By Lucien Betancourt

With the Beacon Boys’ Ultimate Frisbee season coming to a close, it is time to reflect on what went right and what went wrong with honest input from the team’s players. The team has had its ups and downs, and their 10-11 record reflects this misfortune. 

A team, as glorious as it may be, tends to hit rock bottom when talent leaves. This was apparent last year, where there used to be 2 teams, an A and B team, stacked to the brim with talented players. This year is not the same– as of this season, only 15 remain. However, the team has bonded into a close group of friends, motivated to try their absolute hardest every game, bouncing back from every point lost and scoring the next point and keeping games close.

The things that made this team the strongest was the family built on the simple principle of trying their best to win every game, despite all odds. Every player, regardless of age, playing time, and skill level, played their hardest the whole season. The veterans carried the weight of the future and present, drilling the rookies to become the players they were this year, surprisingly being some of the best this year despite some having little to no prior knowledge.

But to shine a light on the full story of this season, let’s analyze some of the captains’ performances: 

Adam Messinger: Handler

As one of the captains of the team, and the one with the most captaining experience, he has been an integral part of the team both on offense and defense (as well as in fundraising). He has scored 14 points and assisted on 32 aand has made 24 blocks and 15 interceptions. However, halfway into the season, Messinger picked up an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for over a month, leading to him having a very limited amount of playing time. However, he rebounded back and has continued his dominance from before the injury.

Sam Mintzer: Handler

The second captain of the team, he has easily been the most integral part of the offense, assisting on40 points, the most on the team. He has registered 26 blocks and the most interceptions with 19, and his value comes in the amount of points played with 176 and counting. He has cemented himself as a MVP candidate for the season, having amazing stats across the field.

Henry Wheeler-Klainberg: Handler

The third captain has had the same presence as the others, scoring 7 points and assisting 26. His worth comes in impact on every point, playing a total of 188 throughout the season, the most. He, like the other captains, is an MVP candidate.

Now, let’s dive into the best players this year from a statistical standpoint:

The top scorers this year have been Asher Salkin: Cutter, with 36 points in 161 points played, shattering the previous record of 28 points set last year; Lucien Betancourt: Flex, with 18 points in 161 points played; Jinu Oh: Cutter, with 17 points in 137 points played; Adam Messinger: Handler, with 14 points in 122 points played; Adam Smith: Cutter, with 14 points in 117 points played; Harry Dinitz: Cutter, with 11 points in 100 points played; Javi Friedman: Cutter, with 10 points in 103 points played.

The top assisters this year have been Sam Mitzer: Handler, with 40 assists in 178 points played; Adam Messinger: Handler, with 32 assists in 122 points played; Henry Wheeler-Klainberg: Handler, with 26 assists in 188 points played; Dean Hauser: Handler, with 20 assists in 84 points played; Adam Drevitch: Handler, with 12 assists in 155 points played.

The top defenders this year have been Dean Hauser with 44 blocks and 12 interceptions, Asher Salkin with 35 blocks and 14 interceptions, Sam Mintzer with 26 blocks and 19 interceptions, Lucien Betancourt with 25 blocks and 10 interceptions, Adam Messinger with 24 blocks and 15 interceptions, Adam Smith with 15 blocks and 3 interceptions, Adam Drevitch with 13 blocks and 5 interceptions, Javi Friedman with 12 blocks and 2 interceptions, and Henry Wheeler-Klainberg with 10 blocks and 8 interceptions.