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The Maple Valley Vandals, are a second year team. They started last year under the head coach of Vern Smith. Last year when he started this team, he started them from nothing. There was only one player on the team last year that had every played in a game before. Well with all of the hard work and detication from the team, the Vandals went on to winning the "B" division, and becoming State Champs.
The Vandals did not move up to the "A" division because of the amount of players that
they were losing. With all of the great news, we had many new lacrosse players come out, and
see what the sport and team had to offer to them. The Vandals are playing four different "A" division
games to give them some chanllenge. They are hoping to repeat and hold onto the state plaque
that belongs to the Maple Valley Vandals. Please come out and support a great program. There are
directions on the "directions" link. All of your support is greatly appreciated, See ya
at a game!
LACROSSE: - Two yeras and two state titles for Maple Valley team
2000-05-23
by Mark Moschetti
Journal Reporter
MAPLE VALLEY -- They've been together for just two years. But what a two years it has been for the Maple Valley Lacrosse Club.
Having won the state `B' division title during its inaugural 1999 season, Maple Valley repeated as champions on Saturday, coming from two goals down in the fourth quarter to tie the game, then going on to defeat Nathan Hale in overtime, 7-6.
Brian Johnson scored four of Maple Valley's seven goals, including the equalizer with 32 seconds left in regulation and the winner just 25 seconds into the first four-minute sudden-death overtime period.
``It was an upset win,'' Maple Valley coach Vernon Smith said. ``Hale has a good team.''
The state final at Mercer Island High turned out to be the rubber match between these two powerful squads this spring. During regular-season play, Maple Valley won the first one in OT, 6-5, then Hale came back to take the rematch, 8-5.
``After our loss (to Nathan Hale) at home, I felt that gave us an advantage because not just me, but the whole team felt that we made them think they could take us without having to work,'' Maple Valley goalie Nate Holstein said. ``After winning the championship last year, we knew all the teams would be after us, so it made us work harder to defend it. Every team we played was always energetic and pumped up to play us.''
Saturday's final went back and forth. Nathan Hale had a 6-4 lead going into the fourth quarter.
``We all agreed that that was the most satisfying victory any of us had had in any sport,'' senior co-captain Isaac Pulkkinen said. ``We really wanted to come back and defend our championship.''
The club team attracted 38 players this year, 36 of those from Tahoma and two from Kentlake. Most have played other sports -- football, basketball, baseball, soccer. Smith used to coach the lacrosse team at Vashon High, but moved to the Covington area when his wife changed jobs.
`We all agreed that that was the most satisfying victory any of us had had in any sport.'
CO-CAPTAINISAAC PULKKINEN
Lacrosse is played on a field about the size of a soccer field. Each team has 10 players, and each player has a stick that is used to throw, catch, or carry the ball, which is slightly smaller than a baseball. High school games consist of four 12-minute quarters.
During the recent Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's spring rep assembly, a proposal was on the agenda to make lacrosse an officially sanctioned sport, but it did not pass.
``We think it will in a couple more years,'' Smith said. ``It's been growing one team every other year for the past decade.''
Maple Valley's club is going to be growing, too. This team will move up to the `A' division next year, and Smith said he's going to have another squad that will compete in the `B' division.
``Normally, they would have moved us up to `A' this year,'' Smith said. ``But because we're new, they decided to keep us in `B' for one more year.''
Maple Valley went 11-1 in `B' division games and also was 3-1 against `A' division teams.
``Being able to see the tougher competition and being able to win, that was giving us an advantage,'' goalie Holstein said.
Several of the players earned postseason honors. Pulkkinen was a first-team all-division midfielder. Holstein also was first-team all-division, as were attackman Andy Scanlon, midfielder Travis Cornelison (a junior who is the team's leading scorer) and defensman Weston Butt. Adam Running, a defenseman, was named second-team all-division.
Holstein and Cornelison also were named to the state all-star team that will compete this summer at Vail, Colo.