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And the Winner of the first annual MAYhem Laurel Highlands PowerToss Tournament is... MIKE KOPACKO!

The Final Four Championship Game, featuring 10th-Seeded Bob Madison from the Simpson Bracket, 7th-Seeded Colby Lecky from the Cupp Bracket, 6th-Seeded Mike Kopacko from the Tobal Bracket, and 2nd-Seeded Eric Springer from the Miller Bracket, was played today in front of a passionate, loud, and eager crowd of 6th Pd. Lunch students. The entire year had led up to this moment, and those in attendance knew it. Players and non-players alike, those who were ousted in the first round and those who made it to within one game of the championship, fans and otherwise surrounded the table and cheered, clapped, and sometimes even booed at the events unfolding in front of them. It was a memorable event, and a great way to end not only MAYhem, but also the seniors' time at Laurel Highlands.

The buzz was building all period in the Ed. T. Cupp Cafeteria as everyone waited for Bob Madison to make his way from Mr. Simpson's to the venue, and when he finally arrived, all four competitors were ready, and it was time to begin. After a quick round of introductions (during which each of the players was recognized with a round of applause), the game got underway. The lowest seed, (10)Bob Madison started things off, and the sequence went in decreasing order by seed. The first round-and-a-half was a little sloppy; the change from one-on-one to a larger format seemed to have everyone a little off their game. (6)Mike Kopacko was the first on the board, using his elbow-on-the-table, methodic approach. (2)Eric Springer, for whatever reason, didn't look his normal confident, comfortable self. Madison played off of Kopacko's performance and almost matched him shot-for-shot. (7)Colby Lecky, the youngest player in the championship, looked a little uptight and completely off his game. He registered only 1 hit through the game, coming near the end.

Kopacko was workmanlike in his efficiency. The crowd seemed a little stunned by his performance, as the smart money was on Springer (who admits himself, PowerToss is almost his whole life these days.) Bob Madison's showing was also a little on the shocking side. Maybe he's done his practicing over the past month, but he's made leaps and bounds in his skill level. Going into the tournament, he was considered to be quite possibly the worst player in the field. But here he was, following one off the pace set by Kopacko. When Mike his his 4th, the crowd got a little tense, knowing both that he was now one away from the championship, but also that he has a long, long history of choking. Sure enough, he missed his next shot, opening the door for Madison. Bob proceeded to hit his next shot, his fourth. But, since he started the round, Kopacko had the next chance to put the game away cleanly and walk away with the championship. And, believe it or not...

He did! The bottle rolled around its edge then creeped up, standing tall, eliciting a round of cheering, clapping, chants, and hand-shakes. Kopacko's hand was raised victoriously, and he walked away from the table with the respect of all his peers, as well as the title of MAYHem Champion.

It's been a great tournament. It really was something special. From seeing the game of PowerToss created, then growing to unexpected levels, then seeing it all culminate with a 48-person, month-long tournament has been a memorable journey to say the least. It's taken a lot of people to get all this done. As one of the "founders" of the game and fathers of MAYhem, I'd like to personally thank some people. To Scot Russell, the other father of MAYhem and one of my very best friends: thanks for being here with me on this ride. Wouldn't trade it for the world. To all the 7th Pd Study Hall alumni: you took a study hall and made it into something special. Samps, Scot, Jozef, Kopacko, Slammer, Joby, Lee, Tan, Fecek, and everyone else who ever sat in on a game with us. To those dedicated souls out there who helped put on MAYhem, most notably Crust, Springer, Kenny, McIlvain, and everyone else...

Thank You.

