Knocking off defending champs, Lady Rebels capture state title

The Vestavia Hills High School girls lacrosse team ran the table in 2018 and toppled a giant in the process.

The Lady Rebels lost just two games in 2017, both to Oak Mountain. They lost to Oak Mountain in the regular season and once again in the state championship game. But in 2018, they flipped the script and won that matchup both times.

Vestavia Hills took down Oak Mountain, 7-5, on April 17. The win broke a 68-game winning streak for Oak Mountain, which was the four-time defending Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association state champion until the Lady Rebels backed up the first win with another victory. 

“We wanted to return to the championship game this year, with the intention of winning it,” said Vestavia Hills girls lacrosse coach Dennis Lipford.

In the state championship game on May 12, they defeated Oak Mountain, 7-6. The Lady Rebels trailed 5-3 midway through the second half, but a strong finish to the game saw Vestavia score four of the game’s final five goals. 

“We conditioned a lot the last month of the season, because I told them it was going to be hot,” said Lipford. “We had the experience in the championship game and they were prepared for the heat.”

After finishing third in 2016 and second in 2017, Lipford’s hope was that the trend would continue for one more season and that the Lady Rebels would claim first place. 

They did.

Lipford said the team flipped around the generic “1-2-3” team breakdown chant at the end of practices and during games. Instead, the Lady Rebels yelled, “3-2-1 Rebels” at the conclusion of each team huddle.

Lipford lightheartedly suggested a new chant for the team next spring.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do next year. Maybe 3-2-1-1,” Lipford joked.

Vestavia Hills had an uphill climb this year after graduating nine seniors and only returning six players. Lipford put on his best Nick Saban impression and went on the recruiting trail within the halls of the high school.

“We knew we would be one of the top teams, we just needed to fill in holes,” Lipford said. “The new girls learned from the experienced players.”

There were a handful of good examples to learn from for the new players, many of whom had previously played a different sport. Out of the six returnees, four were named to the all-state team.

Aimie Perino, Katherine Lipford and Ellington Wesson were first-team all-state honorees, with Perino even earning a spot on the U.S. Lacrosse All-American team. Laura Hatten Rell was named to the all-state second team for the second consecutive season.

The players lived up to their billing inthe state championship game. Lipford scored three times and Perino and Rell each netted a pair to account for all seven Vestavia Hills goals.

The Lady Rebels will lose just two seniors as well. Both Clare Promer and Mary Ashford Hyde also contributed in a big way to the team’s success, as the Lady Rebels finished with a perfect 15-0 mark.

Also on the team were Emma Dunn, Marie Harris, Molly Holston, Madison McGill, Olivia McClellan, Riley Nix, Bella Serra, Isabella Talbert, Veronica Turner, Kendall Warren and Lindsey Watts.