Tail-Tag Student Autumn League: Toyosu Metropolitan HS Ends Edagawa's 3-0 Start
Round 4 of the Tail-Tag student autumn league was held on the 13th at Kameido Second Gymnasium, where Edagawa Metropolitan High School — unbeaten through three straight wins to open the season, as previously reported — suffered its first loss of the year, falling 10-9 to first-time entrant Toyosu Metropolitan High School.
As previously reported, Edagawa Metropolitan High School's Tail-Tag club had won three straight to open the season — 12-9 over Shiodome Academy on Sept. 14, 10-8 over Tatsumi Metropolitan High School on the 22nd, and 11-7 over Kameido Gakuen Private School on Oct. 8. In Round 4 on the 13th, facing first-time entrant Toyosu Metropolitan High School, Edagawa led 9-6 through the middle of the match, but Toyosu captured three straight strips late to tie it 9-9 before taking the decisive one, winning 10-9 in a come-from-behind finish.
Toyosu's Tail-Tag club is in its second year since founding. "Being behind in the first half was genuinely tough, but once the other side settled into defense, our openings became clearer," said the team's captain, a third-year student whose name has not been disclosed. "For that last strip, I felt like I could get it because I'd been studying every match so far and had narrowed down where to look." The club's advisor said, "I didn't expect a result like this in only our second year. What mattered most was that the players' focus never broke, right to the end."
Edagawa's captain said afterward, "Losing the three-game streak matters less to me than losing three strips in a row at the end. Our defense had gotten complacent." The advisor commented, "We'd gone three matches without knowing what losing felt like, so I'd rather think learning that now works in our favor heading into the league's final stretch in November." The league runs through November, and Edagawa is next scheduled for a rematch against Shiodome Academy.
