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Sports

Brighton Girls Lacrosse Dominates Unforgettable Season

The Division 1 state champs relied on their senior leadership, immense talent and previous experience in the finals.

When the girls lacrosse team made the state finals last year, it was a bit of a surprise.

"Last year, we got in kind of by luck, we didn't really work very hard, during our practices -- there was a lot of goofing off," said senior midfielder Sarah Modzelewski. "This year we knew we had to come in and focus and really do the extra work it would take."

With a strong, talented senior class coming into this year, that extra work and focus paid off, sending the girls all the way to the Division 1 state championship game and winning it for the first time in the program's short history.

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The win came on Saturday, June 11 at Troy Athens High School in Troy, when the 17-15 in overtime.

"We learned a lot, we knew what to expect, it just made us more comfortable," head coach Mike Staruch said about how their experience of losing to Rockford 15-14 last year translated to this year.

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This team wasn't just experienced, however. Its sheer talent helped Brighton dominate the Kensington Lakes Activities Association schedule, finishing the entire season at 17-5-1.

Senior midfielder Katelyn Scott was heralded as one of the top offensive players in the state, showcasing her skill in the championship with a six-goal performance. Senior midfielder Shiann Darkangelo was praised by her teammates for her skill in controlling faceoffs, a big factor for obtaining possession of the ball.

In net, sophomore goalie Lauren Cole stands as a young bright star for a few years to come for Brighton. Jeff Street, the father of junior attack Ashton Street, said he believed that if Cole were a senior now, she would be recruited for a full ride in college.

Several of the Brighton lacrosse girls were recruited and will be playing for colleges next year, but not in lacrosse. Scott and Darkangelo will both be playing Division I hockey; Scott for Robert Morris University and Darkangelo for Syracuse University. Most of the girls are multi-sport athletes, having played soccer, volleyball and basketball among other sports.

Besides the talent up front, Staruch also pointed out the team chemistry that was so valuable for Brighton this year. He said this team was the first full class that originated from the middle school program that started five years ago, so the girls have been playing together since eighth grade. Staruch said the high school program started about ten years ago.

Staruch described his defense as unsung and said they made big plays, pointing out sophomore defender Taelor Mailloux's key block of a shot in front of an empty net in the championship game that kept Ann Arbor Pioneer from going up again after Brighton had caught up and tied the game for the first time.

"We knew defense was going to be a big factor, so we tried, especially toward the end of the season, to focus on defense more because we knew we could score when we wanted to," Modzelewski said.

A good defense was critical when the scores tightened up during the playoffs. After opening the Michigan High School Athletic Association regionals with a 17-5 win over Waterford United and a 17-10 win over Clarkston, Brighton found itself against rival Hartland, a team they had already beat twice, but whose girls lacrosse program is on the rise. 

"Hartland came ready to play, we knew them, they knew us," Staruch said. "I was a little afraid that our girls would be a little overconfident and not really give them the respect they needed. I knew how bad Hartland wanted to beat us."

The girls were able to squeak out a close 14-13 win,  and then won another one-goal game in the semifinal against Bloomfield Hills Marian 12-11, which Brighton had lost to earlier in the season.

"I think our team as a whole wanted it for each other, so we were willing to do whatever it took to get us a win," Modzelewski said about the close games. "We didn't the let pressure get to us, we stayed focused."

The team is in good condition for next year, replacing its eight graduating seniors with 12 new seniors. However, he said the KLAA Conference is getting tougher, mentioning Hartland and Northville.

The Bulldogs won their division, but lost the conference championship against the other division winner South Lyon, so that title will be on the checklist of goals for the team next year. That checklist also includes another divisional win and run at the state championship.

"We have girls who have prepared and played all season as backups to step into that position this year," Staruch said. "We're looking good for next year ... we're not going to have a big drop-off at all.

"The state championship really solidified our program as one of the better in state, and these girls are proud of that, and they're going to continue to work to make sure we don't fall from being one of the elite in the state."

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