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May 27, 2003 the final four	The big Springer-Siebart match finally went down today, the last of the Elite Eight Matches. Three of the four Final Four Championship Game slots had been filled, by Mike Kopacko, Colby Lecky, and Bob Madison. Who would grab the fourth and final position? (8)Ben Siebart had made an impressive run to the Elite Eight, topping (9)Andre Rolaf in the preliminary round, scoring a huge upset over (1)EJ Regula in the Round of 32, then knocking off fellow Key Lime Cruncher Evan McCann in the Sweet Sixteen. (2)Eric Springer is considered by many to be the best remaining player in the tournament (though that doesn't make him unbeatable by any means.) He made quick business of (7)Joby Anderson and (6)Sara Slampak in order after his first-round bye to get to this point. Springer and Siebart are both longtime PowerToss players, so this had the makings of a great match. But unfortunately for Benny, the always hot, often unstoppable Springer turned up his game a notch today in 6th Pd. Lunch. Siebart only missed two shots all match and still managed to lose 5-3... Yep, that's right. Springer hit five straight shots to knock out Siebart and secure the Miller Bracket Championship and thusly advance to the Final Four Championship game, to be held tomorrow, Wednesday March 28, 2003 in the Ed. T. Cupp Cafeteria during 6th Pd. Lunch. We're down to the best of the best. Can (10)Bob Madison complete his Cinderella run for the championship? Can the quietly masterful (7)Colby Leckey stay hot? Can (6)Mike Kopacko lull his competitors to sleep with his slow, methodic approach yet again? Or will (2)Eric Springer be able to secure his place in PowerToss history as perhaps the game's all-time greatest player? Find out tomorrow during the MAYhem Final Four Championship Game!
May 26, 2003 one remaining final four spot open	On Friday, May 23, in the Simpson Bracket Championship Match, the "Who Knew" story of the tournament stayed alive. (10)Bob Madison, who some considered to be quite possibly the worst player in the tournament, managed to sneak past (4)Dustin Johns. BigD was obviously a little off his game, getting easily frustrated after missing his shots early and Madison got out to a lead. Bob faltered a little mid-match but closed out the match before Johns could get hot. Only one Elite Eight match, the much-heralded Springer-Siebart match in the Miller Bracket, remains. The winner of that will enter the Final Four Championship Match, in which all four representativse from the Cupp, Miller, Simpson and Tobal Brackets will compete in a one-game, first-to-five battle for the ages.
May 22, 2003 two advance to final four	Well, it was a busy day in PowerToss Nation. Two brackets, Cupp and Tobal, have their championship, and the other two bracket championship matches, which will round out our Final Four, are set. First of all, yesterday (May 21, 2003) saw one of our final two remaining Sweet Sixteen games completed. In a very exciting contest, (7)Colby Lecky scored the upset over (3)Delbert Simspon to advance to the Cupp Championship Match. (I should note here, I apologize for the recent delays in site updates. I'm typing this from a laptop, as my desktop computer seems to have been infected with some nasty virus and doesn't want to work anymore. Oh well. I don't f'kin need it.) And now, on to today's events. (6)Chris Hall and (10)Bob Madison finally got things on today, both making a guest appearance in 7th Period Study Hall. To say this match was sloppy might be an understatement, the players were tied at 2-2 after 10 rounds. Things started to pick up, though, before Madison stunned all those in attendance and somehow managed to advance to the Simpson Championship Match, where he'll take on the upstart Dustin "Big D" Johns. But that was not the day's biggest upset. (7)Colby Lecky, coming off his aforementioned upset win over (3)Delbert Simpson, squared off against the heavily favored (1)Kenny Riddell in 6th Pd. Lunch in the Cupp Bracket Championship Match. Things got off to an exciting start, as Lecky took the 1-0 lead on Riddell -- something that doesn't happen very often. Lecky eventually lead 2-1 before things got tied at 3-3. Then Lecky took a 4-3 lead, and Kenny missed his matching attempt. It was then that the fans watching the match started to realize Riddell might actually lose this match. Finally, the last standing #1 seed and the highest ranked player in the tourney, was knocked out by Lecky's next throw. 5-3, Colby advances to the Final Four Championship Game. Later in 6th Pd. Lunch, one more competitor joined Lecky in the Final Four Championship Game. The long-anticipated match between (4)JT Stefanik and (6)Mike Kopacko drew a large crowd (as most games recently have), and they went away happy. JT, who had been spooked by Kopacko's workmanlike concentration, stumbled out of the gate, falling behind Mike early in the game. Kopacko eventually got out to a 4-2 lead. Under normal circumstances, that's almost a guaranteed win -- but we're dealing with Mike Kopacko here, who admits himself to being the least clutch of all PowerToss players. JT managed to gain some ground back, but Kopacko knocked him out with his fifth toss before things got out of hand. So, as we head into the final Friday of the PowerToss season, only three games remain: (4)Dustin Johns vs. (10)Bob Madison in the Simpson Bracket Championship Game, the highly anticipated match between (2)Eric Springer and (8)Ben Siebart in the Miller Bracket Championship Game, and then the match for all the marbles, the Final Four Championship Game. We're almost ready to crown the first annual Laurel Highlands PowerToss MAYhem Champion, so stayed tuned!
