BHS Ultimate Frisbee Competes in States
During the weekend of April 24, the Berkeley High School ultimate frisbee team participated in the state championship tournament in Pleasanton. The team had a winning record in the tournament, going 4-3, and finishing seventh out of sixteen teams. Co-captain Wyatt Pettyjohn was happy with his team’s performance, “I am very proud of all the players on my team,” Pettyjohn said. “It was a very fun weekend.”
In their first game, BHS faced Alameda High School, the number one seed in the tournament, and probably the best team in the state. Berkeley lost, but BHS ultimate frisbee coach Jordan Rose was pleased with the game. “We scored more off Alameda (4) than anyone that weekend, and were told by them that we gave them their toughest game.”
Despite the loss, the team won the rest of its games in its pool against York High School and Kirby High School. The team went on to win once more against Miramonte High School of Orinda before eventually losing in the quarterfinals of the tournament to Gunn High School of Palo Alto in a close game. Gunn High, the number two seed, would proceed to advance to the finals and lose to the very same Alameda team that Berkeley opened up against. The victory crowned Alameda as state champions for the tenth time in school history.
Even though Berkeley lost, the tournament was not over for them. The Jackets were moved to the consolation round, where they were matched up with Burbank High School. The Jackets fought hard and played an extremely close game, but they came up short, losing 14-13. Nonetheless, the Jackets came back strong in their last game of the tournament and beat Kirby again to end the tournament on a high note. The Jacket’s seventh place finish was their best finish since 2007.
Despite not getting to the finals, Rose was more than satisfied with the way his team competed in the tournament. He explained, “We had a great weekend overall, sending about 28 players to compete against the best teams in the state”. He also added, “states this year was a blast.”
The Jackets are hoping to build off their successful finish this year and have their momentum carry over into the offseason. “Next year, I have very high hopes for our team,” Pettyjohn states. “In specific, getting to the semifinals at states.” The Jackets are losing senior captain Jamie Lent after this year, which Pettyjohn describes as “a huge blow”. However, the team expects to have the majority of its players back next year, and is anticipating an even more successful season.
Although ultimate frisbee is not one of the most well known sports at Berkeley High, it is one of the most exciting. Players are extremely dedicated to and excited about the sport. Pettyjohn encourages students to try out, saying, “Our co-ed team is full of incredibly easy going people of all skill levels. We are accepting of anyone who wants to play regardless of whether they know how to throw a disk or know what a horizontal stack is. So come on out and enjoy the game.”
Finally, Pettyjohn wanted to give out one last message of appreciation to his teammates, saying, “Denial, defense, hope all of you know the rest. Good job Berkeley.”
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