Article: Ryan Baker

Photos: SedIII Productions

Friday night finally brought the Indianapolis AlleyCats their first win of 2026, and it came in dramatic fashion. Indy defeated the Chicago Union 23-20, led by a record-breaking performance from Elliot Hawkins in his season debut.

The big-ticket item here: Hawkins had 15 assists, 10 in the first half, just days after his college season ended. That total is tied for the second-most ever in a game, a feat not accomplished since 2015. In UFA history, there have been 58 games with at least 10 assists, and Hawkins hit that mark by halftime.

Indy played a complete game, showing flashes of its potential. They had just three turnovers in the first half, excelled at shooting deep, and executed crucial blocks. After gaining a break midway through the first quarter, they never let Chicago catch up.

“It was just a result of a lot of good moments stacked together,” Head Coach Nathan Bussberg said. “I’m pretty emotionless about it for myself personally. I get a lot of gratification when players are highlighted and spotlighted. That’s where I find my joy as a coach. Did I have that scripted? No. However, this is what we saw in our training camps. Elliot and Keegan [North] show the potential of how our pieces can play together." 

Momentum started early for the AlleyCats. The game started off with a bang from Hawkins. On just his second throw of the season, he unleashed an 81-yard downfield throw into the bucket to Jake Felton. After a quick Chicago score, Hawkins connected with Felton again, and it was clear that Hawkins was going to have himself a day.

After trading points for a bit, Jake Wahl made a defensive block, intercepting a pass. This play allowed Avi Ghitterman to throw a scoring pass to James Pollard for the first break of the game. Towards the end of the quarter, William Wettengel, facing a high stall count, launched a desperation throw that turned over possession. He quickly recovered by intercepting the disc on defense and then sprinted downfield to catch a long pass from Hawkins, giving the AlleyCats a two-point lead.

As the second quarter began, both teams traded points with huck scores. Indy then went on a three-point run, extending their lead to four. This run began when Kai Creed intercepted a Crossfield hammer attempt by Chicago. For the second time in the game, Indy forced a turnover by taking advantage of a roller pull that went out of bounds. This sequence allowed Hawkins to assist his brother, Carter, on a goal, marking a memorable moment for the siblings and showcasing their impact on the game.

Right before half, Hawkins saved a throw that was about to go out of bounds. Moments later, he threw a pinpoint 58-yard crossfield hammer to Felton. That gave him 10 assists and more than 400 throwing yards through the first 24 minutes of the game.

As the second half opened, many players increased their intensity and quickly found success. On the first point out of the break, Cameron Brock executed a “world’s greatest” play that ended up in Felton's hands. Brock recorded 1 assist and 3 goals, while Felton led the team with 6 goals and added 2 assists.

Wettengel was right behind Felton with four goals, three blocks, and over 500 yards. A highlight came when, after a turnover on a swing attempt, he immediately got a layout block, leading to a dirty hold.

After that, things became tense when two Indy turnovers led to a three-point run by Chicago, which cut into Indy's lead. However, Indy’s defensive line responded by picking up the pace. Creed completed a pass to Jack Galle in the end zone, restoring a two-point advantage for Indy.

Indy closed quarters strong, taking the third with a Hawkins-to-Seth Gudeman 42-yard score. Gudeman finished with his best game yet, scoring three goals and recording over 180 receiving yards with 100% completion percentage.

Turning to the final quarter, it was the Nate Little show. He started by getting a huge block in the air, getting downfield in a hurry, and catching a 46-yard jump ball from Xavier Payne over multiple people. The very next point, Little subbed in the middle point only to catch a score from Felton a few throws later.

Little finished with three goals and two blocks, showing improved comfort credited to time with the team.

“It felt really good,” Little stated. “Obviously, we want to be great, and in order to be great, adjustments are a top priority. That’s what great teams do, and I believe we can do it before and during our games. I believe I’ve been playing long enough to be an asset to any team. You give me an overview of what your expectations are, and I will exceed them.”

Hawkins snuck in two more assists on two more beautiful hucks, bringing his total to eight of nine completions on huck attempts. Remarkably, that one incompletion was his only one on 46 attempts. Additionally, he had 1,174 total yards, the second-most in a single game of all time.

Reflecting on his performance and strategy, Hawkins said about his confidence in the huck attempts: “My guys were cutting to the right space, and they have the confidence in me to throw it there, so it was just trust between us, and it kept working,” he said. “They also said I had the hot hand, and so I kept going with it. It was the belief in myself and my teammates. They cut to that space for me, so seeing that was good enough for me.”

Despite their efforts, Chicago did play a good game; they just couldn’t stop Hawkins and were clearly flustered at times by Indy’s defense.

“We had a lot of good defensive pressure,” Bussberg said. “I’d like to see that convert into more pressured throwaways, but for now I’ll take the increased intensity.”

It was an overall great game from Indy, but this is only the beginning. That 24 percent break percentage has to increase, and missing two red-zone attempts can be the difference against some of the best teams in the league. Obviously, they can’t expect that game out of Hawkins again, but it is clear to opponents who will be the focal point of this offense moving forward.

“Next week is a week where we can learn more about ourselves, gather more data, and get to play in front of a great crowd,” Bussberg said.

They won’t have a choice but to keep improving, especially with a two-game road trip coming up that includes visits to Minnesota and Madison, the two teams above them in the division. In order to keep this rolling, Hawkins said it’s to keep having that confidence and living up to the name on their jersey, an emphasis from Bussberg.