Weekend Preview: 8/3/2012

By Justice Feelgood Marshall, Last updated Sun Aug 5 2012 2:34am

Top WFTDA / MRDA Action

(15) Naptown @ (20) Arch Rival -- Arch Rival's been creeping up both WFTDA and DNN rankings almost all season long, hitting season highs this week on both rankings systems (4 in the region via WFTDA). Meanwhile, Naptown, still 3rd in their region via WFTDA, has been standing pat for just about the same amount of time, unable to push past Windy City or Minnesota -- and they haven't played a lower-ranked regional opponent yet. If the new WFTDA rankings remain accurate for these teams through the North Central playoffs, this game will be a preview of the third-place game in Buffalo (though Ohio and Detroit will likely be eager to derail that future). Live audio (and possibly video) coverage begins Saturday at 8:30pm Central.

Atlanta @ (21) Carolina (Sunday) -- Carolina buried Atlanta by a score of 242-55 when they met up last year just before the East playoffs, but Atlanta appears to be re-energized this year with the addition of Wild Cherri and the knowledge they'll be hosting the WFTDA championships this year. Even though this is an out-of-region game, a win for Atlanta here would be a big statement that the 2012 version of the team might have what it takes to finally get out of the South Central tournament third-place game, where their season has ended for the last two years. Atlanta also plays a public bout against Cape Fear on Saturday night. Textcast coverage of Atlanta / Cape Fear begins at 4pm Eastern on Saturday, August 4; textcast coverage of Atlanta / Carolina begins at 10:30 Eastern on Sunday, August 5.

(MRDA 14) Harm City @ (MRDA 7) Race City, (MRDA 14) Harm City v (MRDA U) Deep Valley, (MRDA U) Deep Valley @ (MRDA 7) Race City -- Indianapolis' Race City hosts a rematch with Baltimore's Harm City Homicide and also the first ever MRDA games for the Deep Valley Belligerents, coming all the way from Ukiah, California. Harm City and Race City matched up last year in a closed bout that saw Harm City skate away with a 165-116 victory, but Race City has been stepping up their game considerably since then and looks likely to qualify for the 8-team MRDA Championships if Harm City cannot stop them here. Race City will be down one of their key 2012 additions, though, ex-Harm City skater Quad Almighty, who suffered a broken leg in scrimmage two weeks ago.

General WFTDA Action

East

20E Long Island travels to 12E Providence; currently unranked South Central team Blue Ridge goes out of region to play 26E Charlotte.

South Central

21SC Little City (Johnson City, TN) travels to unranked Tragic City (Birmingham, AL) in a rematch of a February game that went to Little City 111-88; 25SC Springfield travels to 26SC ICT (Wichita, KS).

Also Live This Weekend

Montreal and Bay Area are both going into their local championships on Saturday: live video from Montreal's game between Les Contrabanditas
 and La Racaille starts at 6pm Eastern, while Bay Area's textcast coverage of the game between the San Francisco ShEvil Dead and Richmond Wrecking Belles begins at 7:30pm Pacific.