Lakeville South coach Joel Tornell noted Cougars standout midfielder Tori Tschida has a “team-first mentality,” and always has. He got a little emotional when discussing those traits of the player he has worked with for the past decade.

If you need further convincing of that, just listen to the senior speak.

Tornell describes Tschida as the hardest worker. What drives Tschida to be that?

Tori Tschida of Lakeville South High School is one of forty-nine young women, representing St. Paul city and suburban public and private high schools, recently selected to receive the St. Paul Area Athena Award for outstanding achievement in athletics for the 2023-2024 school year. This year’s outstanding high school women student-athletes will be privately honored at the 30th Annual St. Paul Area Athena Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at St. Paul RiverCentre. (Courtesy of St. Paul Area Athena Awards)

“My hard work comes from (how) I want to do good for my teammates and be there for them,” Tschida said.

Tschida prefers assists over goals. Her favorite assists have nothing to do with the level of flash on her pass.

“I feel like when the younger classmen get a chance, their first goals really excite me,” she said. “Probably one of those (would be my favorite).”

Tschida loves to pass. Maybe even a little too much at times. It was an easy trap to fall into in previous years, given Lakeville South’s bevy of hyper-skilled scorers.

“I was a lot more timid when I was younger. I wouldn’t want to go in and score,” Tschida said. “Usually, I was passing a lot more. But I’ve kind of had to come into that role and be more of a scoring threat.”

The senior said that progression is a product of her coaching.

“(Tornell is) a lot more like, ‘No, you have to go take it now. You’ve passed enough,” Tschida said with a laugh. “I think our team this year, we’re very well rounded, so anyone on our offense can score. It’s just like when the opportunity comes, it’s easier to take.”

Tschida has seemingly found the perfect balance this year in her game to help guide the undefeated Cougars, who are the top seed in this week’s state tournament. They’ll take on Cretin-Derham Hall in the state quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Chaska High School.

The 2024 East Metro Player of the Year has 37 goals, 27 assists, 30 ground balls and 54 draw controls. Essentially, the Temple University commit dominates every facet on the field.

Tornell said Tschida has developed a “killer instinct.” It’s most prominent in the more competitive games against top-tier competition. Tschida still loves to pass, but she recognizes when the Cougars need a goal and isn’t afraid to go get it.

“There are times where she takes over, and you can see her, it changes her whole demeanor,” Tornell said. “There’s just that next level that she has that she can go to at times. It’s just been huge for us, because not only is it good for her scoring a goal or making a great play or whatever, but it also elevates everybody else because they see her pushing herself to that next level.”

And she aims to get her teammates to do the same. Tschida not only cheers for her younger teammates, but she pushes them to improve. Anything to help those behind her succeed. Tornell noted Tschida coached a 10-and-under team last summer, and will coach 12-and-under kids this year.

“To see the Player of the Year at a U10 practice is huge. She’s just been like that. She wants to help the next generation,” Tornell said. “She celebrates the seventh- and eighth-graders who score goals, she’s cheering for JV players during JV games. She’s just truly a special player.”

That’s evident on the draws, which Tornell believes Tschida has won roughly 80 percent of this season – an unheard of number. He’ll go to direct Tschida on how to approach a draw, and she’s already on it.

Tornell noted he mostly manages the Cougars, because they can essentially coach themselves. That’s a mark of great teams and starts with players like Tschida, who’s an avid student of the game.

But ask Tschida about her dominance in the draw circle, and the coach suggested the senior would credit her teammates for chasing the loose balls down. It’s what she does and who she is. She in no way seeks out attention or awards.

But she does want to win – particularly after how last season ended, with the Cougars falling by one to Benilde-St. Margaret’s in a semifinal stunner. Tschida called that loss “devastating.” All season, she has preached the importance to her teammates of not skipping any day or step, and approaching every game with confidence, but not cockiness.

“We know we’re supposed to be here, and we can do it,” Tschida said of winning state, “but it’s not just going to be handed to us.”

They’ll have to earn it, something Tschida knows all about.

“She has done that her whole career, she has done that at home. She’s the wall-ball leader of the world. She made herself the player that she is through drive and determination,” Tornell said. “She hustles to every ground ball, she picks up balls at the end of practice, she carries the ball bag, she drags nets. Whatever needs to be done, Tori is the first in line to get it done.”

FINALISTS

Ella Berg, senior midfielder, Gentry Academy: Louisville commit tallied a jarring 130 points – 65 goals and 65 assists.

Katie Grubbs, senior midfielder, Lakeville South: Grubbs can get it done offensively but is perhaps best on the defensive end, where she forced 39 turnovers this season.

Kate Hooley, senior midfielder, Woodbury: Massachusetts-Lowell commit will likely go down as the best player in Royals history. Has a program-record 239 points, including 175 goals.

Sivanna O’Brien, senior midfielder, Lakeville South: Owner of some of the prettiest goals in the state, O’Brien has 38 goals, 19 assists and 88 draw controls this season.

