Sacred Heart Academy routs Eastern to win fifth Kentucky girls lacrosse state championship
After consecutive runner-up finishes to Kentucky Country Day, Sacred Heart Academy is once again the champion of Kentucky high school lacrosse.
MaxPreps' second-ranked team (22-5) rolled Eastern 20-6 in Thursday's Kentucky Scholastic Lacrosse League state final at Ballard's Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Field.
SHA's upperclassmen-heavy lineup saw senior Elizabeth Mueller and junior Emerson Holthouser lead the offense with four goals each. Fellow senior Molly Allen was the lead distributor with a spectacular nine assists.
The school's fifth title in program history comes at a promising time for Kentucky high school lacrosse.
During its May 10 Board of Control meeting, the KHSAA announced it is likely to sanction lacrosse for the first time as early as the 2024-25 school year, pending a final participation survey. The board voted 'no' to lacrosse championships as recently as 2021.
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It’s a huge victory for the sport and its new reigning champ.
"It's really fun and exciting to see where the process (goes) in Kentucky in the next few years," said senior Norah Teff, a Wofford lacrosse signee.
Mueller and Teff will not get to see the day where another potential Sacred Heart trophy will read KHSAA on it.
Yet, despite the senior leadership the Valkyries possess, they boast a youthful roster. Fifteen players could return to SHA's varsity roster next season, and four of those girls could be playing in the first-ever KHSAA lacrosse tournament in two years' time. Eastern is even younger with 18 underclassmen.
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"I've seen it from the beginning, so watching it come this far just means a lot," said Mueller, who is signed to row at Clemson next year.
SHA head coach Dennis Truman said his players organize a grade school lacrosse league in the high school offseason, grooming the next generations of high school athletes — within his program or elsewhere.
The sixth-year head coach remembers a time when there were only a couple dozen teams in the state. Now, with almost 50 squads and sanctioning on the horizon, he's amazed by how far the sport has come in a short time.
"It takes a lot of us giving back to the younger girls, and we're starting to just grow and grow," Truman said. "And it's just incredible."
The Valkyries’ hard work paid off this season as well.
The senior-heavy lineup fell behind nationally ranked KCD 5-0 Tuesday night and had to battle back to pull off a 9-8 upset over the two-time defending state champs to make the state championship.
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Truman credited his team's near yearlong preparations and grueling regional travel schedule as the fuel to their deep run in the state tournament.
"You've pushed yourselves to the absolute limits already," Truman said. "You know what you're gonna see."
Then Thursday, Sacred Heart’s defense suffocated any chance of the Eagles going on a scoring run, packing the 8-meter arc and waiting for missed connections. On offense, SHA used physical runs in transition and spread the ball around when the pace slowed to get goals in any way it wanted.
Mueller said the Valkyries’ trust on the field allows her to feel confident in doing what she needs to.
"What you give in, you get out," she said. "It was really just trust."
Teff did not have to make a ton of saves thanks to a stifling defensive effort in front of her led by fellow senior and KSLL Defender of the Year Sophia Reibel.
"We really focused on being physical and working together throughout the whole season," Teff said. "I couldn't be the player I am without the girls who are on the team with me."
Reach reporter Caleb Wiegandt at cwiegandt@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CalebWiegandt.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky high school girls lacrosse: Sacred Heart wins state title
