Episcopal girls lacrosse pursues Duval County first in FHSAA championships

"Final four lacrosse for Episcopal."

Not so long ago, Sofia Chepenik didn't imagine those words would come together during her playing career.

"If you were to tell me that a couple of years ago, then I would probably say you were delusional," Chepenik said. "I definitely would not think that we would make it this far."

Episcopal is charting a new course and beating the expectations along the way, entering Friday afternoon's Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A girls lacrosse semifinal.

The Eagles take on Orlando Lake Highland Prep, a finalist in each of the last three FHSAA tournaments, at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples.

"I think going into this year, we knew it was going to be special," said midfielder Keeley Cleland, who has signed with Arizona State.

Episcopal has grown steadily over the last five seasons, from a team hovering around the .500 mark to a Duval County powerhouse that's going where no Jacksonville girls lacrosse team has gone before.

"These seniors that I had in seventh grade, we talked the other day that they were the ones that committed and said that they wanted to take this program to the next level," head coach Krista Grabher said. "And we knew it was going to take some time, but everyone who was there as a middle schooler was ready for that, and they've just continued to grow."

They're in uncharted territory for the city. While St. Johns County programs Bartram Trail and Ponte Vedra have multiple final four appearances, no Duval County team had reached a girls lacrosse semifinal until Episcopal downed St. Augustine in last week's regional final.

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Their first deep playoff run came in 2019, when Episcopal lost in the regional semifinal phase to Gulf Breeze. But the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season early in 2020, and last year, the Eagles missed out in the district tournament.

Along the way, whatever the results, they've been laying the foundation, and they're now reaping the rewards.

"I feel like the girls the last couple of years are more excited to play than in the past," said midfielder Caroline Cavendish, a Dickinson signee. "They want to succeed, they're excited to work hard and to be a part of a team that has this much potential and growth."

The unknown factor coming into 2022, Grabher said, was the defense. After beginning 6-0, the Eagles lost consecutive games in early March to Vero Beach and Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin. They also lost later in the month to Friday's opponent, Lake Highland Prep.

Those results, Grabher said, motivated the Eagles to adjust their system.

"We had to kind of create a new defense, create new offensive motions, because they had never felt defeat like that [this year], so it was good for them," she said.

Particularly in last week's regional championship against St. Augustine, the combination of Kate Adams, Kate Burhyte, Hannah Bittner and Brooke McCoy combined to seal off the vicinity of goalie Sophia Bailey's net, limiting the Yellow Jackets to four goals. They've held their last 10 opponents to single digits on the scoreboard.

There are no such concerns in attack. For Chepenik, signed with Clemson, the scoring numbers are nearing stratospheric territory.

She's scored 103 goals on the season to go with 31 assists, boosting her career total to 250 for the last five years (including the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign). In the statewide MaxPreps list, which does not include all Florida programs, Chepenik stands third in 2022 goals, behind only Sara Williams of All Saints' Academy (144) and Brinley Christiansen of Pensacola Catholic (106).

She is the leading finisher in a fast-moving Episcopal attack with Cleland (up to 100 career goals) at the hub and numerous teammates, from senior Olivia Parker to freshman Maeve O'Neil to eighth-grader Lilly Melograna, chipping in around the attack.

Now, for the Eagles, the once-unthinkable isn't so far away.

"We don't want it to end here," Chepenik said. "We want it to go all the way to state [finals], knowing we're playing for the girl next to us."

Class 1A girls lacrosse semifinal

3 p.m. Friday

Paradise Coast Sports Complex, Naples

Episcopal (19-3) vs. Lake Highland Prep (16-2)

Major college signees Sofia Chepenik and Keeley Cleland lead the Eagles in pursuit of a revenge win, after their 14-7 loss to Lake Highland Prep in March. In that meeting, Lake Highland Prep's Izzy Hughes scored five goals and Lauren Pittman tallied thrice. Lake Highland Prep has qualified for the last three state finals, winning in 2019 and finishing second in 2018 and 2021, while Episcopal has never before played a final-four game. The winner would advance to the championship game at noon Saturday, to face either 2021 state champion Delray Beach American Heritage or Naples.

Class 2A girls lacrosse semifinal

7 p.m. Friday

Paradise Coast Sports Complex, Naples

Bartram Trail (20-3) vs. Lutz Steinbrenner (21-1)

What's the difference between last year's Bartram Trail team that fell short in the semifinal and the 2022 squad? More than anything, health. Sophomore Ryann Frechette (89 goals) is back from a torn ACL, joining Maggie Bennett, Marina Dean and Leyton Payne in a whirlwind scoring unit. Junior Taylor Lapointe leads the Steinbrenner attack with 54 goals, closely followed by Zoey Lind (40), Kate Prentice (35) and Natalie Jones (35). The winner plays for the title at 5 p.m. Saturday, meeting either Vero Beach or 2021 champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school girls lacrosse: Episcopal playoff run makes Jacksonville history