May 15, 2003 elite eight nearly finalized	Things are really starting to come together. After today's action, six of the Elite Eight spots are taken. (8)Ben Siebart and (4)JT Stefanik wrapped up their spots yesterday, so let's get you caught up on the other four. In 5th Pd. Lunch, (1)Kenny Riddell tried to sidestep a monster upset from (12)Jeremy Boskovitch, the lowest remaining seed in the tournament. The cinderella ride ended for the young Bosko ended, though, as has was simply overmatched by the highest #1 seed in the tourney. The biggest match of the day was surely (1)Chris Sampson against (4)Dustin Johns. Many people had Sampson marked down to win the entire tourney from the start, while Johns has had a quietly impressive MAYhem. This match, as most games featuring a #1 seed do, drew a very large crowd, probably the biggest of the tournament so far, and no one went away wanting more. Both competitors started off a little cold until Dustin was able to get the all-important 4-3 lead. Tension filled the air, though, as he wasn't able to land the fifth and deciding shot time after time. Each competitor's toss brought gasps from the audience. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Dustin hit his fifth, eliciting a resounding round of applause, cheer, and whistles. Saint Christopher, long believed to be quite possibly the best player in the game, had just lost. It was truly MAYhem There were other games today, though. In the Tobal Bracket, (6)Mike Kopacko and (10)William Ashton tossed to see who would move on to to face (4)JT Stefanik in the Tobal Championship Game. The Johns-Sampson match was a tough act to follow, sure, but it was an interesting game nonetheless. With Stefanik on hand to scout, Mike Kopacko was automatic with his own elbow-on-the-table style. He sent Ashton packing, and seemed to get into JT's head at the same time. JT, who is the game's biggest trash talker, hasn't said a word about his Elite Eight opponent. We did have one Round Two game left going into today, (3)Jozef Michniak against (6)Sara Slampak, which wrapped up in 7th Pd. Study Hall. Michniak had to swallow that awful pill that countless others have already tasted: defeat. Slammer pulled off the upset in a close match. Due to a quirk in the schedule, though, she was able to play her Sweet Sixteen matchup immediately after beating Michniak. (2)Eric Springer, one of the fastest-rising players in the game, came into his match with the First Lady riding a hot streak, and along with a slightly subpar performance by Slampak, was able to knock off the last remaining female competitor in the field. He now moves on to the Elite Eight, where he'll square off against (8)Ben Siebart, a match which is sure to be one for the ages. We'll take a short break over the extended Prom weekend, but action will resume next week. Stay tuned!
