Cleveland Riff Season Preview: A 30-Person Band
Last Season
Following a heart-breaking, golden goal loss in the 2023 season, the Cleveland Riff entered last summer with high hopes of qualifying for MLQ Championships. However, the 2024 season fell well below those ambitions.
To start the year, the Cleveland Riff traveled across the border to the 2023 North Division runner-up, Toronto Raiders. Entering the season, Toronto was coming to terms with losing two of their top playmakers: Cory Smithson and Stevie Vindua. This was potentially the Riff’s best opportunity to take a series victory in a top-heavy North Division. Despite this, Toronto dispatched of Cleveland with relative ease, the closest margin of victory being 95 points in the 3 game sweep. After a slow start in Toronto, the Cleveland Riff returned home to host the perennial powerhouse, Chicago Prowl. In what was predicted to be a lopsided series, the Prowl dismantled the Riff, scoring over 250 points in all 3 games of their dominant 3-0 performance. To end the year, the Cleveland Riff headed to Detroit for the North Division SuperSeries. There, Cleveland took on another consistent division challenger in the Minneapolis Monarchs and the season’s darkhorse Detroit Innovators. While the Riff showed improvements as the two series progressed, Cleveland was ultimately swept in both matchups.
After coming off their best season since 2016, the Cleveland Riff went from a 2-8 team in the 2023 season, to 0-12 team in the 2024 season, while recording their worst ever points difference per game of -132.5. To find themselves back in the big time, Cleveland will need to make large improvements in both the Quadball and dodgeball game in 2025. Fortunately for the Riff, those improvements might come in the form of new additions to the roster this summer.
Returning Players
Adam Thompson (Case Western Reserve University)
Andrew Tudor (Ohio Gemini)
David Profusek (Ohio Gemini)
Dominik Twarowski (Bowling Green State University)
Evalien Duyvesteyn (Ohio Gemini)
Fiona Gaffney (Ohio Gemini)
Jack Moseley (Ohio Gemini)
Jennifer Conard (Ohio Gemini)
Joseph Lombardi (Ohio Gemini)
Lacey Hutchman (Ohio Gemini)
Larissa Gaborick (Unaffiliated)
Peter Brechting (Ohio Gemini)
Rachel Krieger (Bowling Green State University)
Rachel Yates (Ohio Gemini)
Rae Barnes (Ohio Gemini)
Robert Beaton (Ohio Gemini)
Rose Mournighan (Skyline)
Taylor Freeman (Ohio Gemini)
Will Kozak (Unaffiliated)
New Players
Abby Engle (Bowling Green State University)
Ari Glockner (Case Western Reserve University)
Austin Howe (Ohio Gemini)
Delaney Lindberg (Unaffiliated)
Devon Smith (University of Pittsburgh)
Emma Meo (University of Pittsburgh)
Frank Abbey III (Unaffiliated)
Jackson Neofes (University of Pittsburgh)
Kevin Oh (University of Pittsburgh)
Martin Meinert (Boston University)
Vivian Cox (Case Western Reserve University)
Breakdown
College = 11
Boston University = 1
Bowling Green State University = 3
Case Western Reserve University = 3
University of Pittsburgh = 4
Club = 15
Ohio Gemini = 14
Skyline = 1
Unaffiliated = 4
Notable Departures
Aaron Oehler (Austin Outlaws)
Braden Hawk
Claire Shuey (Washington Admirals)
Connor Scott
Mykal Jones
The Season Ahead
The Cleveland Riff will host the Toronto Raiders to kickoff the 2025 MLQ regular season. Of the four season series slated for the Riff, this matchup should be one fans have circled on their calendar. While Cleveland has never beaten Toronto since their introduction into the league in 2019, the gap has noticeably shrunk in the years prior to 2024, emphasized by a tight, 20 point loss to the Raiders in 2023. To flip the script this year, the Cleveland Riff will need to focus on slowing the Raider’s fast-break offenses and match the Raider’s beater depth, which has proved troublesome in the past.
For their second home series of the year, the Cleveland Riff will entertain the Chicago Prowl. While facing the reigning North Division Champs is troublesome for any team, it has been distinctly challenging for Cleveland in recent history. Last year, the Prowl tore up the Riff in what was likely the most dominant series sweep of the season, winning 265-40, 255-30, and 295-20 sequentially. Prior to that, Chicago (named the Indianapolis Intensity at the time) destroyed Cleveland 155-30, 145-40, and 185-10 in 2021. The last time Cleveland beat Chicago was back in 2016, with none of the current roster having played in that matchup. To have any chance in this series, the Cleveland Riff will need its stars to shine their brightest, and luck to be on their side.
The third series of the season will see the Cleveland Riff traveling to the Minneapolis Monarchs on the 4th of July weekend. Despite being a clear dynamo in the North Division since their conception in 2019, Minneapolis has shown some cracks to Cleveland in their history. While they swept the season series, the Riff had their closest games of the year against the Monarchs, pulling Game 3 back to only a 70 point deficit. Back in 2021, Minneapolis surprisingly suffered their lone regular season defeat to a last place Cleveland team. If last season proved anything, the Riff could go head-to-head with the Monarchs when playing at their best. To pull off the series win this season, the Cleveland Riff will need to improve on their offense against the Minneapolis Monarchs. The rare glimpses of offensive flair they showed against the Monarchs will not be sustainable, and they will need to operate more effective formations and set plays to take down this squad.
