Desert Edge - 2012


On the 15th of September 2012, some of the best paintball players and teams across the nation assembled at Badlandz paintball field, just outside Chicago Illinois, for the 10-man Ultimate Woodsball League (UWL) Championship event.  Players were once again reminded just how intense Tom Cole’s UWL has become.  Even for seasoned veterans of the sport the UWL format provides some of the most intense and extreme paintball they have ever experienced.  For these reasons Team Desert Edge has made the UWL events across the country priority in their schedule.




On Saturday, the Desert Edge Tactical team started the day with a decisive victory against Rock N' Roll Death Patrol.  The scouts from each team met in the middle, but Phil Taylor of DE got the upper hand and quickly eliminated the opposing scout.  Unfortunately, in the process of quickly running downhill he lost his footing and was eliminated by another player.  On right side of the field, Paul Mathews, of Desert Edge, pulled the swing flag in the first few seconds of the game.  After eliminating the opposing team’s flag runner he was eliminated by an unfortunate act of mistaken identity by a teammate.  By the end of the first ten minute period, Desert Edge was able to get behind enemy lines and eliminate the remaining opposition.  The Desert Edge Tactical team kept intense pressure on RRDP for the remaining two periods allowing them to score only 33 points.  The final score was 146 to 33 points.

The next tactical division game did not go as smoothly against Failure to Flatline resulting in the first loss of the day.  Desert Edge started out strong at the beginning of the game, but lost critical ground on the ridge allowing FTF to gain control of the right side field.  This eventually allowed FTF to get behind the enemy and take complete control of the field.  Dan Saunders quickly made the decision to flood the center of the field in a desperate attempt to regain control of the game, but the plan was poorly executed resulting in an even more decisive loss to FTF.  The final score was 34 to 96 points.

The Desert Edge Professional team was off to a good start on Saturday in their first game against the Suppressors.  From the lower end of the field, DE overwhelmed the opposition and quickly was able to push through the center and the left side of the field.  Dan Saunders was able to push through the center of the field and pull the enemy base flag.  At the re-break, due to a referee timing error, the Suppressors were mistakenly allowed to start early allowing them to reach far beyond the middle of the field.  In the confusion and commotion, DE quickly reacted by desperately trying to take the field despite being overwhelmingly disadvantaged.  Most of the team was unable to even reach their first bunkers without being eliminated.  This allowed the Suppressors to quickly gain complete control of the field and all the flags.  Despite the frustrating mistake that resulted in a major loss of points and momentum, DE shook it off and still prevailed by taking complete control of the game in the final period.  The final score was 135 to 93 points.   


The next professional division game was intensely competitive against the Camp Pendleton Raiders.  From the upper side of the field, Desert Edge quickly took control of the game in first period by sweeping through the right side of the field.  Aaron Parry was able to pull the enemy base flag, but with so many DE players eager to pull the flag it was pulled back to the CP Raider color until Tim Saunders arrived.  Even with the minor error, it was a very decisive victory in the first period.  The tide quickly changed in the second period as the CP Raiders came back with a vengeance.  The tables were turned as the CP Raiders got their turn to pull the enemy base flag.  DE and the CP Raiders entered the third and final period in a virtual tie.  It also began with an exciting hot reinsert as DE fought to regain lost ground on the left and center of the field with the CP Raiders already in view. DE was able to take back some ground, but it ended up being too little, too late.  The final score was 76 to 155 points resulting in a CP Raiders victory.

On Sunday, Desert Edge Tactical got off to a slightly rocky start against Dark Side Out.  As scout, Phil Taylor was able to make it to a critical location in the center of the field, and was able to greatly hinder the opposition until they eliminated him with a rocket.  This allowed DSO to push from the lower end of the field through the center and take control of the enemy flag.  Desert Edge came back in the second period with perhaps the most exciting comeback of the two day event.  DE pushed through the center of the field and decisively gained control of the field.  The third period seemed to be deadlocked as the two unrelenting teams fought hard to take control of the field.  As a result, the winner of the game was just too close to call.  Eventually, it was determined to be a loss of only 7 points.  DSO broke the tie and won the game by retrieving the center objective or hooch worth 10 points in the first period of the game.   A standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces.