May 14, 2003 round three begins	Two competitors moved on to the Sweet Sixteen today, as (12)Jeremy Boskovitch continued his cinderella tournament by knocking off (4)Brent Carbonara. (5)Evan McCann advanced to the third round via disqualification, as the Bad Boy of PowerToss, Tan Calabrese, unexpectedly retired and opted not to play. We're not sure whether he'll be missed. Only one Round Two game remains: (3)Jozef Michniak against (6)Sara Slampak, both 7th Period Study Hall vets. Hopefully we'll get that match wrapped up tomorrow. With all but that one Round Two match finalized, Round Three began today in 6th Period Lunch. In one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, two of the biggest smack talkers in the field squared off against each other. (4)JT Stefanik had long called (9)Jordan Keller's performance a fluke, and today put his money where his mouth is. Stefanik moved on to become the first member of the MAYhem '03 Elite Eight. The aforementioned (5)Evan McCann took on (8)Ben Siebart in another Sweet Sixteen matchup. Unfortunately for McCann, though, he wasn't as successful this time around. Siebart advanced to the Miller Bracket Championship Match with a 5-3 win. MAYhem will resume tomorrow.
May 13, 2003 round two update	One day after advancing out of the first round, (6)Chris Hall might be hitting his stride. Today he knocked veteran (3) Pat McIlvain from the tournament, joining (1)Chris Sampson, (4)Dustin Johns, and (10)Bob Madison as the Sweet Sixteen competitors from the Simpson Bracket. Check back tomorrow for more MAYhem updates.
May 12, 2003 quick update	That old bugaboo of ours, the Chris Hall/Gia Mitchell first-round match, is finally in the books. (6)Chris Hall toppled his girlfriend (11)Gia Mitchell to finally wrap up the first round games. Hall moves on to Round Two and will square off against (3)Pat McIlvain. Only four more second-round matches remain before we have our Sweet Sixteen set. Check back tomorrow for more updates.
May 9, 2003 high seeds continue to fall	As Round Two of MAYhem continued today, one thing became immensely clear: this is anyone's tournament to win. Two more #2 seeds were ousted during today's play. (2)Tim Dye, who many had tabbed for the championship match, was upset by (10)William Ashton, who continues to surprise many with his winning ways. In the day's other match, (7)Colby Lecky ousted another MAYhem favorite, (2)Justin Nicklow. (1)Kenny Riddell did, however, avoid elimination today, beating (9)Tim Hirsch. As we head into the second weekend of the tournament, let's take a look at the brackets. One first round game remains, (6)Chris Hall vs. (11)Gia Mitchell, which has been a thorn in our side all month. Besides Gia, the lowest remaining seeds are a pair of 10's, Bob Madison and William Ashton, and (12)Jeremy Boskovitch. Two #1's, Scot Russell and E.J. Regula, have been knocked out, and three #2's have been picked off: Matt Lynch, Justin Nicklow, and Tim Dye. Four second round matchups remain: (4)Brent Carbonara vs. (12)Jeremy Boskovitch, (4)Tan Calabrese vs. (5)Evan McCann, (3)Jozef Michniak vs. (6)Sara Slampak, and (3)Pat McIlvain against the Mitchell/Hall winner. MAYhem will continue next week. Stay tuned!
May 8, 2003 round two update	Round Two rolled on today, but not before one of the last Round One matchups was finished up. (5)Nik Midlik took care of (12)Tony Iannamorelli in the first of many 6th Period Lunch matchups today. Now, only (6)Chris Hall vs. (11)Gia Mitchell remains from Round One action. Another #1 seed bit the dust today. (8)Ben Siebart, looking to win one for the Class of 2003, knocked off (1)EJ Regula in a closely contested match. EJ was the second #1 seed to be knocked out in as many days. The upsets didn't stop at the top seeds, though. (2)Matt Lynch suffered through what many in attendance believe was the worst case of SnakeBite they've ever seen, let alone this MAYhem. (10)Bob Madison continued his hot streak and picked off the veteran Lynch, who was visibly downtrodden following the game. "I was hitting them good, but it just wasn't happening. All of my fears coming into MAYhem were realized in this game today." The top seed in the Simpson bracket, though, managed to avoid early elimination. (1)Chris Sampson had a subpar game by his standards and allowed (8)Antonio Phillips to stay in the game. Sampson's pure skill proved too much for Pook, though, and in the end, Sampson moved on. In other action, (2)Eric Springer made quick work of (7)Joby Anderson, (4)Dustin Johns took care of (5)Ben Eddy in his first tournament game, and (3)Delbert Simpson knocked out (6)Dave Fecek in a battle of 7th Period Study Hall alums. MAYhem will continue tomorrow, with many more second round matchups on the agenda.
