Hazelwood West Girls Lacrosse Getting Into The Swing Of Things

volleyball coach Mike Vaughn admitted he knew almost nothing about the sport of lacrosse when he took over as head coach of that team in 2010.

Vaughn had served as an assistant coach with the Wildcat lacrosse squad, but he was still very much trying to learn the nuances of the game.

“I spent a lot of time studying,” Vaughn said. “It was almost like I was back in school. But I love learning about new sports, and I’m proud of myself for how much I’ve learned. I feel very comfortable teaching the game and coaching the game to this team.”

Vaughn said he is seeing growth in the team, which is quite young.

The Wildcats had a record turnout for tryouts when practice began a few weeks ago. With every new practice, the players are starting to understand how to play the game, which, in the St. Louis area, is more commonly played by kids in wealthier school districts, Vaughn said.

“Lacrosse is a growing sport here in the Midwest,” Vaughn said. “Not many kids know about it here, (but) it’s really big on the East Coast.

“So a lot of kids here don’t really get the exposure to the sport, unless they have the money," he said. "Around here, you mostly see the West County schools and the South County schools, who are more affluent, those are the schools that have been playing for a while.”

And even though Hazelwood West hasn’t been playing lacrosse for very long, the Wildcats are getting better every year.

The Wildcats were 4-9 the year before Vaughn took over the program. Last year, Vaughn’s first as head coach, West was 7-8, and narrowly missed finishing the year with a winning record, after suffering a tough loss to Kirkwood High School in the state playoffs.

This year, Vaughn believes the team can be one of the up-and-coming lacrosse teams in the area.

“I’m really excited about this team this year,” he said. “The good thing about this group is most of these girls started with me at the JV level, so they know my system.

"They know what I expect from them.”

Juniors Krysta Swalley and Rianne Holzmeyer are in their third year as Wildcat lacrosse players. Vaughn said he thinks they could be standout players.

Both players started for the Lady Wildcats last year, and will be relied on as leaders this year.

“They run the team on the field as I would, if I were on the field,” Vaughn said. “They know what I want, they know how I am as a coach, and they pretty much execute that.”

And they did so in victorious fashion March 22, when West pounded rival Hazelwood Central 10-4 in the season opener for both teams.

Seniors Stephanie Baker and Kaitlin Bethel, along with junior Caitlyn Smith, were prominent figures in that win. They figure to be key players for the Wildcats all season long.

“The two seniors (Baker and Bethel), they took the year off last year for personal reasons,” Vaughn said. “But they’re natural athletes. Even they were a year off, it’s like they never lost a step in the game," he said. "They’re both just really good lacrosse players.”

In goal, West will rely on junior Samantha Rieke, who passed her first test in net with flying colors, allowing just four goals on 16 Hazelwood Central shots last week.

The Wildcats will be back in action March 31 when West will have a rematch against the same Kirkwood team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

“We want to prove to everybody that we are legit,” Vaughn said. “We want to show that we are a legitimate program, and that we can play with anybody.”