* For opposing coaches, facing powerhouse Cherry Creek can be a numbers game.

Senior sisters Lauren and Morgan Johnson are a daunting 1-2 punch in the midfield and on attack. But Allie Welsh, who transferred from Kent Denver before last season, is a threat in her own right.

“The Johnson twins at Creek are fantastic players, but I’m a fan of Allie Welsh,” Air Academy coach Sean Harmon said. “So, what do you do? Do you cover two nines or a 10?”

Welsh and Lauren Johnson have signed to play lacrosse at the University of California.

* In only its fourth year as a varsity program, a young Chaparral team has positioned itself as a contender.

As a 12th seed in the 2007 state playoffs, the Wolverines upset fifth-seeded Air Academy in the first round, leaving Chaparral confident and hungry for more.

Coach Dix Baines said his current squad might have the best young talent in his nine years.

“Now it’s just a matter of how quickly they put it all together and how they understand the terminology,” Baines said. “The potential to play really well is there.”

Junior Chelsea Cyester will assume more of a field leader role this season, and Shelby Hill provides a perfect complement on attack.

* Kent Denver has played in seven of the past nine state championship games, winning titles in 2005 and 2002.

The Sun Devils’ other five title- game appearances ended at the hands of Cherry Creek, and none was harder to stomach than last season’s 14-13 overtime loss.

That one goal is all that separates the programs during the past three seasons. Cherry Creek won 9-7 in 2006 and Kent Denver won it all in 2005 with a 10-8 final.

Senior midfielder Kara Secora, who will play for the University of Denver next year, led the Sun Devils in scoring last season.

* Alisa Konishi begins her fourth season as the starting goalkeeper for Mullen, allowing coach Allie Craig the freedom to focus on other aspects of the field.

“It’s nice to have such a solid presence back there,” Craig said. “It gives me one less thing to worry about.”

Konishi, who has committed to play for James Madison, was selected as one of the top five high school goalies in the nation this season by Inside Lacrosse magazine.

* Smoky Hill senior Kristi Irgens tore an anterior cruciate ligament during the field hockey season. She is in the process of rehabilitation, but new coach Perry Wyatt, who headed Green Mountain’s program the past two years, said Irgens should be ready to play by April.

* Denver East is a revamped team this season. Eleven seniors graduated from an Angels squad that recorded only a .500 record in the 2007 regular season before rolling into the state semifinals with upset victories in the first two rounds. Also adding to the new look is coach Callie McRitchie.

* Golden exceeded expectations last season by reaching the state quarterfinals, and second-year coach Crystal Sagan anticipates greater success because the Demons will not be starting from the ground floor this time.

“We’re not beginning at the basic level like we did in my first season,” Sagan said. “And we don’t build anything around a particular player. We spread the scoring around, and that makes us harder to defend.”