Derek Lionberger
Wow, what a first round. I don’t know about you, but my candy bracket is already busted. For this article, I’m going to give you my top five highlights from last week and then give you a preview of this week.
First off, let’s discuss the biggest blowout from last week. Pay Day was a weak selection coming into the tournament, but most of us thought they would at least be able to hang with their first round matchup. That was not the case. Reese’s came in with a vengeance and obliterated PayDay 40-1. Reese’s is looking very strong but they are going to have a tough matchup this week against Twix.
Next, we have to mention the top seed from the fruity side: Nerds. Let’s be real, Whoppers did not deserve to be included in this tournament. Their coaching is terrible and they have inconsistent players. They were only allowed to participate because they have been around for so long. Nerds took care of them fairly, commanding in a 32-12 victory. However, allowing Whoppers to get 12 votes is downright embarrassing. Nerds are a weak seed, so watch for them to be upset in their next match against Laffy Taffy.
The top seed from the chocolate candy side, Kit Kat, also had an embarrassing showing. Putting up a measly 17-7 win against Flavored Tootsie Rolls. I will admit, Flavored Tootsie Rolls have a very solid player with the orange flavor. But after that, they don’t have any other contributors. I was fully expecting Kit Kat to win by at least 20, but this game doesn’t worry me. Kit Kat played a late game right before the weekend, meaning voting was low. I don’t see a matchup giving them any problems on their side of the bracket and they should easily make it to the final round.
Next, we have the most exciting matchup from this past week. The closest game we saw was the Caramel Apple Sucker and the Hershey Bar matchup. I knew Hershey Bars were a veteran team with a lot of experience in this tournament, so I thought they might be able to stay alive on that fact alone. However, the fun and exciting Caramel Apple Sucker team was able to create a memorable matchup and win a nail biter 21-20.
Finally, who could have predicted that Fun Dip upset? They were my lock to win that matchup, but I went to bed Wednesday night and Fun Dip was losing (I thought all hope was lost). When I woke up Thursday morning, I was amazed to see they had come back and ended up winning 29-25. As exciting as that win was, I think their Cinderella story is over and they will struggle against Skittles this week.
Here’s a look at the upcoming second round. Watch for the Caramel Apple Sucker vs. Reese’s Pieces matchup and the Reese’s vs. Twix matchup. Those candies are heavy hitting teams, I would imagine those will be very close games.
Left Side
Nerds vs. Laffy Taffy
Snickers vs. Reese’s Pieces
Caramel Apple Sucker vs. Sour Patch Kids
Fun Dip vs. Skittles
Right Side
Gummy Bears vs. Milky Way
Reese’s vs. Twix
Runts vs. Crunch
Starburst vs. Kit Kat
That’s it for the first round recap, make sure you go on the Herald Instagram page and vote for your favorite candy to win in the second round. I’ll be back next week for another recap!
October Madness: Round 1 Updates was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
