April 22, 2026
By Alex Rubin

The playoff race is underway from the get go as South Division contenders San Diego Growlers host the Carolina Flyers in the first Friday Night Frisbee game of the season. It is no stretch to think that the playoff race could hinge on this game. Last year it was San Diego’s upset in Carolina that propelled them to the postseason and kept the Flyers out. 

This game should offer a bit of everything that makes the UFA great. Looking at the Team Statistics tables from last season, the Flyers and Growlers are often within a place or two of each other in the league leaderboards, making this a close battle between two very similar teams. 

The one advantage either team can claim is Carolina’s dominant offense. Flyers led the UFA in holds per game, holding on 72.4 percent of their O-line chances (4th in the league). Meanwhile the Growlers allowed the most completions per game of any team in the league last year. If San Diego cannot generate much defensive pressure, than the Flyers should be able to score as much as they need to.

At the center of the Flyers attack is Allan Laviolette, an All-UFA First team finisher each of the last two seasons. Once again expected to be in the MVP conversation, Laviolette led the league in assists (67) and finished with the highest huck completion percent (86 percent) among players with more than 12 hucks (Laviolette threw 32). Since the Matt Gouchoe-Hanas/Sol Yanuck backfield departed the team, Laviolette has been the driving force behind the Flyers offense.

Joining the Flyers attack is Elijah Long. The sixth-year veteran only played in a single game last season, but was a mainstay of the Flyers offense for years before. Long is one of the more creative throwers in the league, and is always able to find a throwing solution to whatever challenges defenses throw at him.

One last name to keep an eye on for Carolina is Brayden Morrison. Morrison played in just three games as a rookie last season, tallying two assists, two blocks, and a goal from the D-line. An incredibly athletic playmaker, it is exciting to see Morrison play this early in the year. Most players still competing with their college teams wait until after the College Championships in May to join their professional teams, but Morrison is making an exception this weekend. A Carolina Flyers Youth Academy product brimming with potential, it will be interesting to see how Morrison has grown over the offseason as he enters his second year in the league.

The Growlers have their own source of firepower as well. Travis Dunn has made an All-UFA team in every season since 2018 and is showing no signs of slowing down. Flanked by Khalif El-Salaam and first-time Growler Brandon Van Deusen, Dunn should be at the center of an explosive offense. Dunn has thrown at least 40 assists in each of the last seven seasons while also leading the Growlers in receiving yards each of the last two. 

This game will also feature the return of Steven Milardovich, the defensive stalwart who played every Growlers season from their inception in 2015 through 2023. The 6’2” defender is far and away the Growlers franchise leader in blocks, with his 147 more than doubling second place Dunn (who has 72). In what could be an offensive showcase from both teams, any bit of defensive magic Milardovich (or any other Growler) could conjure up would certainly be welcome from San Diego fans.

This will be Carolina’s first trip to the West Coast. With the margins between these two teams razor thin, home field advantage could play a factor. Then again, San Diego managed to beat the Flyers in Carolina, so all possibilities are still on the table.