Underdogs Triumph in the Sturgis Dodgeball Tournament

by Kevin Agostinelli, staff reporter


The annual Sturgis Dodge ball Tournament just experienced a major “déjà vu.” Yes, a freshman team once again beat the odds to win the coveted dodge ball champion bragging rights for 365 days.

Sturgis East freshman Grant Dauwaulder was the founder of Team Ryan Braun - named after the Milwaukee Brewers All-Star baseball player - who donned red shirts for the highly-anticipated event. Team Ryan Braun was handed a lucky first round bye, lining them up in the quarterfinals against the Red Hot Balls of Fury, arguably the dodgeball tournament favorites. The Red Hot Balls of Fury had already lived up to their name in the first round, dominating their opponent with their impressive veteran roster.

In the quarterfinals, the Red Hot Balls of Fury first bent but did not break, gradually knocking out Team Ryan Braun’s squad until Grant Dauwaulder was the lone survivor, up against five Red Hot Balls of Fury players. However, hundreds of members of the Sturgis community watched in amazement as Dauwaulder coolly fought and evaded his opponents, knocking them out until he was one-on-one with the last Red hot Balls of Fury member. After the game stretched into overtime, Grant knocked out his final opponent, sending his teammates and the school into a frenzy of excitement. The underdogs had won, but the title was not yet theirs.

Fortunately for Team Ryan Braun, the team of teachers did not present much of a problem in the semifinals, and the young squad once again celebrated as they advanced to the championship game. Their opponent would be none other than “Dirty Mike and the Boys,” with the title being a reference to Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s hit movie The Other Guys.

The match was completely even, as both teams continued to knock out one another until Sturgis West’s Haleigh Linehan of Team Ryan Braun was faced with a 1-on-1 duel with the last member on Team “Dirty Mike and the Boys.” Luckily for Team Ryan Braun, Haleigh finished off the game just as Grant Dauwalder had done, knocking out her opponent and putting an end to a fantastic dodge ball tournament.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the dodgeball tournament and in the festivities that followed, and special accolades go out to the young but victorious Team Ryan Braun!