Four Rivers boys knock off Xaverian to win Four Rivers Ultimate Tournament on Saturday (PHOTOS)
Published: 05-11-2024 7:44 PM
Modified: 05-11-2024 11:10 PM |
GREENFIELD — It was a successful day for the Four Rivers boys ultimate team while hosting the Four Rivers Ultimate Tournament on Saturday at Greenfield Community College.
Twenty-eight teams from all over New England made their way to Greenfield for the tournament, giving the Otters and other local squads plenty of new competition to face.
While taking on some of the best teams around, the Four Rivers boys managed to go 3-0 in pool play in the Boys A division with wins over Maconomet (13-1), Lincoln Sudbury (13-5) and Newton North (13-8) to reach the championship game, where it faced off with Xaverian.
Xaverian took a 10-6 lead late but the Otters ripped off the final five points to walk away as champions via an 11-10 victory.
“We’ve been doing really well,” Four Rivers’ Caleb Bird Richards said. “Our first two games weren’t very hard for us. We went into this knowing Xaverien would be one of the best teams here so it’s cool playing them.”
Hosting the tournament gave the Otters extra motivation to win, as they’ve only lost once so far this season.
“We wanted to go to nationals but we didn’t get an invite,” Bird Richards said. “We’ve only lost once this year to a really good team. This is a great tournament. Our coach Terry Plotkin put it together and has been running it. It’s great how it draws from all over.”
Despite being down players on Saturday, Four Rivers showed the depth and quality of its squad by still coming out with a first place trophy.
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“We have a really strong team this year,” Four Rivers’ Liam Black said. “Our goal this season is to prove we have an elite program at Four Rivers. We’re down about six guys today but we keep finding ways to win games.”
The Four Rivers girls also had a strong day on Saturday, going 1-2 in the Girls A division and falling to eventual champion Cumberland, Maine, 11-6.
The Otters fell to Lincoln Sudbury to open the day (13-7) but followed with a win over Lexington (14-5).
“We lost our first game but played really well, won our second game and lost this one,” Four Rivers’ Allie Martin said. “Overall I think we played well. It’s really fun getting everyone here. It’s really spirited. I’m really proud of our team.”
It’s the energy of these kind of tournaments that inspires the Four Rivers players.
“Everything is about the spirit,” Martin said. “Even people who come from out of state, we do the same spirit circles and songs.”
Mabel Kingsley noted how important it is to play challenging competition from around New England, as it will prepare Four Rivers for states, which get underway in two weeks.
“I think everything went well,” Kingsley said. “We had some hard games but it was really cool getting to play against teams we haven’t played yet this year. Being able to play against different teams who come down to play against us is really fun. It’s a wonderful learning experience.”
While Cumberland was able to score on the Otters, Kingsley said tightening up the defense will be a focus moving forward.
“We need to really focus on our defenses and fixing all that,” Mabel Kingsley said. “It’s a little jumbled right now but I think we’ll still do really well at states.”
The Northampton boys team went 1-2 in pool play on Saturday.
In the boys Open B division, Monument Mountain defeated Deerfield Academy, 13-4, in the championship game. The Amherst JV team took fifth, the Four Rivers JV team placed eighth while the Northampton JV team came in ninth.
“This is such a fun tournament,” Four Rivers’ Leo Reiber said. “I do think this tournament is growing and the sport is growing. I think we’re playing well and putting up a good fight.”
The fast paced nature of the tournament was something Amherst’s Alex Fitz-Gibbons said he enjoyed.
“So far so good for us,” Amherst’s Alex Fitz-Gibbon said. “We try not to talk about the scores to keep us in the game. You only have about 10 minutes between games which is fun. You get to play a ton.”
In the Girls B Open division, the Four Rivers JV and middle school team each won a match.