July 1, 2025
By Evan Lepler
It was right around 8:00 PM/ET on Friday night when the entire tone of the evening shifted dramatically in Atlanta.
For over an hour, rain had been falling torrentially at Silverbacks Park, with some hail, thunder, and lightning mixed in too. Even when the stadium power went out around 7:50, it was still just a vicious and inconvenient storm that was delaying the start of Friday Night Frisbee.
Far from ideal, but nothing too extraordinary. We’ve all experienced serious and lengthy downpours before.
Unaware of the more serious situation that was brewing in the parking lot, I was dry and undercover inside Willie B’s, the sports bar that sits just beyond one the end zones at the Hustle’s cozy venue. But everything changed when John Boezi, who’s served as Atlanta’s GM for the past decade, walked into the restaurant and shouted to get everyone’s attention.
Anyone who parked near the fence on the side of the primary parking lot had to move their car immediately, Boezi told everybody, as water was rising from the creek beyond the fence and beginning to flood the lot.
Since I knew I had parked in the middle of the lot, I nonchalantly thought it couldn’t be that big of a deal. I preferred to wait inside, stay out of the still-falling rain, and bide my time until our game was either played or postponed. Little did I recognize the gravity of the situation outside, as if the rising water were ignoring gravity and turning the pavement into a pool.
A few minutes later, I saw it with my own eyes. My (rental) car, in the middle of the lot, had muddy water about halfway up the wheels. Many other vehicles were in even more precarious positions, with the wheels completely covered and only the upper half of the doors visible above the stunning mess. Players on both teams were standing thigh-deep in the flooded lot, wading toward their cars to see if they would start or move. It was truly unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.
Most of the cars started and slowly rolled toward higher ground, looking more like boats floating toward the shore. Some other cars remained still and stuck, innocently enduring God only knows how much damage.
My car had maybe six inches of standing water in it. I used plastic cups from Willie B’s to scoop it out and toss it overboard. Compared to some others, I was pretty lucky, as it could have been much worse.
Obviously, as I stood barefoot in a flooded parking lot, with the rain still falling and water levels still rising, the idea of playing frisbee that night felt incredibly farfetched. The last bits of daylight came and went beyond 9:00 PM, and with no power, the entire area went dark. It was eerie, a little scary, and definitely jarring.
Like, for real, what had we just experienced?
But despite all the drama, the two teams hung around, clinging to hope that maybe we still could play. When the lights came back on just after 10:00 PM, everyone decided to give it a go.
Although the stadium field was completely unplayable because floodwaters shifted the expensive turf from a flat carpet into a ruffled mess, the field that sat just outside the stadium looked ok. It was still quite wet, but it had drained better and was deemed acceptable by both sides.
Consequently, at 11:02 PM, just over three hours after the game had been initially scheduled to begin, the undefeated Austin Sol and the Atlanta Hustle took the field for two competitive quarters of ultimate. And at 11:56 PM, with the Hustle leading 14-9 at halftime, the game was officially called, as the Sol suffered their first loss of the season.
It was a truly unforgettable Friday night, with the frisbee feeling just a little bit more than an overthought following the super serious floods.
Still barefoot, I drove back to my airport hotel around 12:30 AM with all four windows rolled down, hoping that the still drenched floor of my rental car might be just a little less wet when I returned it about six hours later.
The Full Field Layout
Outside of the Friday flooding, Week 10 featured plenty of frenetic frisbee, with a compelling slate consisting of 13 games—though I suppose it was technically just 12 and a half games, plus two overtimes. Still, the action was frequently captivating, consequential, or both.
Six more teams officially clinched their spots in the 2025 playoffs, meaning that eight of the 12 available postseason berths have been seized. But even among those eight teams, there’s still plenty to play for over the final three weeks, with the number one seed and home-field advantage still up for grabs in all four divisions.
In the Central and West, respectively, we know who the playoff participants will be, but the order remains uncertain. Meanwhile, only Boston in the East and Atlanta in the South are guaranteed a postseason date in those two divisions, with critical matchups looming as the regular season crescendos into July.
