Patrick Mull and Maddie Palko attended the same church growing up.
They both played lacrosse at Fallston High School, where they now coach the sport on the varsity level and teach social studies in classrooms that are right next to each other.
The ties that bind them personally extend to the programs they lead.
“I think the fact that he and I are friends and have grown up with very similar values is a big part of why our programs have been pretty intertwined,” Palko said.
Last spring, Fallston won state titles in both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, marking the second time the programs have done so in the same season, joining the 2012 teams.
When the final horn sounded on Fallston’s 14-7 victory against Southern-Anne Arundel in the Class 1A girls championship game last May at Stevenson University, the boys’ team had another reason to celebrate.
The boys had won their second straight 1A title and third in the last four years earlier in the day with a 15-2 win against Liberty. It was the program’s eighth championship overall.
But, for the girls, this was the major breakthrough they had been working diligently toward after finishing as the 1A state runner-up the three prior seasons. It was the program’s third state title after wins in 2009 and 2012.
“Seeing those girls finally bring it home was nice,” said Owen King, who will be a senior defenseman and team leader for the Fallston boys this spring. “It was almost as good as winning it ourselves.”
Fallston lacrosse’s motto is One Program. Successes and failures and all of the work that goes into them are shared experiences for the boys’ and girls’ teams.
As the boys were cruising to their state title last spring, the girls were infused with a sense of purpose and confidence as they warmed up for their game against Southern. They sensed that their time was also near.
“We were like, ‘All right, this is it. We are going to bring it home for both of us,'” said Sydney Grafton, who will be a senior attacker this spring. Last season, she led the Cougars in assists.
“Instead of pressure, we felt confidence. It was more of, ‘We’ve got this.’ We have been here before. We have been so close. We know we have the talent. We just have to put our minds to it.”
On Wednesday mornings, the boys and girls teams do yoga together.
Throughout the year, both teams are active with Fallston’s recreational lacrosse program, allowing players to give back to the program that many of them came through and creating a smoother transition for younger players when they get into high school.
It’s the type of community atmosphere Mull hoped to foster when he returned to his alma mater after seven years as the boys’ lacrosse coach at Aberdeen High School and when he took over as Fallston’s athletic director two years ago.
“I am a way bigger believer in the Jimmys and the Joes than the X’s and the O’s,” Mull said. “If you establish an environment that players can be successful in, whatever scheme you are running or whatever you are doing will work, as long as the kids are bought in and giving their maximum effort.”
The Fallston boys’ and girls’ teams will look much different this spring, as last season’s championship teams leaned heavily on strong senior casts. In their bid to stay on top this season, the Cougars will rely on a bunch of new starters in prominent positions.
“We get to start fresh with something completely new, whereas last year, it was almost kind of like roll the balls out each day,” Mull said. “[The players] knew the terminology. They knew the verbiage, knew what we were trying to do. It’s a different challenge this year. I am really excited about it.”
Photo Credits: Jeff Swartzendruber
Issue 291: February / March 2025
Originally published Feb. 19, 2025