Taking a look at each team’s performance and who we expect to shine in bracket play tomorrow
June 13, 2026 by Erin Niesen in Recap
The dogs are out in Salem, OR, this weekend for HSNI! The top 16 High School Boys teams have descended on the Pacific Northwest for two days of action-packed ultimate. With the first day done and pool play concluded, here is a recap of your teams at HSNI 2026.
Top Dogs
Four teams have emerged as favorites from their respective pools.
The wire-to-wire #1 team in the country showed their dominance on Friday. Albany (CA) was forced to go toe-to-toe with a scrappy Roosevelt team, eventually winning 13-10 in a gritty 2nd half. Clutch plays made down the stretch by Muhammad Awais, Hugo Tsai, Jasper Graf, and Amanat Ali have solidified this Albany team as a true contender for this year’s title. In their most challenging game of the day on paper, Albany brought energy and defensive intensity that Middleton was simply unable to match throughout the first half. Rocketing out to a 5-0 lead with plays from Alex Poy, Evan Weinstein, and a roster as deep as anyone else at the tournament, Albany coasted through the rest of the game en route to a 13-7 victory. The only challenge that waits for this Albany team is the pressure of playing in deep bracket games, potentially against opponents with more experience in those spots.
The team with the best point differential after one day of play was Green Canyon (UT). A confounding Pool B saw Green Canyon get tested the most in their opening game against Washburn. Blake Holt continues to provide offensive firepower to a team reloaded with fresh talent. Handlers Ben Bond, Oscar Saldivar, and Owen Shakespear diversify the offense, and they incorporate cutters like Riley Hamilton, Miles Phillips, Gage Nate, and Cody Edelmayer to go catch anything within the field of play. The defensive adjustments that teams made throughout games against this Green Canyon group were undone by the vast set of skills they fight with. Could we see a rematch between Albany and GC in the tournament final?
From what was undoubtedly the most exciting pool of the tournament, HSNI stalwart Edina (MN) secured their quarterfinal spot with a trio of thrilling performances. In a back-and-fourth contest against Wissahickon, Edina watched a 5-3 lead dissipate into a 7-5 deficit at halftime. After some holds, Edina found themselves down 11-9. Elevated by performances from Danny Teply, Soren Anderson, Patrick Vose, Owen Rees, and Josh Furo, Edina scored and then broke to tie the game at 11. Then, they blew past Wissahickon after a massive catch by Furo over two defenders and a coffin-corner pull by Michael Jakobe that caused a quick turn and score. Later in the day, Edina again found themselves trailing, this time 5-1 to South Eugene. With the wind picking up, Edina committed to their zone defense. As the pressure intensified, their defensive aggressiveness caused more turnovers. South Eugene took half, but their lead was down to one. Even after South would opened the lead back to 9-7, Edina continued to make every point its own challenge. Some critical goal line turns by South Eugene late in the game led to the conversion opportunities that Edina needed to pull off the upset and claim the pool.
The round three showcase game between Lakeside (GA) and Lincoln (WA) will go down as one of the most exciting games of the weekend, even the entire year on the ultimate calendar. Lakeside entered the contest sitting at 2-0 but needed a win in order to clinch the pool. Playing for their season after a loss earlier in the day, Lincoln brought their A-game and delivered an early break. Lakeside bounced back with two breaks of their own, before holds took Lakeside to half up 7-6. Lincoln managed to break early in the second half, but a Sam Shapiro hammer to Tommy Vento in the endzone grabbed a Lakeside lead back. There would be no breaks for the rest of the game despite several opportunities for either side.
Late in the second half, playing with their offensive cutter star Sawyer Morgan who was out with an injury on a point, the Lakeside O-line managed a nearly four-minute clean hold against ultra-tight matchup defense, a tremendous effort that arguably won them the game. A floaty Morgan backhand on universe was snared by Shapiro in a seemingly impossible catch to secure a 13-12 victory for Lakeside. Shapiro ended the critical game with 9 assists and 2 blocks in addition to his game-winning goal. Morgan, for his part, would end the game with 9 goals and 1 block in addition to his game-winning assist.
Underdogs
8 teams have advanced to the pre-quarters round, but only 4 can advance to the quarterfinals.
South Eugene (OR) showed their pedigree during their opening two games, defeating Brooklyn Tech and Wissahickon with comfortable margins. Their thrilling game against Edina was only lost by virtue of it being Edina. Penn Stites was everywhere in this contest, catching the opening break (on a scoober no less!), getting run-through blocks, and providing consistency through the choppy waters. As they progress through the bracket, look towards their playmakers in Eli Casper, Charlie Anderson, and Miles Smith to elevate this South Eugene side. They will be a tough out in the bracket.
In their HSNI Debut, Middleton (WI) was able to take down Roosevelt and Jackson-Reed in their first two games. Their zone defense was able to frustrate teams and cause unforced turnovers as the pressure mounted. Seniors Evan Natzke, Turner Booth, Connor Roth, and Russell Hellmer made their presence known, connecting for huge gainers down the field and punching it into the endzone with the help of Mason DePauw, Keegan Stockbridge, and Jackson Zerkle.
Facing off against Middleton was another HSNI debutant, Four Rivers (MA)! After defeating Lincoln and losing to Franklin, Four Rivers found themselves in a three-way tie. With the three teams separated by a total of two points, Four Rivers split the difference and advance into prequarters by a total of 1 point. In an electrifying moment of their game vs. Lakeside, a pull hit a power line next to the field! Four Rivers has earned the respect of their opponents with their tenacity and spirit; now it’s time to see what bracket play could hold.
