Ultimate victory: How the Arlington Pumahs became the first Massachusetts team to win a national ultimate frisbee title
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Arlington are your 2025 HSNI boys champions! They take out Edina 15-9 after a confident and impressive second half.
— Andreas Pelekis (@atp3417)
'That was the moment we became national champions,' said Rice, a 1990 Middlebury graduate who switched from lacrosse to ultimate as a freshman, and has coached the sport for more than a decade.
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'I think our ultimate team has had a bit of a chip on their shoulders as one of the most successful sports teams at the school, but they don't always get recognition.
'Recently, the support has been really touching. All of our rivals posted support before the tournament and congratulations after, and honestly, without a powerhouse like Lexington in our backyard, I don't think we could've reached the heights that we did'
Arlington's Cam Levine dives for a catch in a 15-9 win during the finals of High School National Invite against Edina (Minn.) in Allentown, Pa.
Kevin Leclair for Ultiphotos
Arlington's ultimate program has grown slowly over the past decade, but took off the past few years with talented multi-sport athletes from the Class of 2025 leading the charge. The Pumahs are 55-4 over the last two years, with consecutive state titles, and went 26-1 this season with the sole loss coming in the finals of the
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Rice, 57, credits continuity, along with the talent, of a group that has played together since middle school.
'We put systems in when these kids were freshmen and they've evolved over time, but these guys have been doing them so long, and they've figured out small variations on the fly,' said Rice. 'We tell them before a big tournament to not do anything new. Even if the other team is expecting it, we can execute, and they can't keep up.'
The Pumahs have speedsters like Molloy, Haris Kennedy, and Rand Marcovski, who are all soccer stars in the fall, along with football standout Peter Harrison. Hedlund, who is headed to Purdue, can jump with anyone, as demonstrated by his school-record hurdles performance during indoor track season.
Arlington's Haris Kennedy High launches himself through the air for the defensive block against an Edina (Minn.) player in the High School National Invite boy's national final, as Luke Hedlund (right) looks on.
Kevin Leclair for Ultiphotos
UMass-bound senior Theo Strauss leads the defense and Malcolm Cooper plays a safety role at the back end, using his 6-4 frame to deny long passes. The son of two elite ultimate players, Cooper is also a pro disc golfer with an insane backhand that can fly more than 100 yards on kickoffs. Between Cooper, junior Zach Phan, and Levine, Arlington's handlers (the point guards of an offense) were unmatched on the national stage.
'Last year, Cam carried us,' Rice said, noting
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Arlington leads 8-6 at halftime, in front of a rowdy crowd here at Allentown's Grange Park
— Andreas Pelekis (@atp3417)
Some of Arlington's stars are now preparing for the U20 National Tournament in Colorado this August, joining standouts from nine other Massachusetts high schools — last year's squad also featured Lexington's Eli Chang, Northampton's Roan Dunkerley, Belchertown's Taylor Hanson, and Concord's Calan Kirkpatrick — to represent the region.
With the success of the Pumahs on the national stage, the sport should continue to grow in the Bay State.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at
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