Here’s a quick division-by-division capsule, along with a glimpse at the most important remaining games that’ll likely decide each race.
EAST DIVISION
- Boston Glory (8-0) *
- Philadelphia Phoenix (5-4)
- DC Breeze (5-4)
- New York Empire (5-5)
* Playoff spot clinched; can lock up #1 seed and home field for East playoffs with one more win
Key Upcoming Matchups
Sunday, July 6: DC at Boston
Friday, July 11: Boston at Philadelphia
Saturday, July 12: Boston at DC
Sunday, July 13: Philadelphia at New York
Saturday, July 19: DC at Philadelphia
Saturday, July 19: Boston at New York
Brief Thoughts
Between Philly, DC, and New York, all control their destiny to make the playoffs, while the Phoenix and Breeze can also stake their claim to a home game in round one by finishing strong. The Empire, who are the only team in the group that has finished their entire road schedule, can also earn a home playoff date with a couple wins and a little help. This race feels like it will remain uncertain until the two big games transpire concurrently on the final Saturday of the regular season.
WEST DIVISION
- Salt Lake Shred (7-1) *
- Colorado Summit (6-2) *
- Oakland Spiders (8-3) *
* Playoff spot clinched
Key Upcoming Matchups
Friday, July 4: Salt Lake at Colorado
Friday July 11: Colorado at Salt Lake (Friday Night Frisbee)
Friday, July 18: Minnesota at Salt Lake (Friday Night Frisbee)
Saturday, July 19: San Diego at Oakland
Brief Thoughts
Since they’ve gone 0-3 against the Shred and Summit, the Spiders are not going to win any tiebreakers in the event two or more teams finish with the same record. But that’s not to say it’s impossible for Oakland to get a home game. If the Shred sweep the Summit, for instance, that would open the door for the Spiders to host in the first round. Same thing would be true if the Summit swept the Shred, though in this scenario the Spiders would also need the Wind Chill to hand Salt Lake another interdivisional loss. But all three teams feel capable of winning anywhere in the postseason, so regardless of the seeding, the West remains a riveting race.
SOUTH DIVISION
- Austin Sol (7-2)
- Atlanta Hustle (8-3) *
- San Diego Growlers (6-4)
- Carolina Flyers (5-4)
* Playoff spot clinched
Key Upcoming Matchups
Saturday, July 12: Atlanta at Carolina
Friday, July 18: Carolina at Austin
Saturday, July 19: San Diego at Oakland
Brief Thoughts
This is a fascinating set of circumstances. The Sol haven’t yet clinched a playoff spot, but still control their destiny to be the top seed. But if Austin stumbles, the Hustle could be right there to surge into the number one spot, if Atlanta can finally win at Carolina. Meanwhile, the Growlers actually no longer control their destiny to make the playoffs, since the Flyers winning out could potentially create a three-way tie at 8-4, which would ultimately exclude the Growlers. But San Diego could also lose once or twice more and still make it if the Flyers also lost once or twice more, since the Growlers win the head-to-head against Carolina. Got all that? Excellent. Should be some incredible games down the stretch in the South.
CENTRAL DIVISION
- Chicago Union (8-0) ^
- Minnesota Wind Chill (6-1) *
- Madison Radicals (6-3) *
* Playoff spot clinched
^ Can clinch #1 seed with two wins in Week 11
Key Upcoming Matchups
Friday, July 4: Minnesota at Chicago (Friday Night Frisbee)
Saturday, July 12: Madison at Minnesota
Friday, July 18: Minnesota at Salt Lake (Friday Night Frisbee)
Sunday, July 20: Chicago at Madison
Brief Thoughts
If Chicago takes care of business this weekend and Minnesota holds serve at home against Madison eight days later, that almost certainly cements the Central seedings. But if the Wind Chill can pull off the road win this Friday night, it adds many more layers to the final two weeks. There’s also the reality that Chicago already owns a five-goal road victory over Minnesota, so the Wind Chill would need a decent margin of victory this Friday in order to leapfrog the Union in a potential head-to-head tiebreaker.
Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line,” a holiday week blitz through the 13 results from a hectic and meaningful weekend in the UFA.
