The Bainbridge Spartans’ lacrosse team secured its first state championship in 18 years, dominating Selah 23-5 in the 2A state boys lacrosse championships at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila May 24.

The win marks the first time the Spartans have won the state championship since 2007, although they have won it many times prior.

“We got contributions out of freshmen, which is very unusual,” Spartan assistant coach Andy Constan said. “I think it speaks to the culture and maturity of the team.”

Bainbridge had ten freshmen (Caston Rosenfeld, Cruz Gonzales, Morgan Herten, Will Covey, Will Block, Finn Hall, Truman Shutt, Indigo King-Besse, Wyatt Dixon, and Tobin Barth) on the roster, all contributing to the Spartans’ state win.

In previous years, the Spartans have been perennial contenders in the semifinals, Constan said, but haven’t been able to get to the finish line. Before the brackets changed by splitting into two separate divisions, BI had won 12 state championships in a row. Nowadays, there are over 200 different teams, providing a lot more competition for the Spartans to contend with.

Constan said that Bainbridge had been seeking to get better “collectively and individually” in every game. The Spartans have looked to a philosophy that consists of “playing four perfect quarters of lacrosse” in order to get themselves to another championship.

“We don’t care who our opponent is,” Constan said. “We’re playing against our own abilities and our own goals. That’s how we set it up.”

Unfortunately for Selah, the Spartans had the “obligation to play the best ball we could play.” An eighteen-point margin of defeat reflects that.

Winning state serves as a confidence booster, Constan said, and is part of the culture of the island, which consists of older, more experienced players coming down to coach the younger players and assist them in their own journeys to success.

Constan hesitated to name a “most outstanding player,” citing the team’s “selflessness” and “team ball,” but stated that Aaron Lolley, Hugh Fields, Mitchell Heidemann, Noah Weiss, and Henry Moreshead all contributed to “ball movement that I haven’t seen in Washington state in 15 years.”

“I think anybody who’s come through this program as a player who’s gone on to play college really comes to appreciate it,” Constan said. “They’re much better prepared.”