Mater Dei junior goalie Courtney Walburger didn’t pick up a lacrosse stick until her freshman year.
It didn’t go well.
“I thought it is a new sport, not everybody is going to be super good at it,” she said. “I played so many other sports, so I was like OK, I’ll go out and try it.
“I picked up a field stick, did some shuffles, passed with my coach and I was like, I can’t catch, I can’t throw, I hate this sport.”
Soon, Walburger, found a position just for her.
“They were looking for a goalie and I was a soccer goalie and it was perfect,” she said. “I jumped in and that’s all I’ve ever done. I’ve never enjoyed a sport as much as I enjoy lacrosse. I found a sport that’s for me and I love it so much.
“There are days when I’m frustrated, but the love of the game keeps me going.”
Walburger capped her junior season earning player of the game honors as Mater Dei defeated Oak Park in the U.S. Lacrosse championship game on Saturday.
DAMIAN CALHOUN
BOYS LACROSSE
No O.C. team wanted to be the first to lose to an L.A. school in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section championships, but it was bound to happen.
Loyola defeated Corona del Mar in the boys final Saturday, becoming the new king of the boys lacrosse scene.
An Orange County team had won each year since the creation of the Southern Section playoffs in 2007.
“I’m going to go down in history as that guy,” CdM coach G.W. Mix joked following Saturday’s loss. “It was bound to happen, sooner or later. Lacrosse is getting better and better all over California.”
DAMIAN CALHOUN
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
All five CIF-SS boys volleyball finals will take place at Cerritos College on Saturday.
The pairings for the CIF SoCal Regional championships will be released Sunday. The dates for the three-division (I, II and III) regional tournament are Tuesday, Thursday and the finals taking place Saturday.
This year, the SoCal Regional finals will take place at Edison High.
DAMIAN CALHOUN
