As lacrosse teams head into section tournaments, Eden Prairie, led in goals by midfielder Braden Cole, faces a particularly difficult situation. Eden Prairie is among three teams ranked in the top 10 that are playing in Section 6. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Layla Nick joined the Orono varsity girls lacrosse team as a seventh-grader in 2022, scoring 16 points as the Spartans wrapped up a 7-8 season in the Section 2 quarterfinals.

Jane Kolar then became Orono’s coach. Once she took the job, Kolar said, about 20 coaches told her one of Minnesota’s brightest young stars was on her roster.

“I finally met her, and she was the superstar that everybody said she was, faster than anybody I’ve ever coached,” Kolar said of Nick.

Three years later, the Spartans won their first Metro West Conference title.

For more on the Spartans and other teams hoping to have a long postseason run, click here to read this story on startribune.com.