Washburn (MN) earned their spot in prequarters after defeating Columbia and Lexington in a tumultuous Pool B. Niko Flynn-Rollin, James Marquadt, and Alex Manson complimented one another quite well as Washburn was able to chain breaks together in a victory against Columbia. Facing off against last year’s semi-finalist in Wissahickon in prequarters will be a huge test for this unproven Washburn side.
Powered by a pair of future Team USA standouts in Dre Jackson and Ben Holland, Jackson-Reed (DC) was able to build a comfortable lead into half versus Roosevelt and coast to a 13-9 victory to set themselves up in prequarters. If they are to get a break train going, Jackson-Reed will also need to rely on players like Benson Ezeh, Will Jones, and Finn Farrell. With the number of talented athletes across the roster, Jackson-Reed has the potential to upset anyone they could come across. They were not in the same class as top-seeded Albany, though: they lost 13-5.
Playing in an exhilarating opening match to the tournament, Lexington (MA) was able to defeat regional rival Columbia 13-11. Max Coe put up a ridiculous 10 goals, with his teammate Arnav Manchala throwing 10 assists. But the high usage for the team’s stars may have made it tough for them later in the day: Lexington lost its final two games on Friday, only scoring 11 points across the contests, but the Columbia win was enough to secure a bid into prequarters. With a tough South Eugene game ahead of them, Lexington can prepare themselves to play with house money. Leave it all on the field and make them carry you the 3,100 miles back to Massachusetts (the furthest distance any team traveled for HSNI this year!).
Grinding their way through a gauntlet of a pool, Wissahickon (PA) made their way to Saturday at HSNI once again. Their day started off with a 13-11 loss to Edina, as they were unable to avenge their defeat in semifinals from 2025. After a loss to South Eugene, Wissahickon squared off against a familiar foe in Brooklyn Tech. Wiss came out of the gates roaring, getting four breaks in the first half of play. As the second half dragged on, Brooklyn Tech was able to claw their way back into it. Wissahickon’s zone O handlers — Christian Lee, Wyatt Erdman, and Jonah Grossberg — had to regain their composure. When the time called for it, Charlie Fortescue was able to come through with clutch run-through blocks and incredible endzone grabs through tight defense. The sky is the limit for the Pennsylvania state champs.
This Franklin (OR) team is hyped to have made prequarters in front of their friends and families in their home state where a tough matchup with Jackson-Reed awaits them. Franklin lost their opening game on universe to Seattle’s Lincoln after taking a lead late in the game after some beautiful downfield shots by Will Sinkford. After another tough loss to Lakeside, Franklin was in a win-and-in position against Four Rivers. After getting an early break and building a lead, Franklin was able to close out the game 13-10. The last team into HSNI clearly belongs.
Lost Dogs
Gone, but not forgotten.
Part of a championship tournament is the elimination some teams must face. While these teams may not longer be competing for an HSNI championship, their players, stories, and seasons deserve to be discussed.
Representing the State of Washington as their champion from the Fall, Lincoln (WA) battled to the last breath against a powerful Lakeside team. In a wild twist, Lincoln faced universe point against Lakeside with a chance to score and win the pool with the head-to-head advantage at 2-1 — or lose and be eliminated from the tournament on point differential in a three-way tie at 1-2. They lost. Kai Sherman, Kai Kameda, and Finn MacGregor not only demonstrated leadership and tenacity in their contests today, but dating back to their victories in the Washington State Championship. After missing HSNI in 2025, Lincoln hopes to be a consistent presence at the tournament in future years and elevate themselves back into bracket contention.
New Jersey’s state champions in Columbia (NJ) found their morning being upstaged by a pair of impressive individual feats by their opposition. Later, James Dolinac and Cameron McLeod would open their second game with a pair of breaks. Throughout the day, players like Nate Gold, Tommy Cogan-Drew, Simon Collins-Siegel, and Nick Giannone were making plays to keep themselves in contests they otherwise would not have been. With 14 rookies on the Varsity roster this Spring, the future continues to burn bright in Maplewood. They just lacked the top-level star power this year that other teams offered in their pool.
The first team to ever represent New York at HSNI, Brooklyn Tech (NY) came out and played some of the best ultimate of the day in an absolutely loaded pool. Playing against three teams with semifinals experience at HSNI, Tech’s work was going to be cut out for them from the onset. After a loss to South Eugene, Brooklyn Tech would keep a very competitive scoreline with Edina through the first half of play, before losing their edge in the 2nd half. Finally, in a game to go to prequarters against Wissahickon, there wer high energy plays from both sides. Unfortunately, the late breaks Tech was able to generate were not enough to overcome a sizable early game deficit. The skill of players like Ellis Kohn, Alexander Siener, Mason Gunn, and Jake Donahue cannot be overlooked. Kohn, in particular, was a menace offensively and defensively, always becoming a headache for the opposition.
Falling out of Pool A, Roosevelt (WA) was able to make every game they played in be a competitive slugfest. No game was decided by more than four points, and that is something I am sure they will hope to continue with their play today. Essential to these tight margins was the play of people like Solomon Toledo, Blake Hadland, Jack Lawson, and Marcus Kwan. Roosevelt can take pride in the results they put up today while still understanding the steps needed to improve.
Team Performance
