On Nov. 16, the John Brown University Ultimate Frisbee team, named “Ironfist,” battled to an undefeated tournament victory in Rolla, Missouri. Though the official season doesn’t begin until next February, the unsanctioned tournament was a chance for the team to get some in-game reps before the season. Ironfist went 4-0 in the tournament, winning each game by scores of 9-8, 13-6, 13-10, and 11-10.
For those unfamiliar with the rules of Ultimate, each team tries to advance the disk down the field into the end zone via passing. Each time they reach the end zone, they are rewarded with a point. The games are played to 13 or until the cap is called (a time limit of 80 minutes for this tournament), and the team with more points is only required to score one more point to win. If the teams are tied when the cap is called, there is sudden death, called universe point. The games are played seven-on-seven, with each player having their own position.
“So usually there are three handlers, which means they’re the ones making the hard throws. And then there are four cutters, which are the ones trying to get open and catch the disc, either short to gain a few yards or go deep and catch it in the end zone,” junior Ironfist team member Theodore Stegall said.
The tournament started against Missouri State, with JBU scoring the winning point after the cap to claim a 9-8 victory. After that, Ironfist cruised to wins of 13-6 and 13-10 against Missouri S&T and Rolla Pickup, a team of locally assembled players. The final game against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is when things began to get dicey.
The team trailed 7-6, and morale was at a low point, yet they kept fighting, and the game stayed tight. Eventually, with the score tied at 10 all, the cap was called, putting the game in universe point.
“It was a pretty tight game. It was a dog fight, and we were all kinda stressed out that we were going to lose because they were pretty good. But then we slowly stayed in the game with them, and then the freshman, John LaFrance, caught a pass at the very end, and we all went crazy,” Stegall said.
The catch won the game 11-10 and sealed an undefeated tournament for the team. When asked about the win, Stegall was quick to credit the leadership of Ironfist, captains Andy Graham, Ethan Tolley and Jackson MacDonald.
“We have three captains, and they're all just super impressive to me. Every time we play, they’re always very Christ-like towards us and the other team. They’re always super hyped and excited, and they’re also just super good players. I think that leadership trickles down to everyone, and we just play with good attitudes, we play hard, we play fundamental, and that usually ends up with a win,” Stegall said.
Unsurprisingly, Ironfist has had several freshmen sign up to play on the team, with the group creating a touchpoint for new students to enter into JBU culture and play sports at a less competitive level outside of intramurals.
“It’s had a pretty fun impact. I really like it. I feel like it has been one of the best experiences that I’ve had…Pretty good community… It’s really good to ask upperclassmen for help on certain things, just because they’ve done the stuff I’ve done before,” freshman player Davison Page said.
You can follow Ironfist’s Instagram to keep up to date on their games and tournaments throughout the season.
Photo Courtesy of Jackson MacDonald