.
4. Zach: The oldest cousin in the family has one shot at the title before he leaves for college, literally. The Championships will be his last public appearence before making the drive down to college and ending his foosball career. Two years ago, before he was a member of the CCFA, Zach put a beatdown on newly crowned champion Jared in a series of unofficial games. He has since been out of practice, however, and could be one of the first Primeros to go down. If he can get on a roll in the group round and carry some momentum into the second round, he could be a serious title threat.
5. Kahlin: Much like Zach, Kahlin has showed some potential in the past, winning the inagural Wacker Classic in 2011, and playing in one of Jared's closest games this year, losing 11-7. Unlike Zach or Seth, however, this is likely not Kahlin's last shot at the title - he has two more years.
6. Alex: Alex has yet to prove that he is a top-tier foosballer, but hopes to do so this year. He's going to be right at home at Paradise Point, with all its water sports... home field advantage?
7. Jennabee: Another cousin with a lot of potential. Kahlin claims her to be the best in the family, but she has yet to be truely tested against players outside of her family.
8. Erich: Erich has turned down all but two challenges to play in an official game this season, both of which he won to earn the fourth seed in the tournament. However, his lack of practice could come back to get him when he reaches the elimination round, as a likely match-up with Zach looms large.
9. Henry-Jon: Nothing would please the youngest player in the league more than proving his doubters wrong and making it to the second round. His goalie shots confuse the best of them, although they can make his game a little predictable. While it's likely that this isn't his year, HJ has the heart to become a foosball legend.
10. Rachel: With only a 3-7 record last season, Rachel looked as though she would be no large threat to anyone this year, but she put together a surprising turnaround, going 3-3, including an impressive 10-6 win over Jerome, avenging a loss in the 2011 Campbell Classic title game.
11. Jerome: A lot of people expected more from Jerome this year than a 2-5 record, but he didn't play in any cupcakes - he played Jared, Zach, Alex, Rachel, Tim and Miriam, beating the latter two. After looking like he was on the rise to greatness with his Campbell Classic win last year, Jerome has disappointed some but shown that same fire in a couple games, including an impressive 10-2 beatdown of Miriam.
12. Tim: There are times when Tim can go off for several unanswered goals in rapid succession. He claims almost every time that he has no clue how the ball went in. He then can follow it up with a run of missed saves and botched shots. In short, he's the most spontaneously and unpredictably explosive player in the league. With a respectable 3-2 record this year, he's earned a spot in Jared's group with a good chance to take the second playoff spot in that group from Asha.
13. Miriam: Being in the third in the CCFA's strongest family isn't easy, and though Miriam showed glimpses of promise this year, she stumbled in some games, such as a 10-2 blowout at the hands of Jerome. The Championships will be a good measuring stick for her progress.
14. Isaac: Having just moved to the Palouse from New York, Isaac's foosball career has yet to truely start, so a lot remains unknown about his abilities. His one game, a 10-0 loss at the hands of Jared has landed him in a group with Seth, HJ, and Miriam, all big contenders for the elimination round berths. It appears he'll have to learn the ropes in the Down In the Dumps Tournament.
15. Sarah: With a very impressive record of 6-9, Sarah was far and away the most successful player in the lowest division of the CCFA. She trains against Jared several times a month, and she could pull off a few upsets if she is overlooked. It would be very surprising if she made it to the single-elimination round, but Sarah is a real threat to win the Down In the Dumps tournament.
16. Asha: In the two games she has played this year, Asha has performed fairly well, with a solid 10-3 win over Caroline and a 10-5 loss to Tim. She's going to be in the thick of the race in the DID tournament, and she has plenty of time to progress.
17. Caroline: Prior to the 2012 season, Caroline only has 1 win, from the 2012 DID. This year, she's been slowly making progress, posting a 2-9 record. It's another building year for Caroline, but the Championships will be a good place to take some steps.
18. Jacob: He dropped from 3-7 in 2011 to 1-5 this year, but last year, all three wins came against Nigel, whereas this year his victory came against Sarah, a worthy opponent (Sarah would later beat Jacob 10-1). In a tough Group D, any scenario where Jacob doesn't lose out would be favorable. Like Caroline, this is a building year for Jacob.
19. Nigel: In Group E, the only game in which Nigel should really be able to compete in will be the last one against Sarah. Sarah won both matchups in the regular season, both 10-9, and a win over one of his biggest rivals would be monumental.
20. Eliza: No one has seen a Eliza play very much, so she's a big unknown. Best case scenario for Eliza would be the top seed in the DID tournament, and the worst would be an early out in a DID play-in game.
