The Ultimate Sport
This Year’s Team Hopes to Match Last Year’s Success
Bill Marquardt, with permission
Current seniors Michael Boyle (#9), Jason Kinniburgh, Mohammad Zaidan, on the field with juniors Bobby Molloy, Connor Saccoach, and Cam Curney last year during an Ultimate game in the spring of 2018.
Ultimate Frisbee is a growing sport at Abington High School. It is growing in popularity and talent every year. Ultimate did not become a full-fledged varsity sport in Abington’s Athletic program until four years ago in 2015.
Formerly coached by AHS history teacher Mr. Scott but now by head coach Mr. Cutter, an English teacher at the high school, the Ultimate team has seen a lot of success in the last few years. The MIAA Division 3 team even went to States last year. After tournament play, they ended their season with a record of 29-4. The team has won the South Shore League Championship twice in the last three seasons, including last year, and will hopefully go for a repeat again this season.
Ultimate has high hopes with returning players like senior captains Mohammad Zaidan and Jason Kinniburgh, junior captain Bobby Molloy, and Yazan Zaidan ’20 and Michael Boyle ’19, who all had a huge impact on last season. There are also new talents that joined the team this year, such as seniors Matt Swan, Robbie Barbuto and Jack Jodoin-Siegel.
“This season is looking extremely promising,” Kinniburgh said. “We have a great mix of veteran talents and new players and will hopefully be able to capture our first State title this year.”
With a lot of expectations from the players to make it to States again this year, they will have to overcome tough teams. Cutter thinks that their toughest match-up will be Xaverian, but he “plans on beating them with their own plays and tactics which will be practiced in the days leading up to the game.” But Kinniburgh thinks differently, believing that the hardest match-up will be Scituate, which they will have to put in the hard work and effort to win.
Despite these upcoming tough games, Cutter is hoping that the team has “as good of a season as last year and just as much fun and that we’ll win States.”
The Ultimate team has already played eight games of the season and is 6-2 in total, including Tournament play. They also came second place in the East Greenwich Tournament. Come support the team on their journey to States and follow the team’s official Ultimate Twitter.