Ryan Baker, Journalist
The Madison Radicals just completed their most productive and best season since their 2018 championship run.
From breaking records to putting up statistical anomalies, it seemed as if each game featured a new headline.
First, let’s take a look at the overall year. The Radicals finished the regular season at 8-4, their best record since that 2018 championship run, advancing to the playoffs for the first time since then. On top of that, they beat the Chicago Union in the first round of the playoffs in a game that UFA fans will remember forever.
Although their season ended in a poor performance against the 2024 UFA champions, the Minnesota Wind Chill, they still were able to make the divisional championship game with a shot at advancing to championship weekend. This all came just a year after Madison finished below .500 for the first time in franchise history in 2023 at 4-8.
“Playing in big games like that is always rewarding, mainly because it’s the culmination of a long season of doing things right. I think the approach we took this year was more process-oriented than goal-oriented; understanding that instead of focusing on a big goal of making championship weekend, to get there we need to focus on doing the small things right within each point of a game,” said veteran Victor Luo.
The mindset was definitely different on the sideline. After covering the Radicals in their porous 2023 season, the difference in 2024 was monumental. The focus had shifted to a game-by-game basis. Continual conversations with head coach Tim DeByl emphasized that they refused to let the headlines get to them, and it proved to pay dividends.
“I think this team was really easy to work with. I think we had a great coaching staff with the additions of KPS, Pat and Ben. I think no one really got too caught up in winning and losing,” said DeByl.
The team averaged 21.07 points per game, which was their most since 2022. They only allowed 18.07 points per game, their best mark since 2018. They led the league in blocks for the first time since 2015, with 185 blocks coming from eight different players who reached double-digit blocks. In addition, the Radicals led the league in break percentage at 39.18%, their highest percentage since 2016.
“I think our biggest area of improvement on defense that we will focus on going into the offseason and into next year will be adjusting better to the tendencies of our opponent, specifically Minnesota. Right now they’re the big brother that we’re looking to topple next year and their offense has clearly figured out what works against our defensive sets. So, being able to dissect exactly how they’re doing it will be helpful to figure out how to counter it,” said Carrico.
The stout defense returned to true Radical form behind the likes of veteran Knoche, who had arguably, one of his best seasons, ending the season with 16 blocks, six assists, and twelve goals.
“This team is on the best trajectory I can think of in recent years,” said Knoche. “Some people have asked about if I am going to retire, and this year made that question very easy to respond to: ‘Why would I leave now when we have all this young talent that is only getting better?’”
The defense more than held their own this season, but the offense showed impressive improvement as well. They had the most scores overall in the season since 2018, and, surprisingly for a team that is known to keep the disc holstered, threw the second-most hucks throughout the UFA this year, the most since hucks started being tracked in 2021.
They opened up the year with two dominant wins over the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and Detroit Mecahnix, outscoring the two teams 50-24. A huge part of that offensive explosion was the addition of O-line coach Ben Gagne-Maynard.
“We brought Ben in as another coach. He was super helpful on the O-line. I think Kai Marcus took a lot of heat a lot of times, but overall, we were really happy with his growth. I think that our struggles of the last couple years have been offensively, so the fact is, we got better offensively,” said DeByl. “Ben did a good job of keeping everybody on the same page. We didn't get as quite as good of an offense as we wanted to, but I think we set ourselves up for next year to have a much easier go of it.”
Victor Luo expressed a similar sentiment:“I think a lot of this season has to be credited to our coaching staff, especially Ben. In the past couple of years you could really tell when things weren’t going our way by our body language and how we spoke to each other in huddles. Having a coach that reinforces more positive thoughts and keeps us mentally and physically in the game is so important to a successful team,” said Luo.
Following the two early blowouts was a two-game stretch that brought them back down to earth as they suffered losses to the Wind Chill and Union.Two more wins against Detroit saw them at 4-2 heading into a cross-divisional matchup for the first time ever against the Colorado Summit. The game went down to the wire at Breese Stevens Field and saw the Radicals victorious, 24-22. The following two games brought them back down to earth, once again, with losses against the Wind Chill and Indianapolis AlleyCats.
At 5-4, it was a muddy battle for the second spot in the Central Division between Pittsburgh, Chicago, Indy, and Madison. However, a three-game homestand proved to be the difference for the Radicals, as they closed the season with three wins. That winning streak not only pushed Indy out of the race in the last regular season game of the year, but set the Radicals up to host the Union in the first round of the playoffs.
The first playoff game for the Radicals since 2018 was one for the ages. A blown lead led to being down with just minutes left as a torrential downpour ensued. Sterling Knoche saved the day with a clutch block that set him up for the game-tying score. An overtime back and forth led to a sudden death point that resulted in Max Sample throwing a flick to the back corner of the endzone that rookie Gabe Vordick came down with to end the game.
While they came out with the win, the Radicals also saw one of their best offensive weapons in Pat Shriwise go down early with an injury that put him out for the divisional championship game. The Radicals were mostly able to avoid major injuries all year, as opposed to their ridiculously injury-riddled 2023 season, but eventually it caught up to them.
“Injuries are always hard since one always compounds into another when you try to compensate for it. It’s certainly mentally difficult not feeling 100%, but you find ways to adjust your game to still provide support for the team. Personally, I’m getting shoulder surgery in the offseason and looking forward to being able to layout again and feeling stronger next season,” said Luo.
