South Lakes 'Seahucks' Go Undefeated at First Out-of-State Ultimate Frisbee Tournament
- The Reston Letter Staff
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
by Matt Reider, Staff Writer
Fifteen members of the South Lakes High School Ultimate Frisbee team, known as the Seahucks, spent the first weekend in November competing in New Jersey at the 17th annual DEVYL Ultimate Coconut Classic. This marked the team’s first travel tournament outside Virginia.
The Ultimate Coconut Classic began in 2007 as a one-day, three-team event and has grown steadily, with the tournament canceled only in 2012 due to SuperStorm Sandy and in 2020 due to COVID-19. This year, 32 teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., participated, including 24 open teams and eight girls-only teams. Games were played over two days on 18 fields at Turkey Swamp Park and Milestone Park.
On Nov. 1, South Lakes competed in Pool E against Westfields High School, Whitman (Bethesda, Md.), and Watchung Hills (New Jersey). After defeating their longtime rivals at Westfields, the Seahucks cruised past Whitman 13-3 and Watchung Hills 13-2, finishing the first day undefeated.
Ultimate Frisbee emphasizes more than just the score through its “Spirit of the Game” philosophy. Opponents assign each team a “Spirit Score” from 1 to 5, with 3 indicating respect toward opponents, officials, and spectators, and 5 reserved for rare, exceptional displays of sportsmanship. “The purpose of a Spirit Score is to determine how well the team followed the basic understanding of the game, which is to be spirited and have fun,” Team Captain Jackson Snell explained. Spirit Scores are tracked separately from game points, allowing teams to earn recognition for sportsmanship even if they don’t win.
South Lakes continued their dominance on Nov. 2, defeating Bethesda-Chevy Chase 13-8 and closing out their weekend against J.R. Masterman in a dramatic final game. The match came down to “Universe Point,” ultimate frisbee’s sudden-death overtime rule. With the score tied at 12-12 at the end of regulation, a key block by Zane Mott kept the Seahucks in the game. After a strategic timeout by coach Eric Miner, South Lakes scored the decisive point to win 14-13, completing an undefeated tournament run. Jackson described the moment as “an amazing feeling…we all celebrated winning our final game in overtime.”
Jackson hopes the experience will strengthen the team in future competitions. “Going to a
travel tournament allowed us to grow as a team and become more competitive. Spending a whole weekend together really builds connections and team chemistry, and it’s fun for everybody.” Lessons from the trip are expected to benefit South Lakes in upcoming local and state tournaments, including an invite-only tournament in Arlington next March featuring teams from across the Eastern Seaboard.