May 7, 2003 round two begins	After a small break, MAYhem got rolling again today, and in a big way. Round Two kicked off with boatloads of drama, but before we get to that, we have some first round business to take care of. Through various logistic problems and near-misses, we're still waiting to have the (5)Nik Midlik vs. (12)Tony Iannamorelli and (6)Chris Hall vs. (11)Gia Mitchell matches. If all goes well, both will be done by tomorrow. From all reports, Chris was back in school today, so we're gathering everything went okay. One of the other first round matches that we'd been waiting to witness, though, was completed last night. (7)Chris Manges was knocked off by (10)William Ashton in an overtime thriller. Ashton moves on to Round 2. Today's first Round 2 match, also the first in MAYhem history, saw that practice truly makes perfect. Eric Springer, coming off a defeat in the First-To-100 series with Justin Nicklow in which valuable hours (literally) of practice helped him hone his skills, knocked off (7)Joby Anderson, the 7th Pd. Study Hall vet, in 6th Pd. Lunch. Later that period, (6)Mike Kopacko, fresh off a win over his own girlfriend, scored the upset over (3)Nikolai Softcheck. But between those two matches, something special happened. Something so big, so monumental that it changed the course of MAYhem history. (9)Jordan Keller, who just the week before had shocked all in attendance by picking off (8)Johnathan Boskovitch when Bosko's matching attempt failed to stay standing, came into his match against the first-seeded Scot Russell just hoping to keep it close and give himself some opportunity to win. He did that and more. This was easily the Match of the Tournament thus far, and has been dubbed the Game of the Century by all who witnessed it. A large crowd had gathered to watch the first game featuring a #1 seed and they definitely went away happy. A greatly played game, featuring a lot of close hits and very few misses, ended up going into overtime. From 4-4, neither player missed. 5-5. 6-6. 7-7. Keller, the low seed, hit his 8 first. Russell, who "eats pressure for breakfast," looked as automatic as Keller at this point. But as his matching attempt didn't get full rotation and flopped lifelessly to the table, all hell broke loose. A cacophony of cheers, clapping, screaming, and general expressions of awe roared through the cafeteria. #9 Seeded Jordan Keller had just knocked off #1 Seeded Scot Russell and earned himself the name "The Giant Killer" in the process. Round 2 rolls on tomorrow...
May 6, 2003 first round update	The first round is nearing a close, and it truly has been MAYhem. We've seen some major upsets, including Jeremy Boskovitch slipping past Brian Tom and Jordan Keller knocking off Johnathan Boskovitch. We've had some controversy as well, with Sarah Workman backing out of the tournament at the last possible minute. And lastly, we've had some tragedy, as Chris Hall has landed on the DL at the worst possible time due to an unfortunate incident involving a sewing pin. We wish him the best during this difficult time. Good luck, Chris Hall! Things look good, though. Other than the Hall sitution, we should have the second round finished by the time May 8 rolls around. Only three matches remain after (8)Ben Siebart overcame a mid-game concentration lapse to finally put away (9)Andre Rolaf in 6th Period Lunch today. Only (7)Chris Manges against (10)Will Ashton, (5)Nik Midlik against (12)Tony Iannamorell, and (6)Chris Hall against (11)Gia Mitchell remain. Check out the brackets to see the big picture.
May 4, 2003 new hotseat	Scot Russell is the newest victim of the PowerToss HotSeat. Use the link at the top of this page to check out what the #1 seed in the Tobal Bracket has to say.