With Shriwise out and Luo battling a nagging shoulder injury throughout the Minnesota game, it was evident that the Radicals were not at their best. A nine-point loss to end the season left a sour taste in the mouths of the entire organization, but looking at the overall picture, no one expected Madison to be in that position in the first place.
“This team has a really high ceiling. We were really young this year, and we did some really great things.. The mindset of the players seems to be really good on this team, and they all seem very dedicated to trying to win a championship. The team has to believe you have a chance to put the kind of work in you need to,” said DeByl.
Moving on to the headlines that followed the Radicals throughout the season. They saw two of Colin Camp’s franchise records broken, the first being Camp’s single season goal record getting broken by second-year player Anthony Gutowsky. The original record was 49, and Gutowsky ended the season with 51. The second record was the franchise all-time goal record, broken by Andrew Meshnick who sits at 151.
“I want to say my success comes from how I play, but I know most of my success comes from my non-stopping motor that I have and my ability to just be more athletic than the guy who’s on me or who I’m guarding. I also just love playing frisbee, so I’m sure that plays a role in it somewhere,” said Gutowsky.
Other headlines included Jake Carrico setting himself away from the rest with his third career callahan, making him the only player in UFA history with that number. Along with that was the return of two-time all-star Kevin Pettit-Scantling after a nearly two-year hiatus dealing with a knee injury. While KPS only played in a few games, it gave Madison a bit more confidence on the defensive side of the disc.
“This team has found a group of players who have committed to being around and are highly motivated. We’re also entering into an era where our players have aged up which means we are able to prioritize larger changes in strategy this off season. The Rads in 2024 hit a very high ceiling, for a short time, but it’s something we’ll absolutely eviscerate in 2025,” said Pettit-Scantling.
Other guys that came back from injury were Max Sample, Jack Nelson, Kai Marcus, and Mitchell McCarthy. All four put up monster seasons, and stapled themselves as cornerstones in the organization. Sample proved to be a safety blanket underneath with his big frame, posting 16 assists, 11 goals and 2745 total yards. Nelson paired up well with Gutowsky, giving the Radicals one of the best deep threat duos in the league.
As for Marcus and McCarthy, Marcus was the quarterback of the offense at times and ended with 37 assists and 5052 total yards. Meanwhile, McCarthy had an unbelievable season on both sides of the disc. He led the team with 17 blocks, but also had 23 assists, 15 goals, and completed his hucks at a 73.08% clip.
“In the beginning of the season, our resiliency was our biggest concern and I think we checked the box in that category. Now, it’s consistency. Minnesota’s greatest asset isn’t only their veteran core, it’s their style of play, which isn’t risky or big. While their play certainly can be that and they have threats on every side of the field, I believe they are consistent. Consistency and being methodical wins games. We can and have shown that. It’s only a matter of time until we can show that again,” said Luke Marks.
The Radicals also had two rookies burst onto the scene that no one expected. Pieran Robert and Gabe Vordick were forces all season long on both sides of the disc. Robert scored at an insane clip being on D-line all season; meanwhile, Vordick shaped himself into one of the premier targets on their O-line. Robert ended the season with the second-most goals on the team with 30, while accruing ten assists and eleven blocks. Vordick socred the third-most on the team with 29, while adding nine assists, six blocks, and 3149 total yards (second on the team) in his rookie campaign.
“I was definitely nervous going into the season that I would not get much playing time. Joining an O-line is always tough, especially when there is not a lot of turnover from the previous year. It also allowed me to take on some new responsibilities and roles. I had a say in how we operated, and I knew that they trusted me to make the right decision. I am super thankful for everything that happened this season, and I have so much faith in this team going forward. We are going to be a scary team next year,” said Vordick.
“I’m excited about the future of ultimate frisbee. Having media and crowds adds another component to the game that shows great potential. I was able to show ultimate to friends and family in a more edible format than club or college can be in some ways. I love the tournament and game aspect of club ultimate, but there is something special and different about what the UFA brings to the table. The dynamic environment that these two different realms brings makes me excited to keep playing frisbee and see how it will continue to grow,” said Robert.
Outside of all the numbers, outside of all the results, there was one guy in particular that rose to each occasion and led the team on and off the field all season: Mac Weber. He came on to the scene last year, but came into his own in 2024 being a starter.
“I think one guy who really stood up is Mac. He took a leadership role. He also really came on last year, barely played, and this year, he started in the lineup. He played great all season, and again, had a good leadership quality for us. I see him just continuing to grow in the future,” said DeByl.
“We made massive strides as a team overall this season and we should be proud of that fact. At the same time, it’s difficult not to look at the last game of the season and be upset with the result. We’re a team that wants to compete at Championship Weekend so continuing to learn, grow, and get better throughout the offseason will be important to that goal. This team is going to come back hungry for more next year,” said Weber.
Looking at the overall year, it was a success. plain and simple. Going from 4-8 to 8-4 and a playoff win is something to be proud of. The Radicals are back on the map, and are going to be a scary team with championship weekend hopes in 2025. They will need to get past the defending champs in their own division, but that seems well within reach after the season they were able to put together.
