The Rockford girls lacrosse team is in familiar territory, but they way it got here was a little different.
The Rams have won a 13th straight regional championship and will play in the division one state semifinals on Wednesday at Haslett High School against Midland.
Rockford is two wins from an 8th striaght state championship, but the way it arrived was different than in years past.
The Rams lost four times in their first eleven games.
They have a program built on the seniors teaching the class below them how to lead, but this years seniors never got that chance to learn because last season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We started off very slow and not sure how far we were going to make it," junior attack Mackenzie Delacher said. "We definitely had the skill, but just coming together and playing together we have improved a tremendous amount."
As the season has gone on, the leadership has continued to get better.
"I think we had a couple team meetings and just had to realize what was at stake," senior midfielder Katie Rodriguez said. "When you play for Rockford, you play with pride and you play with honor, so for us to come together and kind of figure those things out was really important."
Last week in the regional, Rockford beat Forest Hills in a thriller in the semifinals, that is where the leadership really showed up.
"When we had that double overtime, one goal win against Forest Hills in the regional semifinal, I had called a timeout and going in to talk strategy," head coach Mike Emery said. "The girls took over the huddle, I walked away and grabbed a water, I didn't need to coach them. They were there and and ready and I knew we were going to walk out of there with the win."
