Shortly after Lakeville South secured its second state title in three years via a 12-8 win over Prior Lake on Saturday at Eden Prairie High School, seniors Tori Tschida, Katie Grubbs and Sivanna O’Brien got together with the trophy and Cougars coach Joel Tornell for a photo.

The players looked over at their coach and said, “10 years together.”

Lakeville South celebrates after winning the high school girls state championship game between against Prior Lake at Eden Prairie High School on Saturday. (Matt Blewett / Special to Pioneer Press)

The trio of seniors first started playing basketball together in kindergarten. A few years later, Tornell introduced them to lacrosse. He was their coach all the way up the ranks, including now at the varsity level. They’ve been through the highs and lows of the sport.

“That’s part of what makes this special,” Tornell said.

And also emotional, Grubbs noted.

“My first reaction is that I don’t ever get to play with these people again. I was still kind of sad at first,” Grubbs said. “But then yeah, you won a state championship. It’s kind of a bittersweet feeling.”

But there’s no better way for it to end than with a title. O’Brien said this title was “much more sentimental” than the one the Cougars broke through with in 2022.

“Definitely ending on a very good note that we wanted to end on,” she said.

That wasn’t a certainty in the first half on Saturday. Lakeville South was perfect entering last year’s state semifinals, only to be upset by Benilde-St. Margaret’s. A similar plot was unfolding in Saturday’s state final.

Lakeville South midfielder Sivanna O’Brien, 15, sprints after recovering a loose ball against Prior Lake in the girls state high school lacrosse championship game at Eden Prairie High School on Saturday. (Matt Blewett/Special to the Pioneer Press)

The Cougars (19-0) led Prior Lake 4-1 early, but the Lakers responded with five straight goals to claim a 6-4 advantage in the second quarter. Prior Lake’s sideline was rocking. Momentum had firmly shifted.

Lakeville South didn’t fare well under similar circumstances in 2023.

“I think last year was a case of us panicking, not knowing what to do,” O’Brien said. “Definitely just really playing nervous, playing panicky, wanting to win really bad and not just playing how we know we should play and how we work really hard and practice really hard to play.”

But the Cougars refused to be rattled this time around. They scored the game’s next seven goals, as Tschida controlled the draw and, when it was tested, Lakeville South’s defense answered the call. Prior Lake went a quarter and a half without netting a goal.

“We just had to get back to our game. The message today was play Lakeville South lacrosse all the way. Worry about the individual pieces after that. … All season long, all we said was it’s all about the Ws. They killed it today,” Tornell said. “My senior captains controlled the game. My defenders played lights out. My goalie was outstanding. The attacks moved the ball. It was a team effort all the way around, and that’s who we are.”

The response was a clear sign of how far the Cougars have come. Grubbs said Tornell trained the team all year to stay loose and confident, “no matter if you’re up by five or down by 10.”

Lakeville South midfielder Katie Grubbs passes in the third quarter of the state high school girls lacrosse championship game against Prior Lake at Eden Prairie High School on Saturday. (Matt Blewett / Special to Pioneer Press)

But that muscle wasn’t tested all year. Tschida noted Lakeville South maybe trailed 1-0 in some games, but not much beyond that. The Cougars were dominant.

So perhaps it was fitting Saturday provided a final examination of not just their physical abilities, but their mental fortitude.

They passed it with flying colors.

And, in the process, they proved themselves to be worthy champions. And a group of special seniors is going out on top. Grubbs called the experience “nostalgic.”

“All year we were thinking, ‘Oh, this is our last game together. Last practice, last this, last that.’ But this game we just went into it like, ‘We’re going to win another state championship,’” Grubbs said. “I feel like we won as a family, and not just as a team. We’re very connected.”

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