WEST HARTFORD—6/2 UPDATED with coach’s comments: On Friday afternoon, May 31, at Conard High School in West Hartford, the Lyme-Old Lyme High School girls defeated Valley Regional 5-2 to claim the Class S State Championship for the fourth time in succession.
Coach Lauren Rahr, whose assistant coach is her father, David, has seen her team win the state championship for all four seasons that she has been in charge.
We asked Lauren how she felt about the team’s success. Shre responded by email, saying, “This state championship title was different from the rest. In other years, we knew we had a strong and experienced team,” adding, “This year, everyone from athletes to coaches to parents put in the time and effort to get the team to this point.”
She noted that, “Coming into the match, we had already played this team twice. Each time the deciding match was the last one on the court and multiple matches having gone into third sets. However, we couldn’t let expectations or predictions get the best of us.”
Noting, “We had to play it one point at a time, and put all of our focus into each point. There was a moment in the match that we had lost the first set on four of the seven courts, but that was also the moment where the team dug deep and left their hearts on the courts.”
Rahr pointed out, “Coaching the girls throughout the match, they each wanted to know how the rest of their team was doing. This whole season it was always about the team as a family and being out there fighting with each other.”
She concluded, “Once the match was decided, the pure joy and happiness on their faces as they ran and jumped to hug each other let me know how much this title truly meant to them. We overcame a lot this season, and it made us all stronger. I hope the girls can look back on this time in their lives and remember how capable and strong they all are.”