East's Boden Liljedahl is a defensive standout on two courts

Jul. 2—Boden Liljedahl was born roughly a generation after the "Bo Knows" advertising campaign centered around multi-talented athlete Bo Jackson.

The Cheyenne East junior figures to be too young to know about Jackson climbing outfield walls to rob home runs for the Kansas City Royals or running over ballyhooed linebackers on his way to the end zone for the then Los Angeles Raiders. Jackson was such a phenomenon in the early-1990s that shoe giant Nike crafted a campaign implying he would be good at any sport he tried. Bo knows (insert sport here), the ads' tagline said.

Liljedahl — who is affectionally called Bo by her friends, family and teammates — is actually aware of Jackson reputation.

"The funny thing about that is that I have a shirt that says 'Bo Knows' that a family friend got me for Christmas," Liljedahl said with a laugh.

The "Bo Knows" slogan might as well be dusted off and applied to the multi-talented Liljedahl.

She was named to the Class 4A all-state team on the volleyball court and also was voted 4A co-defensive player of the year after winning the award outright her sophomore year. Liljedahl also broke East's single-season digs and passing-percentage records.

That alone would have made for a memorable junior year, but Liljedahl wasn't close to being done.

She averaged 14.9 points per game on the basketball court, which tied her with teammate Jordan Jones for the fourth-best scoring average in 4A. Liljedahl also was the state's top 3-point shooter, making 46% of the shots she took from behind the arc. She also knocked down 86% of her free throw attempts, which ranked second in the state and help the Lady Thunderbirds repeat as state champions.

Those exploits earned Liljedahl Laramie County Female Prep Athlete of the Year honors as voted on by WyoSports and Wyoming Tribune Eagle staffers. She picked up six of 11 first-place votes.

Ultimate competitor

Nicole Quigley has a long history in volleyball as a standout player, assistant coach and head coach. She knows that even the best defensive players don't always want the ball hit their way. Some don't want specific hitters to come their direction.

Liljedahl welcomes all challengers.

"She has always wanted to be on the opposite side of the court from our biggest hitters in practice, and other teams' biggest hitters in games because she loves that challenge," said Quigley, who has been head coach at East since 2018. "She wants every single ball to come her way because she thinks she can dig it. She wants to be part of the action all the time.

"It's one of her best qualities. You wish you could bottle that up and give it to every single player."

The only downside to that aggressive approach is that Liljedahl sometimes steals the ball from teammates. Even describing that as a negative is a stretch.

"I'd rather have a kid that's really aggressive versus one that shies away," Quigley said.

That aggressive mentality helped Liljedahl tally 407 digs and pass at a 2.57 clip this past season. That last state is based on a three-point scale and rates how many options a team's setter has whenever a player passes the ball.

"I want the ball and to be the one to start our offense and try to get our setter a perfect pass," Liljedahl said. "When we were playing (Laramie All-American) Alexis Stucky, I wanted every ball coming to me.

"Digging a well-hit ball feels so good. I want every ball to come to me so I can help my team out more. As a libero, I have to think I can cover the entire court. That's the mindset I have whenever I pull my knee pads on and step onto the court."

The feeling Liljedahl gets from diving to the floor and saving balls hitters thought were sure kills is similar to the one she feels when she makes a crucial 3-pointer. Both can be huge lifts for her team and deflating for the opposition.

"It brings so much energy to the team," she said. "I love celebrating with my teammates in the huddle and the whole energy of volleyball."

Both of the records Liljedahl reset were held by Sydney Montoya, who was voted 4A defensive player of the year three times starting in 2014. Quigley was an assistant during Montoya's highly-decorated East career.

"I didn't think anyone would come close to those records, especially this quickly," Quigley said. "When I saw (Liljedahl) play as a ninth-grader, I noticed she had things you couldn't teach, like being really aggressive about going for the ball and being willing to run through a wall for her teammates."

Point of pride

Liljedahl has a similar temperament on the basketball court.

She wants the ball in her hands because she feels like it's the best way she can help her team. However, her aggressive approach to defense often got her into foul trouble during her freshman campaign.

"She used to get called for reaching and holding a lot," East girls basketball coach Eric Westling said. "She wasn't doing a good job of understanding angles, reading on-ball stuff and figuring out how to shut things down, and she'd get in foul trouble often.

"She learned how to think about things, but she also trained her body to get into lanes so she didn't have to reach. She trained her feet to do what her hands were doing earlier, and that's huge."

That effort on the defensive end impresses Westling because it's not an investment many scorers as prolific as Liljedahl are willing to make. Most view themselves strictly as scorers. Liljedahl isn't most players.

"I was always quick enough to be a good defender, but I had to be smart enough to do it," she said. "It took me a while to realize that what was best for the team was for me to keep my player in front of me or stay straight up, stay in the game and be the offensive asset I need to be.

"The coaches were confident I would adjust and not keep making the same mistakes, so I had to put in the work to get better defensively. I'm glad they've seen that growth."

Liljedahl's competitive nature motivated her to improve defensively, Westling said. He now calls her the complete package as a player. Her well-rounded game led to her being in the conversation for Gatorade player of the year, an honor that went to her teammate, Jones.

"The obvious thing that comes to mind, even to casual fans, is that she's a great shooter," Cheyenne South coach Brodie Epler said. "She's one of the best shooters in the state, but she's so much more than that. She can handle the ball well, can get to the rim just about any time she wants and can facilitate for other players.

"Defensively, she had great instincts that always seem to have her in the right place at the right time. She also never gets too high or too low on the court. Her emotions are always pretty even-keel."

That unwavering calm will come in handy if Liljedahl — who carries a 4.26 weighted grade-point average — achieves her goal of becoming a surgeon.

She will have the choice of sports to play at the college level, but she hasn't decided which one it will be. Liljedahl is looking forward to her senior year. She will most certainly pad her career 3-pointers record and expects to be in the hunt for a third consecutive state title.

Her final year of high school also might include a return to the softball diamond. She gave up that sport when summer basketball and volleyball tournaments started to interfere.

Regardless of what her future holds, Liljedahl knows she can count on the support of those who shorten her unique first name to Bo.

"My teammates, friend and coaches pick me up if I'm ever upset or down," she said. "I'm also blessed with a super supportive family and a great support system at home. They all have been such a big part of what I've achieved by pushing me to be the best I can be."

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.