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Roger Wallace, girls lacrosse coach for Pine Creek

Three years ago, Roger Wallace and his coaching staff implemented a foreign concept into the Pine Creek girls' lacrosse program: two-a-day practices.

It has worked out pretty well, to say the least.

Just look at what the Eagles accomplished in the past three seasons with 37 wins and just 11 losses.

In six seasons prior to that, they finished with a losing record.

This year? The Eagles achieved 13 wins, no losses to area teams and their first outright league title.

"It was a shock to them three years ago when we initiated that program," Wallace said. "But they've brought into it, and that part has been amazing to me."

Those accomplishments -- and more -- helped Wallace landed The Gazette Preps 2018 Girls' Lacrosse Coach of the Year honor. He became coach in 2000, a year before Pine Creek introduced the sport.

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This season, the Eagles went 13-3 overall and 7-0 in the Southern League and outscored league opponents 113-41. Their regular-season losses came against Denver-area teams, including Chaparral, a state tournament semifinalist.

Pine Creek, seeded seventh, earned a first-round playoff bye and lost 17-5 to Arapahoe in the second round.

In all, it was a season to remember for the Eagles.

But they're determined to do even better next season, especially considering they're returning most of their starting lineup. Though they lose stellar players in goalie Devin Morgan and twins Riley and Kate Hatchell, the Eagles are hoping to get past the first playoff win.

Key returners include Brittney White and Madeleine Bourgois, who led the Eagles in points with 69 and 68, respectively. The coaching staff hopes Amelia Carlile, a sophomore next season, will step in at goalie.

And they hope to continue two practices a day during the first few weeks of the season, in an effort to help build team chemistry and unity.

"We're hoping next year we'll get beyond the first round," Wallace said. "We have a hill to climb to get to the top. This maybe is the mountain we need to get over to see what's on the other side. We're definitively working on that goal."

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