The defense of Highland’s Section 9 girls’ lacrosse title does not begin with its first thrilling win in 2025. It doesn’t end a year later, as coach Ian Becker embraces his ever-dependable goalie, Garand Cockburn, once the buzzer sounds on the Huskies’ 10-6 title repeat over O’Neill.

From the seniors, 7th graders when Ian Becker joined the program, to the newest members of Highland’s ever-mounting lacrosse legacy has been years in the making. The skill, strength, and undying devotion to the team found Highland in the grasp of a second straight Section 9 title. Stalwart senior goalkeeper Cockburn was forced to save and deflect a flurry of shots in Highland’s game-defining stand, Raider desperation growing as the clock waned. She came up with each one.

Quinn Ahrenholz notched her 100th career assist on the way to another title. No better time for another career accolade than during a title defense campaign, despite the Raiders’ every defensive effort to neutralize the Highland leader in goals and ground balls.

“They want this. They work hard, and they’ve got the skill to do it,” said Becker of his team.

The offense rallied for a barrage of scoring that kept O’Neill at stick’s length, never forgoing the lead they built in the game’s earliest minutes. Ahrenholz and Alyssa Bonelli were havoc for Highland, as the Huskies took a commanding lead into halftime.

Ahrenholz has been on four Highland Section 9 title-contending teams. The first two ended in disheartening loss, but the Husky pack is the pinnacle of Section 9 lacrosse since.

“To win it back-to-back, it really means everything to us. We worked so hard for this season for the record that we have. We love our seniors. We love our upperclassmen, our newcomers, and we really just work as a team. Everyone’s putting in the effort, and I think it paid off today,” said Ahrenholz.

The moment became the end to an uncertain season at O’Neill, one requiring much learning, adjusting to new additions and last year’s roster losses. The Raiders had plenty of highs yet. Squad and staff got to know one another better, and things began clicking all the way to the championship. There, the shots could not find holes in Cockburn’s goal.

“I thought we had so many wins today in so many categories, but just ultimately fell short in goals,” said O’Neill coach Katie Erbe while noting, “This game is not the entirety of our season and how we did it; we did so many great things this season.”

The seniors departing the program left all they had on the field against the Huskies. Everything that Erbe and her staff asked for, the program received.

O’Neill had some characteristic scoring in its first-round matchup, as the Raiders defended their home turf from the Raiders of Red Hook on Tuesday, May 26.

The game was tied 4-4 at the end of the first quarter; O’Neill had jumped out 7-4 at the end of the second; by the end of the third quarter, it was 10-6 O’Neill; and when the final buzzer sounded, O’Neill had won 13-8.

The game consisted of lots of Madeline August – Illa DeFraites Scott matchups – whether in the face off, back and forth down the field or right in front of the goal. DeFraites Scott scored the first goal for the (red) Raiders and August scored the first one for the (maroon) Raiders. DeFraites Scott went on to score five of her team’s goals, while August had two for O’Neill. Adding to O’Neill’s totals were Madeline Richardson with five goals, Emery Deekens with two, and Kaelyn Mitroka with three.

Freshman Eva Lennon was strong in goal, with several extended battles right in front of her. As the two teams battled, the stands filled with fans from both the east and west-of-the-Hudson communities.

The final was similarly well-attended, as the Highland and O’Neill sides cheered a job well done for both squads, the girls sharing a field for one final time, and of chapters beginning and ending in a single moment. The Raiders’ season closed there at Monroe-Woodbury High School, but Highland’s new season begins now. In the words of Quinn Ahrenholz:

“The job’s not done.”

Highland advances to face the Section 4 winner in the Class D subregionals at Monroe-Woodbury on Sunday, June 7.