Sofia Watts, senior midfielder, Cretin-Derham Hall: Colorado at Colorado Springs commit has 100 points – 77 goals and 23 assists this season – for the state-bound Raiders. Can finish with both hands and has improved defensively.

 

 

 

Sam Simon first picked up a lacrosse stick when he was 7 or 8 years old, and he never really set it down after that. His older brother first got into the sport, and he soon followed.

Pictured at Eagan High School on Sunday, June 9, 2024, Eagan senior attacker Sam Simon is the 2024 East Metro Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year. Simon has 62 goals this season while leading the Wildcats to state. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

Simon played a number of other sports growing up, but it was lacrosse that gained a special spot in his heart.

You could always find Simon with a stick and a ball, whether that be on the field, in his driveway or … in his basement?

“I put countless holes in the walls,” Simon said. “Some that my mom knows of, and some that she doesn’t know of.”

She’s probably going to find them now.

“I’ll have to go cover those up,” he joked. “It just, for so long now, has always been lacrosse, and I just love playing it. It’s great.”

The love affair, to some extent, will reach its conclusion with this week’s state tournament. After long consideration, Simon made the difficult decision to forego playing lacrosse at the highest level in college. Instead, he’ll go to the University of Minnesota, where he plans to pursue a degree in engineering.

There’s a good chance Simon plays club lacrosse at the U, but his career is essentially reaching a climax at this week’s state tournament. Eagan is the No. 4 seed and will meet fifth-seeded Eden Prairie in the state quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Eden Prairie High School.

He’s certainly going out with a bang in every sense possible. Simon nearly doubled his goal production this season – finding the back of the net 62 times to go with 15 assists – all while leading the Wildcats to their first state tournament since 2018.

The crescendo makes Simon the 2024 East Metro Player of the Year.

“It’s kind of like a culmination of so many years of playing. This is like a big thing,” Simon said. “After so many years, it is like a final, last week of lacrosse at Eagan, and it’s been such an important part of high school for me. It definitely feels like it’s coming to an end, but I’m really excited.”

The first thing you notice about Simon is his size – he’s 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. He has found ways to leverage that – as well as a level of speed at his size that perhaps catches opponents off guard – to create advantages for himself and others.

The senior attackman – who played midfield in each of his previous two varsity seasons – noted you need one step on the defender to establish yourself as a threat on offense.

What happens from there has been an evolution. Simon noted when you’re younger, if you beat the man in front of you, you’re going to end up with a good shot attempt.

But as you get older and face well-coached high school teams, getting that step is just step one. Maybe there’s a double team. Just as likely is you’re playing against a sliding defense where help defenders are in position to deter your attack.

As a sophomore, Simon said he struggled with the mentality that he always wanted to drive to the goal. But in recent years, he has found ways to play more unselfishly, and his team has become more dynamic because of it.

Clark said years of playing with guys like A.J. Clark and Griffin Joas has him understanding where they’re going to be at all times and how they use one another to dissect the defense.

“My biggest improvement, I would say, would be I think being able to create offense, not just scoring, but also get an offense going, draw a slide, get the ball moving around and kind of being able to lead an offense,” he said. “A big part has to do with improving on the communication and strategy of our offense, and really being able to put that into action as a player on the field, and not just a coach on the sidelines.”

When Eagan’s offense is clicking, the Wildcats are hard to stop. They potted seven goals in the fourth quarter of an early-season, come-from-behind victory over defending champion Lakeville North.

They’ve scored double-digit goals in every game but two this season. They fired off 26 shots on goal against East Ridge in their 12-10 Section 3 championship victory.

That win – in which Simon scored five goals – frankly, meant everything to Simon and Co., who fell to Cretin-Derham Hall in a four-overtime thriller in last year’s section final. That loss was so devastating that Simon noted the days and hours leading up to this year’s section final marked some of his most nervous of his career. Getting to state was a major goal all year.

“You put a lot of pressure on it. And last year put even more pressure on it,” Simon said.  “That made beating East Ridge this year extra special. We finally made it (to state) in my senior year. I feel that we have the talent and the desire to win. I think a big thing is we’re just going to go out there, have fun and do our best. We definitely have a good chance of doing some damage and hopefully, maybe winning a state tournament.”

FINALISTS

Blake Piscitiello, junior attacker, Lakeville North: Primary finisher for the state-bound Panthers has 70 goals.

Quinn Power, senior midfielder/face-off specialist, Lakeville North: Utah commit has won a ridiculous 83 percent of draws while scoring 25 goals for defending state champs.

Brol Scherman, senior midfielder, Centennial: Marquette commit has 51 goals and 15 assists in just 14 games for state-bound Cougars.

Aidan Siegfried, senior defender, Cretin-Derham Hall: Maryville commit headlined a defense that surrendered a tick under seven goals per game this season.

Anderson Wagner, junior midfielder, Stillwater: Has 47 goals for the state-bound Ponies, including four goals and three ground balls in section final victory.