There certainly have been plenty of memories – with some not the kind expected – as Emmie Ridgeway had hoped regarding her senior season.
In the end, the high-school girls lacrosse campaign has worked out well for Ridgeway and the Washington-Liberty Generals, who just a few days before practice began in February had scads of uncertainty, as there wasn’t yet a coaching staff. Josh Shapiro, the school’s head football coach, ran some early team workouts as the school searched for coaches.
Current longtime W-L head girls field hockey coach Beth Prange stepped in at the last minute to save the day and run the team, with assistants hired to add lacrosse knowledge.
“I wanted to help out any way I could,” Prange said. “It wasn’t always easy, especially at first. But we have had a good season and the girls have all been very positive. Our motto was the girls would have a united front, and they pulled together.”
Ridgeway, a midfielder, is a captain and has been one of the team’s best and vocal players. The Generals have a 12-4 overall record, as the third seed, finished 1-1 in the Liberty District tourament and this week play in the 6D North Region tourney. The team compiled a 4-2 regular-season district record. In the league tournament, it defeated Marshall then lost to Yorktown.
“We had no idea for a while what was going to happen with the season,” said Ridgeway, who will play Division I college lacrosse at Butler University. “There are 10 seniors on this team. We kept it together and had to step into leadership roles, and had to become quick leaders in a lot of ways to keep the momentum up.”
During the preseason and beyond, some players quit for various reasons.
Ridgeway said the Generals quickly adjusted to the new coaches and liked them.
“It was definitely not the season of memories I was expecting,” Ridgeway said. “There have been a lot of unique opportunities.”
In addition to Ridgeway, who was chosen as the district’s Co-Player of the Year and a first-teamer, other senior captains are Natalie Ellis, Mia Murphy and Janny McCormick.
Ellis also was chosen first-team all-district as an attack, as was McCormick as goalie. Murphy was a second-team defender.
Others picked all-district were first- teamers Tallula Doherty (attack) and Clara Grimmelbein (defense) and second-teamer Ava George (midfield). Making honorable mention were Grace Leonard (defense), Maeve Shoji (attack) and Claudia Volpe (midfield).
Ellis will play Division I lacrosse at Xavier University and McCormick is headed to Division III Oberlin College to play field hockey and lacrosse.
Ridgeway had 62 goals, 22 assists and 91 draw controls entering the district semifinals. Ellis had 50 goals, 13 assists and 22 draws. Tallauha had 26 goals, 33 assists and two draws. Grimmelbein had 34 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers.
NOTE: Prange has been Washington-Liberty’s girls head field hockey coach for 15 seasons, as the Generals have won district titles under her leadership, with the team becoming a perennial league contender. Last year, she was chosen as the high-school Coach of the Year by the Better Sports Club of Arlington.