Sports Spring Sports Ultimate

Andover Ultimate Secures Narrow Victory

Laying out for the approaching disk, James Wolfe ’17, Co-Captain of Andover Ultimate Frisbee, leapt into St. John’s Prep’s end zone this Wednesday to secure a point for Andover. Although the opposing team proved to be difficult opponents, Andover came out on top with a score of 15-13.

After leading at the beginning of the game, Andover allowed St. John’s Prep to fight back into the contest and even faced a deficit towards the game’s end.

First year player Rohan Lewis ’17 said, “We were up big early on, and then we got overconfident and lost a six point lead and actually fell behind. I think that this game demonstrated the tenacity of our team. We regrouped, figured out what went wrong, worked tirelessly to fix our mistakes, and came out on top.”

When Andover lost its early lead, Co-Captain Darian Bhathena ’16 and Wolfe stepped up to bring the team back to focus.

“Darian and James are probably our two most motivating players. Darian is a very vocal player that is always helping the team find the correct position and execute our plays. James is probably the most motivating player on the team. Whenever he has a positive attitude, the team portrays a positive attitude. I think that everyone on the team views James as a role model and are always striving to be like him,” said Reuben Philip ’18.

Bhathena said, “This game stood out because the momentum switched so often during the course of the game. St. John’s Prep started out really strong, but we adapted quickly and were beating them by a fair lead at the half. But they changed strategy and started taking advantage of our mistakes, and ended up tying us. We finally managed to break their streak and finish the game with a few solid points.”

Although the Ultimate Frisbee team performed exceptionally in many aspects, their defense really reflected their full potential as a team.

“Our defense was so crucial in this game – our intensity and grit on defense is 100 percent what won us this game. I’m one of the captains, so I can’t really talk much on that, but the coaches motivate us just by reminding us what we are playing for, to keep perspective, to play smart and for each other, one point at a time,” continued Bhathena.

Snagging the second win of its season, Andover hopes to continue its perfect record as it faces against Hotchkiss and Northfield Mount Hermon this Saturday.

Editor’s Note: James Wolfe is a Photography Editor for The Phillipian.