The Merit Ultimate Frisbee team attended the YouThaw 3v3 tournament at the University of Utah on March 1st. Coaches David Buckley (middle school team) and Jeff Budge (high school team) like to start the year with this tournament to expose the players to a high level of competition from around the state so they know what to expect in the regular season. It is a difficult step in learning the game, but both coaches are very proud of how all the players battled and overcame challenges.
The highlight of the tournament was the championship performance of the middle school team. Cason Watts was the sole newcomer to the seasoned quartet of Fabian Atencio, Seth Crane, Owyn Kauvaka, and Lucas Monroy. With their experience and teamwork, they won all of their games in pool play, advancing to the championship against the Wasatch Waldorf. After being down 0–3 early, the team stayed calm and worked their way back into the game. Fabian had a "bookends" play, causing a turnover on defense and then immediately scoring going the other way to tie the game at 6–6 going into "universe point" (next point wins). After an intense back-and-forth point, Lucas found a gap in the defense after a turnover and got open enough for Seth to deliver a beautiful 25-yard pass for the game winning goal! They were rewarded with a trophy disc (see picture below) and pizza provided by the tournament director. Congratulations to both the middle school and high school teams for a great first tournament!
