FREDERICTON. N. B. — Students from around the province came together to invite the Houlton team to their first-ever Provincial Championships of Ultimate on May 30. The team playing out of Houlton was comprised of students from Houlton High School (6), Hodgdon High School (4), and Central Aroostook High School (1). The entire team consisted of Nathan Bouchard, Austin Brown, Christian Crane, Tim Glatter, Emma Hines, Tre Whitney (all of Houlton), Joel Bond, Seth Bond, Shiloh Bond, Joe Silliboy (all of Hodgdon), and Colby Kingsbury (of Central Aroostook).
The tournament was played in round robin format against three other schools close to the Fredericton area. They included Fredericton High School (FHS), Leo Hayes High School (LHHS) (of Fredericton) and Oromocto High School (OHS). Houlton would finish the day with a win against each of the schools to bring home the championship plaque.
In the first game against FHS, Houlton used a solid passing game to dictate the flow of the offense. Several passes were made between handlers (like quarterbacks in football) which caused the defense to tire out quickly. This methodical and consistent offense generated six quick first half points. Houlton handlers Glatter, S. Bond and Hines were quick to respond to turnovers and never let up a point on the defensive end.
The game would be played out until the point total was reached, Houlton went on to win 13-1 and that was the only point surrendered by the Aroostook team all day.
The second game versus Leo Hayes High School saw a switch in play to a more defensive-style approach. The Houlton team utilized fundamental zone ultimate techniques to really put the pressure on Leo Hayes. As the wind began to pick up and with Houlton locking down an entire section of field, the pressure on the offense was to great for them to advance the disc and Houlton was able to capitalize on their turnovers. Although this game didn’t reach it’s point cap, it did run the time out and Leo Hayes kept knocking on the door, but a patient zone defense led by Brown, Bouchard and Kingsbury kept them at bay. Houlton would win 11-0.
The last game of the round robin would go against up and coming Oromocto High School. The OHS team was full of raw talent that was cutting through the Houlton zone at will. When Houlton switched back to man defense their size and athleticism was really able to prevail. At this point in the tournament, with both teams having two games under their belt, endurance and stamina really became attributes Houlton had to take advantage of. The depth of Houlton’s bench really helped to seal this one away. Being able to pull J.Bond, S. Bond, and Silliboy in to handler or receiver positions was crucial. Crane was Houlton’s big man in the back field all day and together with Whitney, they were able to stifle OHS’ receivers all game. Houlton went on to win 17-0.
The crew with Ultimate New Brunswick and Active Fredericton were very gracious hosts to allow Houlton into their tournament.
“We thank them very much for having us and can’t wait until the next time we meet,” said Chris Rines, coordinator. “We saw a lot of a great talent rising up in Fredericton and encourage others to take part in the rapidly growing sport of Ultimate.”
In Houlton, the pick-up league is in full swing each Sunday at 2 p.m. on the Houlton High School small soccer field.
“We also are looking forward to our official summer league start day in the weeks to come,” Rines said. “The summer league provides students age 14 and up all the way to adults a competitive platform to hone their skills and compete with the best in The County. All skill levels are welcome, its coed, and cheap! Look for Ultimate Houlton page on Facebook.
