A Marcus High School student makes a perfect pass downfield to a teammate. But he’s not playing football.

Other players weave between their opponents and teammates, moving almost constantly until the point is over. But they’re not playing soccer.

The 14 students have taken the field to play ultimate, a sport that incorporates elements of football and soccer. They are members of the Marcus Ultimate club, under the leadership of Rob Doyle, a social studies teacher at Marcus.

“Ultimate is becoming more and more popular,” Doyle said.

This is the case both in the nation — Doyle said most four-year colleges now have programs for the sport — and among students at Marcus, where the club is now in its third year. More than 50 students came to the first day of practice, Doyle said.

“It’s fun because it’s a seven-on-seven game where everybody is involved the entire time,” he said.

It’s also open to both boys and girls. Junior Riley Martin, 16, of Flower Mound, said the athletes enjoy being together.

“It’s basically like hanging out with your friends and yet playing a sport at the same time,” she said.

And it gives students a chance to represent their school.

“They get really excited about representing Marcus and about wearing jerseys with the Marcus name on it,” Doyle said.

Any Marcus student can participate in Marcus Ultimate practices, but the team occasionally has to limit its roster for competitions.

Sucram — the team’s unofficial name (it’s Marcus backwards) — not only takes on high school teams, such as those out of Southlake Carroll and St. Mark’s, but also plays college and club teams. In fact, Doyle said the Marcus team came in 12th out of 24 teams at a tournament hosted by the University of North Texas in December. Sucram was one of only two high school teams that participated.

The goal of ultimate is simple — move the plastic disc from one end of the field to the other. Points start with the pull — a “kickoff” where the disc is thrown from one end zone toward the other. If the disc lands on the ground or is caught, play starts from that point (a dropped disc is a turnover). From there, offensive players work to pass the disc to one another as they move toward the opposite end zone. When a player catches the disc, they have to stop and pass it to another player, until finally it is caught inside the opponent’s end zone. Defensive players work to intercept or block passes. If the disc hits the ground, whether from an incomplete pass or a defended one, it’s a turnover.

It may sound a little confusing, but junior Austin Walker of Flower Mound, one of the team’s three captains, said the game doesn’t have a high learning curve.

“It’s not very hard to get good at,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean players aren’t committed.

“It’s more than a hobby for me now,” Walker said. “According to my mom, it’s an obsession.”

For more information, visit marcusultimate.shutterfly.com.

Ruth Haesemeyer is Lewisville/Flower Mound neighborsgo editor and can be reached at 972-436-5551, ext. 3007, and rhaesemeyer@neighborsgo.com.