November 19, 2025
By Evan Lepler and Adam Ruffner
Sometimes you just gotta go for it all immediately. Sure, we appreciate careful consideration and nuance, but every once in a while, you have to huck and hope. Welcome to “The Quick Huck", a new back-and-forth column where Evan Lepler and Adam Ruffner of the "Swing Pass" podcast will ask questions, offer perspective, and debate what the future holds in the Ultimate Frisbee Association. (CLICK FOR PREVIOUS EDITION)
Today’s prompt: On the verge of the holiday season, most people might have a little extra time on their hands. Sure, quality conversation with family and friends is grand. But experiencing one of the greatest games in UFA history is like finding money. And if you can convince some of your family or friends to watch one of these gems with you, well then, truly everyone wins.
So what’s the best/most memorable/randomly dramatic regular season UFA game that frisbee fans might have forgotten about? Obviously, there have been dozens of awesome games through the years, but what’s one that you feel might not be super mainstream anymore, or a game that perhaps newer UFA fans might have missed?
Lepler’s response:
Love this question. And not just because I wrote it.
UFA games can be epic for all different reasons, from unreal highlights to late-game chaos and everything in between. Championship Weekend thrillers naturally remain in everyone’s collective consciousness, but every year each team typically has several wild games that can fade away amidst the churn of the busy schedule.
Early on in the pandemic, I put together my list of “10 Forgotten Gems,” sharing thoughts and recollections on some of the craziest games I called from 2014 to 2018. You can’t go wrong watching (or re-watching) any of these.
But that’s enough chatter.
Here’s the answer: EVERYONE needs to check out the first-ever meeting between New York and Carolina. It transpired on June 22, 2019, and the Empire and Flyers were a combined 15-1 entering this warm summer night, and these two franchises were both hungry to make an interdivisional statement. Remember, at this time, neither New York nor Carolina had yet to win a UFA championship.
Of course, now—nearly six and a half years later—we know that the Empire and Flyers were on the verge of ruling the frisbee universe for the next four seasons. Guys like Ben Jagt and Jeff Babbitt, who would win four of the next five MVP Awards, were still looking to make their mark. Beau Kittredge, who had won four straight UFA titles from 2014 to 2017, was now on New York, looking to help the Empire take that next step. New York also had Jack Williams, who was still a few months shy of his 25th birthday, squaring off against his old team for the first time.
As for the Flyers, this squad was also loaded. Jacob Fairfax, Terrence Mitchell, and Henry Fisher dominating downfield. Bobby Ley and Allan Laviolette slicing and dicing with their throws. Eric Taylor and Mischa Freystaetter making clutch plays against extremely tough matchups.
This whole game was just awesome. And quite bonkers. Right up until the very end, when two of the sport’s all-time greats collaborated on the stunning, game-sealing score.
I’m on the call with two-time UFA champ, Kurt Gibson, and we both were astonished by the level, intensity, and captivating playmaking from both sides.
If you’ve seen this game before, you’ll definitely enjoy watching it again.
And if you’ve never previously viewed this game, well I’m jealous that you get to immerse yourself in it for the first time.
Ruffner’s Response:
That 2019 Empire-Flyers tilt really did feel like the jump-off from the "old era" and into the current, modern league. There were actual stakes in that game, and pride was on the line, something that was often fleeting in many (most) regular season games from the years prior to that summer night.
I've got a couple "honorable mentions" to get out of the way before I reveal my pick:
- Salt Lake vs New York - July 15, 2023 - The Ben Jagt "triple spike", two undefeated teams barreling towards an eventual rematch in the Championship Game, the two best offenses in the league, Antoine Davis formally launching his DPOTY campaign, Bryce Merrill saying Jagt was "sucking cans of oxygen" during a halftime interview, Shredheads going wild in the stands. This game was atmospheric in its energy.
- Carolina vs DC - May 12, 2018 - 2017 MVP Jonathan Nethercutt versus soon-to-be 2018 MVP Rowan McDonnell, Nethercutt's behind-the-back throw, the very beginning of Jack Williams' prime years
- Salt Lake vs Colorado - May 28, 2022 - Highly anticipated, first-ever meeting between two expansion teams that would define the West Division, raucous crowd in Denver, an entire weekly Top 10's worth of highlight plays, and a one-goal finish with all of the emotions.
And now for the pick:
"I don't need to able to read lips to be able to tell he owns that front cone."
That was Ultiworld's Charlie Eisenhood pitch-perfect exclamation as Jeff Babbitt bulldozed past two defenders and ate his seventh goal of the contest. On that early May night in 2023, Babbitt's emphatic eruption on the pylon was the pinnacle moment in an emotional battle between the two toughest rivals in the league—DC and New York.
The Empire entered the game (and the 2023 season) looking to extend their dynastic reign, coming off a perfect season the year prior. But the Breeze—having added Thomas Edmonds, Andrew Roy, and Cole Jurek following their heartbreaker loss in the 2022 East Division finale to New York—were determined to knock off the champs in a battle between the two most talented rosters. It was just the third game of the season for both franchises, and yet it already had the feel of a playoff matchup in terms of energy and focus; the two teams combined for just 25 turnovers despite still being in the late stages of spring, and the pace of play was frenetic throughout.
And because I'm a sucker for a storyline, this game felt like the enshrinement of Babbitt's legend. The inevitably of his goals, the energy—the way his body was literally steaming in the postgame interview from exertion. That's sports.
