Mead girls lacrosse waited until the very last game of the regular season to face off with the Fairview team that provided most of its veteran players. The Mavericks wasted no time putting that enthusiasm into action on Saturday at Fairview High School.

In the marquee matchup between Class 4A’s second-ranked Mavericks and Class 5A’s fifth-ranked Knights, Mead showed out with a 9-7 victory to cap off their first-ever regular season ahead of playoffs next week.

“Holy guacamole,” Mead head coach Katie Coleman Bergmann said. “Our goal this week was to just stay level with our emotions. … Our goal was we just want to be proud of the lacrosse we play no matter what the scoreboard says, but to come out with a win on the scoreboard is obviously not a bad thing to head into playoffs. I think this group is really excited about the next couple of weeks.”

Last year, players like Mead senior midfielder Allie Hartman donned the white and red jersey before the St. Vrain Valley Schools’ pilot program stole her away. The Silver Creek student didn’t have a choice.

She’s played an instrumental role in building up the Mavericks, comprised of both experienced 5A players and girls new to the sport, as a powerhouse in 4A in a matter of months. That theme held true on Saturday afternoon when Hartman did a little bit of everything, netting two goals, directing her offense through the other seven and playing tough defense around Mead’s cage.

Junior goalie Anne Boothe and sophomore middy Lucy Connors, other former Fairview players, have been just as vital. Boothe ended her day in the crease with 10 saves as Connors dominated on offense with four goals and an assist.Boothe served as Fairview’s backup in 2022 before stepping into the spotlight at Mead.

“It’s been so much fun playing with Anne because she’s such a force on defense and we can always count on her to make the big plays at the end of the day,” Hartman said. “If our defense falls apart at one point, we have a really big safety net with Anne back there.

“Anne and I play great together because I’m a midfielder, so I understand a lot of the defensive IQ — I know the steps for the slides and everything — and then I can also translate that and communicate everything from defense to attack as well.”

At the end of the game, the Knights honored seniors from both squads.

Following an opening Fairview goal from senior attacker Mia Reinke — one of two for her — Mead stormed back to control the pace of play. The Mavericks were the first to break through strong defenses on both sides, as Connors and Hartman scored two goals apiece through a 14-minute period.

“I was nervous because we know how each other plays,” Reinke said. “I know how they play, they know how we play. It was very give or take on what the outcome was going to be. I love all those girls so much and I miss them so much, so it was also kind of a sappy game. I think part of it was a mental game.”

Mead led 7-2 at the break, but that wouldn’t last long.

The Knights came out of the gate firing on all cylinders in the second half and tightened a defense that already proved fairly formidable throughout the first 25 minutes. Mead responded to a Reinke goal with a score of its own from Connors to open the half before Fairview opened the floodgates.

Inch by inch, the Knights pulled themselves back into contention, but they still couldn’t shake the five-goal deficit that plagued them at the half. The Mavericks ended their regular season with a 12-2 record and 6-0 in the 4A North league as the Knights dropped to 10-5 and 5-2 in the 5A East.

Now, both teams must await their fates for their respective playoffs. CHSAA will release the brackets on Sunday.

“I think that we were really trying to play team attack and get everyone involved, which was good,” Fairview head coach Kelsey Sheridan said. “We were able to produce on that end. It was just finishing our shots. We had some good looks that we just didn’t finish.”