The Cleveland Riff will round out the 2025 MLQ season by visiting the Detroit Innovators. In recent years, this matchup has been one of the most contentious in the North Division. In 2023, both teams took 1 game from the other in the North Division Championship, before the Innovators snatched a series victory in a golden goal scenario. The series was also tight in the 2022 North Division Championship, where Detroit tightly swept the matchup with Game 1 & 2 victories coming down to near 50 point differentials. However, the same cannot be said for last season, where the Innovators’ physicality and beater prowess pummeled the Riff, nearly shutting them out 150-10 in Game 1 of the series sweep. The Detroit Innovators Quadball game might look more diminished on paper, but for the Cleveland Riff to defeat them this season, they will need to match the Innovators’ dominant dodgeball game.
Season Potentials
In the 2025 season, the Cleveland Riff will be aiming to secure their first bid to MLQ Championships since 2021. In the divisional format that MLQ implements, a team will typically need to win at least 3 games to earn one of the four spots available in a division to qualify for Champs. As mentioned earlier, the North Division is typically a top-heavy one, with either the Chicago Prowl or Minneapolis Monarchs standing atop the pile by season end, the other just behind them. Last year, this norm was disrupted by the Detroit Innovators, who dominantly earned 2nd place in the division. Assuming the North returns to normalcy this year, it is expected that Cleveland, Toronto, and Detroit will be contending for 3rd and 4th place in the division. That being said, how the Riff start the season versus the Raiders, and end the season against the Innovators, will be crucial in determining where Cleveland finishes. The Cleveland Riff will likely need to sweep one of these opponents in order to secure a bid to MLQ Championships.
An above-and-beyond goal for the Cleveland Riff this season would be earning their first win at the Play-in Round of MLQ Championships since the MLQ inaugural season in 2015. In the play-in, they would likely be facing the Charlotte Aviators, Houston Legends, or the diminished Austin Outlaws. These teams are strong, formidable opponents. However, if the Cleveland Riff manage to qualify for MLQ Championships, they should be able to push these teams to their limits.
Regular Season Prediction: 3-9
Why They Will
With the addition of several rookies to the Cleveland Riff program, there is a drastic jump in Quadball scoring depth. Previously, Cleveland would often lean on one or two scoring players per Quadball line to get by. This would limit potential offensive plays and formations, and ultimately lower their offensive power in the long run. Now, newcomers such as Vivian Cox, Devon Smith, Delaney Lindberg and Jackson Neofes will add athleticism and finishing power that can cultivate more complete Quadball lines. Cox delivers a physical, sturdy style of play, with great finishes at the hoops. Smith adds driving agility and acrobatic finishing in-and-around the hoops. Lindberg exhibits an all-around style of play, featuring a mix of athleticism and Quadball IQ to score or assist at all distances. Neofes brings a large boost in size and driving power that has been sorely missed on the team. Taking into account the existing core Quadball players on the roster (Fiona Gaffney, Joseph Lombardi, Jack Moseley, Adam Thompson), the Cleveland Riff Quadball players will be able to go toe-to-toe with their North Division opponents.
Why They Won’t
One problem that has been at the core of the Cleveland Riff’s struggles in recent years is their beater depth. That problem could be exacerbated with the notable departures of Aaron Oehler (Austin Outlaws) and Claire Shuey (Washington Admirals). Both Oehler and Shuey have served as 2nd, 3rd, or 4th line beaters on the Cleveland roster periodically since 2019 and 2021 respectively. Oehler led the team in beater stops in 2023, and Shuey nearly led the team in +/- in 2022. Losing Oehler and Shuey will deplete an already limited beater core that has struggled to match other team’s deep beater talent. However, there is room for hope entering the 2025 season. The return of a healthy Austin Howe will strike fear into opposing beaters in the North Division, and will help bolster a top beater pairing that would likely feature Rae Barnes or Peter Brechting. Barnes has been a near-permanent fixture on the 1st beater pair over the last few seasons, almost leading the team in average dodgeballs last season. Brechting had a standout season of his own last year, tying for 2nd in league for beater stops and leading the team in average dodgeballs. Adding Howe into the fold will make the 1st/2nd beater lines a formidable matchup for any team. That being said, the question still remains as to what players fill the deeper 3rd/4th line roles, and that may be answered by rookies entering the spotlight. Keep an eye on Abby Engle, Martin Meinert, Emma Meo, and Kevin Oh. All four players have already made significant improvements to their beater intelligence in pre-season practices, and expect some of them to make a name for themselves this season.
As mentioned earlier, the Cleveland Riff will likely need to lean on MLQ rookies this season to find long-term success. Nearly half of the roster are joining from young or fading college programs. Relying on MLQ-inexperienced players will be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, this is the most athletic and in-shape the team has looked in years. These rookies can reliably handle big minutes in big games, and keep up with the physicality of the North Division’s Ally Manzella types or Bryan Melchior types. On the other hand, inexperience will amplify one of Cleveland’s biggest issues last season; limiting fast-break turnovers. Naturally, the pace of College Division 2 Quadball will usually not match that of an MLQ series. Players move faster, plays happen quicker, and players need to be ready to make quick decisions on the ball. Yes - given time, the MLQ rookies will certainly improve their on-the-fly decision making, but will that development come fast enough?
Conclusion
Regardless of how the 2025 season roundsout, there is much to look forward to coming from the Cleveland Riff program. The team is healthier, the team is younger, and the team can only improve both this season and in seasons to come. Keep an eye out, the Cleveland Riff might rock and roll the North Division this year.
