Competing the Z: An Apocalypse Now

by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne Archive | Twitter

'Competing the Z' is a Men's Division III pick 'em competition between LMO's Jac Coyne and Dave Zazzaro, a D-III coach for 17 years and a former member of the NCAA regional committee. They will be picking five games every week during the course of the season.

Ouch.

I didn't really think I'd record the 55-0 mark as I bragged about in the first installment of this competition, but I figured I could avoid taking the collar in any given week. So much for that.

Stevens subduing Springfield on Sunday put the cap on my 0-5 week, but fortunately Zazzaro only gained three games on me as neither of us had the stones to pick Gettysburg or St. Lawrence to pull off the stunners. It would have only been one game had I won the coin-flip of a contest between Nazareth and Geneseo, which the Blue Knights won in overtime.

Oh, well.

As apocalyptic as getting bashed last week was, along with falling behind Zazzaro by four full games (6-4 to 2-8), there's a spring in my step with the matriculation of the NESCAC season. I've even thrown in an unranked game between my alma mater – and Z's former squad – Colby against Williams.

Since he's rolling right now, I'll let my competitor have the last word heading into the selections.

"Coyne must be feeling the heat," said Zazzaro. "He added a couple of NESCAC games to the mix to try and get himself back into the race. NESCAC games are always close and difficult to pick."

On to the games...

No. 19 Bowdoin (0-0) at No. 11 Wesleyan (2-0), 1 p.m., Saturday
COYNE: This is by far the most intriguing game of the weekend for me. Both of these teams really need this game for different reasons. With its soft non-conference schedule, Wesleyan has to win these toss-up NESCAC games or they'll be in the position they were in last year -  needing the conference AQ. With its extremely strong non-con slate, Bowdoin doesn't want to put itself behind the eight ball with WNEC and Nazareth following in the next four days.

Bowdoin coach Tom McCabe has solved the Wesleyan zone in the past and with the Cardinals still trying to jell on the backline, I think there will be just enough room for the Polar Bears to pull out a narrow victory. I don't think it will be as ridiculous as the 4-3 win for Bowdoin last year, but it won't be too far off. Bowdoin, 7-5.

ZAZZARO: Playing Wesleyan and its great zone as your first game of the year actually might be an advantage. Tom McCabe will have plenty of time to work in zone offensive concepts throughout the preseason. But Wesleyan is at home and defending NESCAC Champs. Wesleyan wins, 2-1.

No. 14 Haverford (3-1) at No. 1 Gettysburg (5-0), 1 p.m., Saturday
COYNE: Merchant Marine is not that bad of a team. Maybe even a tournament team if they can outlast Scranton and Goucher in the Landmark. And Gettysburg annihilated them. That win over Cortland gave the Bullets a confidence booster injection that doesn't appear to be wearing off any time soon. I think the Squirrels will keep this one closer than some might anticipate – they've got the talent to do it – but Gettysburg appears to be peaking now. Bullets, 12-8.

ZAZZARO: A rematch of last years Centennial Conference championship clash; plus Haverford was one of the few teams to beat Gettysburg last season. But Gettysburg is playing great right now and is going to be tough to beat at home. Gettysburg, 11-4.

Colby (0-0) at Williams (0-0), 12 p.m., Saturday
COYNE: The White Mules have opened the last two seasons with victories over the Ephs. The games have been close – 9-7 last year, 9-8 double OT in '08 – but Colby always has enough to thwart Williams. Colby coach John Thompson is a real rah-rah guy, and he's sold me on the direction his program is going. So in lieu of a gift to the general fund, I'll pick the White Mules. We'll say 8-6.

ZAZZARO: Both these teams have lost some of their experienced players at key positions from a year ago, so it will be tough to gauge this game. I like Colby's face-off guy and they still have some very good middies. I'm picking Colby, 10-8, on the road.

Coyne's Pick
Union (2-1) at Oneonta (2-0), 4 p.m., Saturday
COYNE: I think the Dutchmen's strength of schedule kicks in for them. They faced a tough Geneseo squad, gutted out a win over a rebuilding Babson team, and then blasted Ithaca. Obviously the Bombers are still searching for themselves, but Union put Ithaca away. I like seeing that. So the Dutchmen get the nod by three, 9-6.

ZAZZARO: The SUNYAC looks to be doing pretty well out of conference right now (save Cortland's defeat to Gettysburg). Oneonta is off to a good start, will be at home, and are feeling good about their overtime win against Clarkson. Oneonta, 11-9.

Zazzaro's Pick
No. 8 Washington & Lee (6-0) at Franklin & Marshall (0-2)
ZAZZARO: W&L is humming along right now and I don't see that changing. This game will be close due to W&L's style on defense and the Generals still-developing offense. Coupled with the fact they will be on the road and I think they'll struggle a bit. F&M plays in a great conference, so their players are battle-tested and will be ready. W&L pulls out a 7-6, come-from-behind victory.

COYNE: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a sad day. Just three weeks into the competition and Zazzaro is already sandbagging it, pushing up the win total to protect his lead. I'm aware of his ampersand fetish, but W&L vs. F&M? C'mon. To their credit, the Dips are playing a tough three-game stretch to start the season and sophomore Colin McKew gives F&M a foundation for their offense over the next two seasons, but the numbers don't point to a win, especially against a Generals defense that is currently on lockdown mode. W&L, 11-4.

Previous installments of Competing the Z
Weekend of Feb. 27
Weekend of March 6