May 2, 2003 day two recap	The second day of MAYhem, while not quite as intense as the first, offered up some great first-round matchups. In 5th Period Lunch, (7)Sarah Workman forfeited her spot in the tournament and was replaced by Steve Shiner. Shiner was then knocked off by the underdog (10)Bob Madison. In other fifth period action, (6)Dave Fecek moved on by toppling (11)Bob Sible, while (6)Sara Slampak did away with (11)Josh Tomasek. Only one official MAYhem game was played today in 6th Period Lunch, but it was a classic. (8)Johnathan Boskovitch, after getting out to a 3-1 lead, let (9)Jordan Keller come back into the game. After being tied at 4-4, Keller knocked his 5th of the game. On his matching attempt, Bosko had great form and a solid landing, but the bottle teetered on edge for what seemed like years before falling over, dashing his chances of a MAYhem championship. Only three preliminary-round games remain and will be finished on Monday, May 5. In the Miller Bracket, (8)Ben Siebart will square off against (9)Andre Rolaf. Over in the Tobal Bracket, (7)Chris Manges will try to oust (10)William Ashton. And lastly, in the Simpson Bracket, (6)Chris Hall will try to knock off his girlfriend, (11)Gia Mitchell. Thanks to all of those participating in MAYhem and good luck to all those remaining!
MAY 1, 2003 first day review	Well, Mayhem officially got underway on Thursday, May 1, 2003, and what an eventful day it was. PowerToss history was made during 5th period lunch, where the first ever MAYhem game was played between (8)Antonio "Pookie" Phillips and (9)Corey Nesser. Pook became the first player to advance to advance to the second round with his win over Corey. In other 5th Period action, (9)Tim Hirsch pulled off a slight upset over (8)Brian Lipchinsky. In the day's biggest upset, though, the highest #5 seed, and therefore the first player to miss the cut into the bye round, Brian Tom, was picked off by (12)Jeremy Boskovitch. 6th Period Lunch saw a full schedule of games. Two of MAYhem's five female players, (11)Angela Stafford and (12)Janelle Durany were sent packing by (6)Mike Kopacko and (5)Ben Eddy, respectively. In what was dubbed "The Battle for That Neighborhood Behind Howard Johnson's," the more experienced (5)Evan McCann ousted (12)Steve Weiss. Also, (7)Colby Lecky dispatched (10)Matt Chiplaskey. And capping off the day's events, 7th Period Study Hall players (7)Joby Anderson and (10)Lee Minnick had a fierce battle, which saw Joby get out to an early lead before allowing Lee back into the game. Joby, however, did put his game together down the stretch and managed to pull out the close win and advance to the second round. It was a successful and exciting first day. We hope to have the first-round games completed tomorrow or as soon as possible thereafter. For the full, updated brackets, check out the "Brackets" link at the top of this page. I'd like to personally thank everyone who has helped organize, promote, and help out with MAYhem. Special thanks to the 5th Period Moderators, namely Justin Nicklow, who really got MAYhem off on the right foot. Without everyone's help, this dream wouldn't be a reality. Thanks!
MAY 1, 2003 MAYHEM IS HERE!	As if you didn't already know, it's May 1st, and that means MAYhem is here! The former "Rankings" link at the top of this page has magically morphed into the "Brackets" link, where you can find where you've been seeded, who your opponent is (or will be, if you're in the elite company of the 1-4 seeds), and what bracket you've been placed in (Cupp, Miller, Simpson, or Tobal, in honor of our favorite Laurel Highlands teachers.) Check it out. As always, we encourage you to check the site often for updates, as well as telling all your friends just what a great place this is. But! If you can't make it to a computer, we'll have the brackets posted in a specific place in the high school as soon as tomorrow. From the Field of 48 down to the Final Four, this is the source for official PowerToss MAYhem '03 information.