Bringing Home Hardware

When the Aquin Bulldogs were warming up for their Third Place battle against Springfield Lutheran, something was missing ... emotion.

Players were almost sleep-walking through the drills, without any sign of this being an emotionally charged contest. Ainsley Stovall took a ricochet shot off the side of her head during one drill that prompted her to go sit on the bench for a minute to shake it off, parents were screaming at the players to "fire up", but the most telling was head coach Robyn Stovall who told them, "C'mon guys, where's the smile?"

"Well, with this team, when they're smiling, that...