Blaine senior Ava Engler had to give up her first sport of choice as a seventh grader.

After a series of injuries, including a broken knee, and later learning she had Osteochondritis dissecans (a disorder that causes joint pain from a lack of blood flow), she had to give up gymnastics and find a new way to compete.

She picked up lacrosse and progressively developed, making varsity as a defender her freshman year before moving to midfield and eventually committing to Northern Michigan.

Engler admitted that while she her condition does give her pain, the adrenaline keeps her going as she rarely misses any time on the field, often opting to take a water break while passing her team’s sideline.

Engler, along with Kent State commit Abby Jones, led the unbeaten Bengals with four goals apiece in Blaine’s 12-4 road win over Northwest Suburban Conference rival Maple Grove, dealing the Crimson their first loss of the season Wednesday night.

“We never come off the field,” Engler said of Jones and her. “We just look to our teammates to toss us a water bottle along the sidelines.”

The duo is among a group of seven seniors in the Bengals’ starting lineup who extended a 19-game winning streak against league competition that stretches back to last year, when Blaine (7-0, 7-0) won its first league title.

“Last year we won the conference and they have the heart to do it again,” Bengals coach Dennis Osbeck said. “This was pretty much the conference title game here — so we’ll keep it going and see what happens.”

Both the Bengals and Maple Grove made state tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017 as the apex programs of the north metro. Osbeck said Blaine had struggles starting fast this season, but a meeting with the Crimson (7-1, 7-1) was what his team needed to kickstart its prowess.

After Bengals senior Isabella Erne scored off the draw 14 seconds in, the Crimson kept with Blaine before Engler, showing her savvy on a 2-on-1, cut through the defender and to the net for a goal at the five-minute mark. Jones and senior Gabby Rosenthal scored the following goals to give Blaine a four-goal lead to open the game.

Maple Grove, accustomed to its run-and-gun tempo, was stifled by a veteran Bengals lineup that supported Autumn Graleske, a first-year starter in net. She stopped four shots in the first half to squash a young Crimson team’s scoring chances early.

“She only played half a game last year,” Jones said. “We can see her progress so much through every game.”

Engler and Jones combined for three goals in the span of 50 seconds to thwart any ruminations of a Maple Grove comeback midway through the second half as Erne won three consecutive draws.

After celebrating prom last Saturday, Engler and Jones acknowledged their days of high school are numbered and extending the spring sports season into June at the state tournament would be the ideal send-off before going off to college.

“(State’s) the ultimate goal with so many seniors on the team this year,” Engler said. “We want to make it the our best year as possible and be good leaders for years to come.”