Well, folks, it’s finally here. Fall sports at Lakota West have come to an end. It has been an unprecedented season in many respects. Despite almost not having a season entirely, several Lakota West teams had amazing years. It has been a long time since not one, not two, but three teams have made it to at least their respective regional championships. Now, with the Main Street trophy cases bulging, let’s take a look back at the season.
The football team enjoyed its most successful season in years. Coach Tom Bolden’s sophomore season at West proved that he is settling in as a franchise head of the Greater Cincinnati Area. After going undefeated in an abbreviated regular season, they continued to win the GMC Championship and 2 playoff games. West was barely edged out in the 4th quarter of the regional championship game by St. X who will look for a state championship later in November. Thanks to a host of talented transfers and a new coach finding his groove, West will no doubt continue to be a powerhouse.
This year the girl’s soccer team looked to repeat the success of last season’s state championship run. The girls posted an impressive in-conference record of 8-1, coming in second only to Mason. Heading into the playoffs the girl’s team steamrolled through the competition and eventually faced off against the number one seed, Mount Notre Dame. West upset MND and advanced to the regional finals with high hopes. The girl’s soccer team fought hard but after 90 minutes stood in defeat to Centerville, 2-0. Though not as impressive as last year, the girl’s soccer team had a great season and will continue to have success in the future.
Football and girls soccer both had amazing seasons, but the Cross Country team was able to achieve what the others were not. Going into this season the XC team was faced with a daunting challenge. Located in one of the most competitive conferences – within one of the most competitive districts – within the most competitive region – the path to success was not going to be easy. The boys started training in May, often holding 4-hour practices starting before the sun had risen. Thanks to several defectors from the soccer team, the XC team had beefed up its top 7. Starting the season with a bang at the Moeller invitational, West toppled St. X and Mason, numbers 1 and 3 in the state. Later in the season, at the St. X invitational, West took an embarrassing loss to the Bombers at their home course. West went on to take back to back wins in their conference and district meets. At the regional meet, once again staring down St. X, West took a crushing second place after several runners had bad days. They would still advance to the state meet the following weekend. West started the state meet well behind St. X, but late-race surges allowed the Firebirds to eke out a 5 point victory over the Bombers to earn them a state title, the first one since 1987.
The cross country team then followed up with a 4th place spot in the USA National Meet in Terre Haute on November 14.
