Times article about Fairmont West’s state lacrosse champs

The Fairmont Times article about the Fairmont West girls lacrosse team winning another state title, with Renzy Cochran and Sydney Michalski, both with Monongah connections, on the team.

 

Renzy is daughter of Ann Marie Preolitti Cochran Parsons and the stepdaughter of Jeff Parsons. Sydney is the daughter of Marion County Parks and Recreation Comission executive director Tony Michalski and Holly Turkett Michalski.

The Fairmont Times article:

Playing for something more

FSHS girls’ lacrosse team harnesses emotion to win state championship: Photos

·         By Sean McNamara Times West Virginian

·          

·         Teamwork, desire and dedication all season drove the Fairmont Senior girls’ lacrosse team to the brink of a state championship, a feat it accomplished Saturday with a 12-3 victory over University at East-West Stadium. 

After defeating George Washington 11-9 in the semifinals, coach Jon Cain’s team entered Saturday’s game with a 17-2 record and ready to close out the season that they’d dedicated to fallen teammate Kayla Decker, who passed away earlier this school year.

With all the motivation and emotion that were driving this year’s Polar Bear squad, the outcome of the game was never in question.

“We knew before we came out here that we were going to win it all,” senior Sofia Sansalone said. “We wanted it so bad, and we were playing for someone who can’t come out here and play.”

Fairmont Senior was playing Saturday for something bigger than just what was visible on the field, and the Polar Bears accomplished what their sister wasn’t there to enjoy.

“This is a great group,” Cain said. “They’ve been working at this for a long time. This was our only senior group that hadn’t won a championship; that was some of their momentum all year.

“And there’s a little girl by the name of Kayla Decker that’s not with us that they played for this year.”

After starting lineups were announced, the FSHS group huddled on the sideline, raised their sticks together and engaged in their traditional pregame rallying cry.

“One, two, three. KD!”

This homage to Decker that the team has engaged in all season reminds them why they’re on the field and motivates them to play hard.

This motivation may not have been more apparent all year than it was Saturday as the Polar Bears got after the University Hawks early and often.

After shots by Sansalone, Ashley Bright and Reina Edwards were turned away early on, Bright opened the scoring just over eight minutes into the game.

All season Cain said he’s struggled to get his team to start off quickly and play all 50 minutes with the same intensity, and once Bright lit up the scoreboard it appeared the Polar Bears were off to the start he wanted.

“We talked to them and said, ‘No slow starts today. Let’s go after it,’” Cain said. “I felt if we played our best game we would win. I know what these girls can do.”

After Bright’s goal, University’s Ashley Rackley scored to tie the game just over three minutes later.

It only took a minute and 24 seconds for FSHS to regain its lead and momentum as Sansalone went airborne for a shot that found the back of the net to put her team up 2-1.

Fairmont Senior did not surrender that lead the rest of the way.

After freshman Megan Rumney scored to extend the lead to 3-1, University’s Skylar Remick scored with 6:18 left in the half to narrow the gap to 3-2.

Sansalone and Edwards scored back-to-back goals to put FSHS up 5-2 before the weather became a factor.

In the first of what would result in two lightning delays, players left the field for 37 minutes before returning to finish off the first half.

Despite the long break, Cain’s girls came right back out on the field and put their foot on the gas and extended the lead, something the FSHS head mentor was very pleased to see.

“We’ve been waiting all year for this team to put two halves together, and that’s what happened,” Cain said. “With the rain delays you lose momentum a little bit. But every time they came back they came out strong.”

Before the next lightning delay, senior Tressa Bonasso and Sansalone each scored again to extend the lead to 7-2.

Once players returned from a second weather-induced delay, Claire Craig and Sansalone each scored to make the FSHS advantage 9-2.

Remick scored her second goal for University to narrow the gap to 9-3, but it was too little, too late.

Edwards, Megan Wilt and Craig added late goals to bring the final score to 12-3 with Fairmont Senior emerging victorious.

At the end of the game, FSHS held a 35-17 advantage in shots, and goalie Rainy Heston accounted for 10 total saves for the Polar Bears.

When the final horn went off and the girls from Fairmont Senior were announced as champions, a mix of smiles, laughter and tears filled the faces of everyone involved with the program.

Sure, they’d won and achieved what they set out to, but they’d done it without someone who had been a member of the group for such a long time.

But this group of Polar Bears turned emotion into motivation and played the season to honor their sister.

The group came together in 2016 and now they ended it as champions.

“It’s everything I ever wanted,” Sansalone said. “We don’t want it to be over, but it’s good to end on a good note.”

Fairmont Senior will say goodbye to seniors Bonasso, Bright, Craig, Wilt, Sansalone, Taylor Washington, Sydney Michalski, Sarah Esposito and Renzy Cochran.