As two-time defending state champions, the ultimate frisbee team has high expectations for this year. There will be even more work cut out for the team this year as they work toward another state title.

“It makes us more determined to keep that legacy going and win another state championship,” senior captain Logan Hoover said. “It also pushes us to work better as a team, practice harder, and work a lot harder to earn this title.”

Over the past two years, the team has graduated multiple seniors who helped lead them to these state titles. These players had key skills that helped them flow so well as a team, and they left some big shoes to fill.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle to have such a young team, so we haven’t set our expectations too high,” junior Grant Streib said. “We’ve been trying to build up the team chemistry because almost all of the team will be back next year. We are hoping to be really good next year.”

Despite the age and the resultant lack of experience, potential brims from the young class of players due to their inquisitive nature and natural rapport with one another. The upsides became especially apparent during their recent competition in Tennessee.

“You could really tell that we were playing as a team and playing well together,” Streib said. “I feel that this year is going to be really big. I can really see [the team’s] potential when we are playing with this chemistry next year.

The “ultimate” goal for the season, regardless of how strong the captains prospect their team to be, remains wholly unchanged. Not only do they wish to continue their lineage at the state level, they hope to break through to the national scene as well.

“We want to win. Hopefully, we can be at the higher part of our bracket, so we can be considered for nationals,” Hoover said. “We haven’t been in a while, so it would be really cool to go after winning some tournaments.”

As the season churns on, Hoover hopes to see the improvements week-by-week, getting better and more skilled with every tournament.

“It’s been really cool to see those people working hard and working to fill those shoes and being able to apply themselves into those shoes,” Hoover said. “It’s great to see them grow as players and to see us grow as a team, and we are hoping to perform at this next tournament the same way and grow even more.”