Spring season can often feel like a sprint. For girls lacrosse, that means 16 regular season games, sectional tournaments and daily practices packed into about a two-month span.
The conclusion of the 2026 season warrants reflection on the spring that was.
Here’s what we learned from Section V girls lacrosse season:
1. Draw specialists key championship runs
There’s a clear throughline with Section V’s four championship teams. Each has an excellent veteran draw specialist.
Penfield’s Peyton Rothfuss, Victor’s Lila Kubrich, Honeoye Falls-Lima’s Shaye Angelo and Penn Yan’s Bailey Cooper — all seniors — were among the region’s leaders in draw controls. Their proficiency in the circle means more possessions for their teams, and therefore more opportunities to score.
It should come as no surprise that all four of those athletes are heading to strong Division I programs. Rothfuss (Syracuse), Angelo (Duke) and Cooper (Clemson) are heading to the ACC, while Kubrich recently committed to Yale.
How the current Section V champs manage without these players next season will be worth watching. It also suggests that contenders like Irondequoit and Pittsford should like their chances in 2027. Panthers incoming freshman Mairyn Valenti was second in Section V this season with 242 draw controls, while the Eagles’ future junior Lucy Whipple finished ninth.
2. Section V’s next wave of stars
As is typically the case, most of Section V’s scoring leaders this season were upperclassmen. Of the 11 players to score 60-plus goals in 2026, eight were seniors.
This spring proved, however, that there are plenty of talented underclassmen that will lead Section V in the years to come.
Here are some notable underclassmen and their statistical totals:
3. Penn Yan’s Cooper ends varsity career in historic fashion
Emblematic of her all-around play, Bailey Cooper’s contributions don’t stop in the draw circle. The Mustangs senior is also one of Section V’s all-time leading scorers.
This season, Cooper became the area’s first player to reach 400 career goals, and in the process passed Mercy’s Mary Carpenter (375) as Section V’s all-time leader.
Cooper’s 98 goals led Section V this spring. The midfielder also had a section-high 88 goals as a freshman in 2023.
Her 556 career points rank seventh in New York state history and second in Section V (Spencerport’s Erin Coykendall leads with 638 points).
Cooper was recently named one of the Rochester/Finger Lakes region’s All-Americans.
4. Section V maintains tight grip over Buffalo-area teams
New York state has altered how it handles its state tournaments across several sports, but that hasn’t stopped Section V’s dominance over Section VI (western New York) in girls lacrosse.
Dating back to 1996 when Section V first participated in the NYSPHSAA tournament, the section has faced Section VI in sub-regional or regional play 86 times. Section V has won 85 of those matchups, the only loss in 2008 when Rush-Henrietta fell to Lancaster. That includes a clean sweep across four sub-regional matchups in 2026.
Most of those matchups have not been particularly close. Since New York state added a fourth classification in 2017, Section V is averaging 17 goals in those games, while Section VI is scoring less than five.
Clearly, history shows Section V has had what’s essentially a free ride to the state tournament. But that could change in the years to come.
New York state introduced the “three-region concept” prior to the 2025-26 academic year, which introduces at-large bids and effectively adds another game en route to the state tournament. Now, instead of playing Buffalo-area teams in state quarterfinals, Section V will typically meet teams from Section III (central New York) or Section IV (Southern Tier). The former, like Rochester and the Finger Lakes, is considered one of the state’s lacrosse hotbeds.
This year’s “west quarterfinals” involving Section V teams against Section III produced a couple thrillers. In Class A, Penfield needed Reegan Sercu’s overtime goal to beat West Genesee, while Honeoye Falls-Lima’s Class C loss against Jamesville-DeWitt also needed extra time.
5. Consecutive state titles remains a tall task
Penfield was in prime position to accomplish something only one other Section V program has done, win consecutive New York state titles. But a quiet 12-minute stretch proved why finishing off such a feat is so difficult.
The Patriots led at halftime and were tied after three quarters in this year’s Class A state final against Huntington. But a few fruitless possessions in the fourth quarter and an opportunistic opponent ultimately cost Penfield a second straight title. While the team will undoubtedly be in the mix again in 2027, a unique accomplishment was lost.
Ultimately, Penfield suffered the same fate as many other defending state champions from Section V. Excluding Victor’s current streak of five in a row, here’s how Section V’s six other state champions fared the following season:
That track record shows why Victor’s current streak is an outlier. The Blue Devils are one of only two teams in New York state history to win five consecutive state titles. Considering the wealth of talent returning to Victor’s team in 2027, No. 6 in a row isn’t far-fetched.
Justin Ritzel is a sports reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on Section V athletics and high school trends.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 5 things we learned from Section V girls lacrosse season | Exclusive
Reporting by Justin Ritzel, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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By Justin Ritzel, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
