Although it was a season of tremendous pride for the Huskies, it
was also one that left a bitter taste for nearly a year.
“One of the things we learned last year is that we went in
against Cherry Creek a little intimidated, and we played like it,”
senior Victoria Baines said. “Now we want to be that team that
intimidates teams to the point where they don’t want to play
us.”
With the 19-3 beating they gave Columbine March 5, the Huskies
likely put fear in the hearts of many teams they have yet to
face.
Baines, who recently committed to playing lacrosse at University
of Denver next year, continued the scoring dominance she
established last year when she led the state in scoring. She racked
up six goals and three assists against Columbine.
The Huskies showed, however, that they aren’t a one-person team.
Eight players scored at least one goal in the winning effort, and
Courtney Yarusso and Keri Yourick each tallied three.
“The whole mindset’s been completely different because I think
they realized that they were one game away from the final game last
year,” Douglas County coach Dix Baines said. “They’ve raised the
bar twice as high.”
The team, which is made up of players from Douglas County,
Ponderosa and Chaparral, seems intent on clearing the bar they’ve
set for themselves, but it won’t be easy.
They might still be the new kids on the block, but it’s unlikely
that the state’s powerhouses will look past the Huskies this
year.
“It’s important not to get a big head,” Dix said. “We’re never
good enough. We need to be fundamentally sound at every aspect of
the game, and if we can do that, we can run with anybody.”