BB hosted the semifinals and finals of its Winter Youth League this past Monday night. It was an incredible experience under the lights. It was the first time that any of our students had played Ultimate under the lights and it did not disappoint.
Covanic, Halcones, Dynamite
Before we started the games we shared a devotional with the kids based on 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. We encouraged them to keep working hard and not give up on their personal and team goals. Many expressed their desire to win the league. More importantly though, we encouraged them to focus on Christ and glorifying him as their ultimate goal. This would sustain them no matter what happens around them. After the games we shared a final thought from Hebrews 12:1-3. That even though they may feel on top of the world for winning, or frustrated for losing, this was just a passing moment. This trial and others will come, but by focusing on Christ and allowing him to work in our lives we all would be able to overcome whatever trials come our way.
The day started out overcast and threatening rain. Around lunchtime the rain started and there was a risk that the field would be too wet to play on. Thankfully, the rain stopped early in the afternoon and we were able to finish the league later that night. The rain created a cooler climate and a soggy field, but it did not slow down the champions from leaving it all on the field.
Dynamite played first against Breaking Borders newest team, COVANIC, in the semifinals. COVANIC just started playing a couple months ago and in previous round robins struggled to score many points due to their inexperience. But for the semifinal they came ready to play! Dynamite turned the disc over and COVANIC fired off two quick passes and then a deep shot to score first. Dynamite acted surprised, but responded quickly to make it 1-1. Covanic continued to apply pressure and both teams went back and forth scoring points. Dynamite began to warm up though and started to take advantage of COVANIC’s mistakes. Even though COVANIC played a lot better and should be proud of themselves, their inexperience was too much to overcome and Dynamite won comfortably 11-xxx.
This set the stage for Dynamite to play against the Halcones. The Halcones had beaten Dynamite every time they played in the round robins of this league and earned their spot in the finals. So, which team would come out on top? Dynamite believed they could win, but would they do what was necessary to make that happen? The Halcones weren’t tired because they had a bye before the finals, but one could argue they weren’t warmed up either. Dynamite knew they had to do something different this time in order to overcome their rivals.
Before the game started Dynamite made a pact to each other to leave everything on the field and when not on the field, encourage and cheer for their teammates on the field. As their coach, I could not be more proud of how they played, on and off the field. On the field they followed our game plan of playing with short and quick passes instead of long ones. They involved everyone on the field and had patience around the endzone. Off the field we had the best cheering squad a team could ask for. This was what Dynamite had been missing for both leagues this year. The entire team worked together to get closer to their goal of winning this league.
The Halcones came expecting to do what they had done to Dynamite every other time, take advantage of their mistakes caused by their explosive attitudes and score quickly. After 3 straight scores from Dynamite the Halcones quickly realized that they were playing a different team. The Halcones were able to score on a deep throw, but at that point it was too little too late. Dynamite was winning 9-1. The Halcones did not give up and continued to work the disc through their main handlers, but after some great defense by Dynamite it was evident that this game was not going to end in their favor. For the final point Dynamite pulled to the Halcones and earned a quick turnover on a hand block. Two passes later they were in the endzone celebrating a long awaited victory. Dynamite won 13-2 and cemented themselves as the team to beat for the coming leagues.
After the game, several Dynamite players were overcome by emotion due to what the team had accomplished and how they had accomplished it. They finally felt what a real team feels like when they leave everything on the field and they play for their teammates and not just themselves. Something that impressed me a lot was when several Halcones players came over to the Dynamite circle after the game and congratulated them on the victory even though they had just suffered a frustrating loss. One of the Halcones took a moment to encourage the Dynamite players for how they had grown and what they achieved. It was an awesome example of not only the Spirit of the Game, but Jesus Christ working through him to be able to say those words after losing.
This marks the end of our final league for 2022. We recognized the players with the best spirit from all three teams (Juan Monroy- Halcones, Salvador- Dynamite, Anahi- COVANIC) and the MVPs of the top two teams (Moises- Halcones, Ezequiel- Dynamite). We are excited to see what 2023 brings and what new teams might be joining our 2023 Spring League!