The next tactical game resulted in a decisive victory against the Chicago Heretics.  This time DE was on the lower end of the field and took control of the left side half way through the first period.  On the left side, Jeremy Stringham, Marcial Rodriguez, Pete Riegert, and Jeff Gonzales retrieved the center objective, took the enemy base flag, and then eliminated the rest of the opposition from behind.  During the second period, DE took control of the left side even faster.  After Jeff Gonzales pulled the swing flag they again marched toward the enemy base flag and pulled it.  By the time they had an opportunity to attack from behind the right side had already pushed through eliminating the remaining players.  The third period continued much like the previous two with the left side quickly taking control of the swing flag and working toward the enemy base.  This time the center also broke through the enemy ranks resulting in a race to the enemy base flag.  The left side arrived first and then with the center squad quickly swept the right side of the field to eliminate the remaining players.  The result was a decisive victory for DE with a final score of 165 to 31 points.

The first professional division game was against the Chicago Aftershock.  From the high end of the field, Desert Edge was able to quickly sweep the right side of the field, pull the enemy base flag, and attack the left side from behind.  Tim Saunders was able to backdoor the opposition and pull the remaining swing flag during the first period.  During the second period, Aftershock made an aggressive push through the middle of the field resulting in their gaining control of the field, flags, and eliminating most of the DE players.  The third period of the game was deadlocked for most of the duration with neither team gaining a decisive advantage over the other.  DE won the hard fought battle with a final score of 134 to 80 points.  This important victory ultimately provided DE the opportunity to again face off against the CP Raiders in the final game of the professional division.  


The next professional division game was against the tactical division team Failure to Flateline.  As a tactical team, they started with a swing flag already their color.  From the low end of the field, FTF concentrated on the left side eventually taking the enemy base flag and eliminating most of the DE players.   However, DE had pushed the other side and had taken their enemy base flag too.  The second period was a hot reinsert with players of both teams in enemy territory.  DE was taking fire within 50 feet of their dead box, but was eventually able to slowly push back the enemy forces and regain much of the field.  FTF was eventually able to again pull the enemy base flag at the end of the second period.  With both sides reset for a fresh start, DE was able to take control of the field in the third period.  DE pushed hard through the left side, took the swing flag, and was also able to take the enemy base flag.  Desert Edge lost by 7 points to FTF with a final score of 100 to 107 points.
        
Desert Edge again had the opportunity to play the Camp Pendleton Raiders in the final game of the professional division.  From the high end of the field, DE locked down much of the left side, but the CP Raiders were able to push through the middle and get easy eliminations shooting down on the left squad.  After losing her squad, Summer Oakley had to fall back to a more defensive position on the left side.  Dan Saunders made the call to push the left side on the second insertion.  Given extra players they made quick progress until they got stagnated with eliminations and poor execution.  For the final insertion, Dan Saunders made the call to push the right side.  Phil Taylor and Dan Saunders were able to lock down the left side, but the right side was unable to break through.  The final score was not posted, but it was a clear and decisive victory for the CP Raiders.   

The Desert Edge Tactical team placed third overall at the event behind Failure to Flatline and Muddy Water Boys.  The tactical division proved to be a very talented, competitive, and ever growing group of teams.  The Desert Edge Professional team place second behind the Camp Pendleton Raiders.  



At the close of another great season we are so grateful for the support of the finest sponsors in the business. We would like to personally thank GI SPORTZ, Lapco, Ninja Paintball, Planet Eclipse, Saints Paintball, and Paintballgateway.com for making this all possible.       



http://www.teamdesertedge.com/

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