Boys Ultimate Takes Fourth Place at States

The weekend started well, with SLA dominating pool play. Their first game was against Hampton HS, and the Rocket cruised to a 15-3 victory. Crosstown rival Masterman was next to fall, as SLA again cruised to a 15-3 win. The final pool play game saw SLA facing off against perennial western PA powerhouse Franklin Regional. SLA came out firing in the first half, going up 8-3 at halftime before cruising to a 15-9 win. In all three pool play games, all 20 boys on the roster played and contributed, meaning that SLA would have fresh legs going into Sunday's quarterfinal match.

SLA faced a very difficult draw through the championship bracket, facing Pittsburgh city champs Pine Richland in the quarterfinals. SLA played their best match of the season against Pine Richland, dominating a very tough PR squad and catapulting themselves into the semis with a 15-4 win. This set up a semi-final match against the nationally ranked North Allegheny squad. The game was a see-saw battle, with both teams taking one and two point leads, before the 19th ranked North Allegheny finally was able to end the SLA Rockets dream of a championship with a 12-10 victory over the boys. 

While the boys were disappointed to miss a chance at the finals and a state championship, the team's fourth place finish was the highest finish ever for an SLA Boys Ultimate team! The team graduates an amazing group of seniors -- Asher Swartz, Charles Velazquez, co-captain Eli Block, Jamie Polson, Johnny Saldivar, Jorin Gerveni, Malachi Johnson, Nate Little, co-captain Saamir Baker, and Sam Dennis graduate as the most successful team in the team's history. We wish them all the best of luck on and off the field, and we'll see everyone next season!