Comeback Surge Falls Short as Owls Outlasted in Season Opener

In what may have been the largest single Ultimate Frisbee team in school history, a mob of twenty-one TCS middle schoolers donned the Country blue jerseys and took to the field in their first match of the season versus the Panthers of Pine Point. The game served as the first game for a hybrid group of teammates composed of 5th and 6th graders from the JV team, as well as 7th Graders joining from the Varsity squad.

From the outset, the Panthers took control as deft handling got them to a healthy 4-0 lead before Cam McNamara found fellow fifth grader Logan Maloney in the endzone for a short toss, earning the duo the season’s first points. The beauty of the sport was demonstrated throughout the harried attempt to close the gap as this game cannot be overtaken by one player alone. No, instead it takes the collective advantages created by teammates as they pass, cut and catch their way up and down the field, often turning on a dime as turnovers shift them from an offensive mindset to the voracious tenacity required on the defensive end.

With scores from Sam Collins to Caitlin Stanat, followed by a lofting toss from Quinn Freeman to Cam, and a strike from Max Perl to Jimmy Ogeneski, the Owls closed the score to 4-7, but that early deficit would take a little more precision from the group. It was with about 10:00 remaining in the game that the coaches shifted the three 7-player lineups and attacked the Panther line with the surgical precision of a line composed of Jimmy, Caitlin, Quinn F. along with Emily Antman, Gideon McDonough, and Harper Merrill. The group led the team to an 8-7 advantage with 4 straight scores (two each from Caitlin and Quinn), getting three assists from Handler Harper and one from Jimmy.

While Pine Point would ultimately score two more late points to take the win 9-8, it was a moment of pride for the group as they walked off the field with heads held high. It’s never easy to play a game with this many students, especially when you’ve never played as a full group before. But TCS showed lots of grit, camaraderie and teamwork in what was a great (and exciting) start to the Ultimate season.

A great game was played all over the field by veterans Emmy Liu, Vivian Pfeil, Norah Staron, Tash Frusztajer, and hearty congratulations are due to Ultimate newcomers Lucas Ferguson-Cormier, Ben Nathanson, Micah Benton, Arlo McGahan, Quinn Crimmins, Sam Gagliardi, Jake Svitila.

Varsity plays at Foote on Thursday, while the JV team is off until St. John Paul II comes to campus on April 24 for a game at 3:30.