In a rematch of the 2024 final, Oakland SmOAK put last year's demons - and SEPDA - to rest
August 27, 2025 by Emmet Holton in Recap
Founded in 2018, the Oakland Ultimate program rose quickly to the top tier of the boys divisions of the Youth Club Championships. For many of this year’s SmOAK players, the 2025 final marked their fourth consecutive appearance in the championship game, spanning from 2022 in the U17 division to last season’s universe point heartbreak at the hands of SEPDA.
The Philadelphia area program has seen a similarly rapid ascension, with their first appearance in 2022, a fourth place finish in 2023, and a title in 2024. Though both teams saw some big names exit for the college ranks, each returned this season with improved depth and returning leaders with experience in big moments.
The final rematch between these two was a back and forth affair, as a moderate wind with strong gusts was handled well by both SmOAK and SEPDA, making breaks hard to come by throughout. SmOAK opened the scoring with what had been their modus operandi all weekend — patient backfield work from Muhammed Awaïs, Henry Garcia, and Jonah Marquart was capped by Garcia hitting Sarek Mallareddy for the hold. Garcia and Mallareddy paced the Oakland offense, with 18 assists and 18 goals to their names, respectively, through the tournament (both team leading).
SEPDA’s opener was less idyllic, as some early game jitters led to a drop (which was quickly earned back by Will Fath), and then a throw from Ezra Beidler-Shenk which was well behind its target and blocked by Anders Elson. SmOAK’s Lane Mires assisted Sulek Dopman for the game’s first break.
Their second offensive chance was a return to normalcy however, as, faced with a brisk headwind, Beidler-Shenk wound-up a perfect backhand to Nolan McClintic. The games first signature moment came with SmOAK leading 3-2, as Awaïs turfed the centering pass, before handblocking the ensuing throw from SEPDA. Another pair of Philly’s standouts earned SEPDA’s break back, as Owen Erdman blocked an under and Becker Joseph angled a gorgeous downwind flick to Tanner Norpel, evening the score at four all.
Two points later came the one lowlight of an otherwise excellent match: McClintic scored deep on another perfect shot from Beidler-Shenk, but a desperate and dangerous bid from SmOAK’s Reggie Masket led to Masket’s full weight rolling up McClintic’s lower legs, injuring McClintic for the remainder of the final.
Oakland would take half 8-6, with the story being more steady backfield play from both teams’ stars. SEPDA’s Joel Simon stood out as his speed and disc skills kept the ball moving for Philly. Likewise, Erdman showed great poise despite his left hand being encased in a cartoonishly large cast. For SmOAK it was much of the same– a balanced offense with Garcia acting as the backfield release, and Mallareddy the finisher.
Becker Joseph created the break to bring the game even, as he made an incredible play on an under to Mallareddy before launching an airy upwind huck that was tipped and collected by Simon. Erdman tossed a hammer to Sam Beh and the game was knotted at tens, with SEPDA headed downwind. The wind would prove to be a stopper, and a goal line turn from Oakland was quickly converted, SEPDA up, 11-10.
The play of the game came two points later when, going downwind, a Colin Jarvis huck was broken up by a bid from Son Mai-Clark, only for Joel Simon to leap over Mai-Clark’s prone body and scoop the disc up an inch off the ground.
SmOAK would take the go-ahead break, however. A heads up peel-off block on a reset from Mallareddy was quickly converted via a Masket upwind flick to Dylan Tams. That was followed up with a dropped pull from SEPDA, which was not initially converted into a break. With the disc on the goal line, Oakland’s Stefan McCall had eyes for the end zone, tunneling on the isolated Masket. His flick sailed OB, but on the first throw of the ensuing Philly possession he pounced, making the decisive block and all but icing the game as he sprung up and dished to Masket for 14-12.
A pair of holds would finish it, the final feather in the cap of a crop of players and a program that has been on the brink for so long.
It’s always hard to discern what makes the difference when the leap from perennial runners-up to standing atop the field. The answer according to coach Colby Chuck? “Dedication outside of practice.”
The sting of finals losses lingering over almost every member of the team “drove a level of commitment… physically and emotionally that [there wasn’t] previously,” Chuck said. The teamwide buy-in was both self-evident and critical to SmOAK’s run. Throughout the tournament the team cycled through three distinct lines, seldom loading up any single line despite gaudy point differentials all the way up to semis.
To Chuck, Matt Wong was the poster child of this team’s depth and growth: “He’s the youngest player on the roster, I believe… [and] he was on our O-line for the summer, [often] as our initiating cutter.”
In a division often defined by singular stars, the trust from the coaches in their entire roster and the players in one another proved enough to foil a star studded field.
All-Tournament Line
Becker Joseph (Philadelphia SEPDA)
Blake Holt (Utah Swarm)
Cameron Levine (Boston BUDA)
Jude Small (Seattle Seven Hills Bx)
Knox Plewniak (Nashville Villains)
Sarek Mallareddy (Oakland SmOAK)
Stefan McCall (Oakland SmOAK)
