And that’s certainly a good thing.

Consistently dominant throughout the season, the Falcons followed largely the same script in securing a resounding 15-3 win, a margin that lines up similar to just about every other result this season. With its only loss coming to out-of-state powerhouse Mater Dei (Calif.), the Falcons now stand in with a 13-1 record on the season while allowing just one in-state team (Mountain Ridge) come within 10 points during any of the final in-state outcomes.

It’s the type of dominance one would assume is congruent with a senior-laden squad with mounds of experience to draw from. But in the case of Skyridge, that assumption is flat out wrong.

Stacked with standout sophomores and even freshmen leading the charge, the Falcons can be accurately pegged as the top team in the state and subsequently as favorites to win a first-ever 6A state championship despite their relative youth.

“We’re still really young and we’re very short, too,” confirmed Skyridge coach Michelle Buechner. “But we’ve got some really great senior leadership. We’ve got some of our fantastic defenders that lead our defense and our goalie’s a senior. So they give us the leadership we need and that kind of keeps our ship right. We keep our focus and they help us. When we’re in film (session) and the others are goofing off, the seniors are turning around and saying, ‘Hey guys, this is important. Let’s lock in.’ Seniors provide great leadership for us.”

Yes, Skyridge does have some seniors, and as Buechner mentioned, they’ve all played valuable roles this season, beginning with goalkeepers Taylor Brems and Leilani Fiefia with others such as defenders Madelyn Coton and Aunna Parker,  along with attacker Tessa Jamison each doing their part.

“Aunna Parker is a tremendous defender. Maddie Coton is the is the center of our defense. She’s the heart and soul of it. She’s our backer in our zone. And those three and Tessa Jamison on attack is so dominant. She can take over a game, she can score from anywhere,” Buechner said. “So that that senior leadership really is important on our team. Then we’ve got really outstanding sophomore midfielders and attackers and also defenders, and just some great sophomores this year, too.”

Leading the way for the sophomores, and indeed for the entire team, is Buechner’s daughter, Summer Buechner, who was named as the Utah Valley Lacrosse Player of the Year by the Provo Daily Herald last season as a freshman. This season Summer has compiled a team-leading 101 points so far this season while showing improvements in all areas of her game.

“Her improvement, I think, has been on the draw. She has been so successful and so dominant on the draw. She’s figured out how to do that,” Coach Buechner said. “And then the other thing is her vision has gotten better. So she was good last year, she broke the state record for assists, but this year she’s even better. She just has this vision, and now when she’s connected with our goalie and they can do that three-quarters-of-the-field pass. It just opens up a lot of options for us on offense and on transition.”

Other team leaders in the scoring leger includes sophomore Ellie Palmer (67 points), Jamison and sophomore Sofia Fife, both of whom have scored 64 points along with sophomore Sage Curtis, who has 51 points.

About the only thing the Falcons have battled is complacency due to a relative lack of competition. Even so, Coach Buechner is well aware of that fact.

“I remind them frequently of all the things we need to work on,” she said. “That helps, right? We get film sessions are not the most fun thing in the world for us because we’ve got a lot to work on, we always do. The other thing is we really respect all of our opponents. We know Farmington won the state championship last year, we’re aware of that and they’re a very good team. And every team that we go against has good players, they’re well coached, and we know that they’re prepared for us, and so we’ve got to do the same. Honor them by being prepared for them.”

As for beating the defending state champions, it was a big deal for everyone involved.

“The kids are pretty excited about it because Farmington is such a great team and they have a great program,” Buechner concluded. “So to beat a good team makes you feel different than when you beat a mediocre team, you know? You have that sense of pride in being able to match up with those guys and maybe get a few more goals than them.”