Saint Stephen’s girls lacrosse rolls to second straight district title

As the sun darted out of sight beyond the edge of The Ram Bowl, Saint Stephen’s Baylee Barker and Out-of-Door Academy’s Adelaide Mahler stepped to the middle of Rivervew High School’s stadium for the opening draw of the District 17 championship.

With the ball pinned between their sticks, Barker won the draw and pushed forward.

On any given night, Barker, Kendall Miller and Katie Pierce — Saint Stephen’s three biggest goal-scoring threats — can go off. Ten seconds in, it was clear Friday would be Barker’s night.

“There’s no selfishness,” Falcons head coach LeeAnn Fronckowiak said. “It’s whoever’s hot for the night.”

Barker picked the ball up and weaved through the Out-of-Door defense. The attack charged to the net and Barker flipped the first of her eight goals into the back of the Thunder’s net. The junior accounted for half of Saint Stephen’s goals to lead the Falcons to their second straight district championship, a 16-0 rout of the rival Thunder (6-8).

Barker also was credited with an assist, giving her nine points two nights after Pierce produced 10 to lead Saint Stephen’s (13-4) back to the title game.

The Falcons will make their second consecutive — and second ever — appearance in the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs Thursday when they travel to Fort Myers to meet Canterbury in a first-round play-in game. Saint Stephen’s won the first playoff game in school history last season before falling in a second-round play-in game.

Even in a sport with a relatively small number of teams, the Falcons’ run has felt unlikely to the group that started competing in a district five years ago. That was Fronckowiak’s first season, and the oldest players on the team were freshmen. For the first time, Saint Stephen’s has seniors and it has translated into the Falcons’ most successful season yet.

“We went two or three years where we were figuring we would have a district and we lost,” Barker said. “It was really good last year to have that district title.”

The entire team returned for 2017 and Saint Stephen’s breezed to a repeat. Barker erupted for six goals and an assist during the first 7:28 and the Falcons raced to a 7-0 lead.

For the rest of the game, the Falcons showcased their depth. Miller accounted for five points; Pierce scored a pair of unassisted goals. The trio has developed into a powerhouse. Saint Stephen’s has had athletes since Day 1 of the program, but the growth in their skills has lifted the Falcons from a team with potential into producing consistent results.

“They’re not selfish, they don’t push through, they don’t try to force,” Fronckowiak said, “and now their stick work keeps improving, so they’re playing righty and lefty.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 10:39 PM with the headline "Saint Stephen’s girls lacrosse rolls to second straight district title."