Dodge! Duck! Dive! These were tactics that the dodgeball tournament participants excelled in as they battled towards the championship title. This year’s tournament featured a variety of students from all grade levels and served as an entertaining show for Tuesday and Thursday lunches.

The tournament consisted of four rounds. In the first round, the winning team moves on to the second and so forth until the two teams battle it out for the championship. This year’s tournament featured 13 teams – T.P.D, The Table, Squad 7, Average Joes, Team Jakob, Gambino Family, Bomb Squad, Those Guys, D.T.B, Wolfgang, Superb, Los Papis Chulos, T.L.D –  and went on for over two months, consistently attracting a gym full of students. “The best thing about playing is the chills you feel as you walk into the gym already hearing the crowd cheer,” said Wolfgang player Luis Ruiz.

A highlight and something different that took place in this year’s  tournament was seeing Team Jakob bring out a student in a wheelchair each time they played. Of course, their temporary disability was due to Mr. Ashby’s wheelchair project, but it stirred loud cheers from the crowd when they were able to throw an opponent out. Team Captain Jakob Lopez said, “It was a happy accident that we were scheduled to use the wheelchair on each of our games. But it was an advantage, people didn’t want to hit a person in a wheelchair.”

The players weren’t the only ones involved in the tournament, the crowd also had to stay alert and keep their eyes open. At times a raging dodgeball would fly into the crowd, and if they weren’t quick enough, would get harshly struck. ”I loved hearing the oooooh and the aaaah and oooooh from the students but it was fun to see the balls fly into the crowds. Even though they weren’t playing, they get to feel a part of what the event is all about,” said Activity Director Tiffany Ayala.

The tournament came down to the last four teams – The Table, T.P.D, T.L.D, and the Average Joes. They fought it through with determination and passion but only one team could come out on top. Battling for third place, T.L.D and the Average Joes ended their final match in a tie. However, it was the championship game that everyone was waiting for. Senior Gisselle Cortez thought it was an intense match, “It was a 3-D world, there were balls flying around left and right.”  Israel Mandujano was proud of his team’s progress to the finals. “We came in with the mentality of dominating completely. As seniors, we felt that we needed to make it to the final stage so with the chemistry we built, we had to go and take the championship.” Daniel Lomeli from the opposing team, T.P.D, was just as excited. “I always believed that we would make it to the championship. We put in work and played the game tough. The last game was the most heated we played.”

There was exhilaration from both the crowd and the players, causing Ayala to have to pause the game twice to remind the players of the rules and settle the rowdy crowd down. Both teams played the final game with vicious ambition and passion, but it was team T.P.D that took the 2016 Dodgeball champ title. Michel Medina, from the winning team, remembers this game as his most memorable.”We knew it would be tough because we faced them before, but we held our heads high and had fun and took the win,” Medina said.

This was the third year Dodgeball had been hosted at Alisal and, according to Ayala, it was a complete success. She said, “We brought the tournament back because we love to see the passion in the players and the energetic atmosphere the students create.”

It’s a safe bet, based on the players’ and spectators’ reactions, that dodgeball will return next year.