Bailey Aasen leads Park of Cottage Grove in scoring (36 goals as of Tuesday) and is second in the Suburban East. A three-sport athlete, the sophomore talked about growing devotion to lacrosse.

Second in the league in scoring. That’s pretty exciting. It is. I’m really excited to be able to do this well at a sport I love. I could play lacrosse 24-7.

Why has lacrosse come so easily to you? I’m not sure, but I think it’s because it kind of mixes my other sports, cross-country and hockey, together, so I was able to develop pretty quickly.

What does it take to be good scorer? Know when you have the opportunity to score and believe you have the capability to do that.

How about natural skills? My coach say I have the ability to get off a really quick, hard shot. And I have a kind of natural fake when I’m cradling.

Favorite moment on a lacrosse field: That feeling you get when you’re about to take an eight-meter shot, right before the whistle, when you’re looking at the goalie, thinking about what to do.

What shot do you normally take? The hardest shot I can and shoot low. Sometimes fake high and shoot low.

Personal philosophy: I always say “Don’t frown, because you never know who is looking forward to your smile.”

JIM PAULSEN