Park City’s Coco Crawford played attacker her entire life, mostly because she wanted to follow in her big sister Rogan’s footsteps.
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But she also wanted to be on the field as much as she could, so when the opportunity to fill in at midfielder presented itself her freshman season, she jumped at the chance.
Her competitiveness to possess the ball and natural speediness kept her in the position — well those things and she admits she was pretty good at the draw.
Pretty good is a pretty big understatement for a player who became a key component of Park City’s game plan and success.
Crawford built one the most decorated resumes in state history, recording 181 career goals while helping Park City to three state titles, 2026 included, and a runner-up finish.
This season, she was spectacular, racking up 62 goals, 32 assists and 106 draw controls to earn the 2026 Deseret News Ms. Lacrosse honor.
Her stats were impressive considering she’s surrounded by a wealth of talent across the Miners’ roster, but what’s more impressive is Crawford’s effect on the field.
“In all my years coaching, very few players have left the kind of impact that Coco has,” said Park City coach Adam Ghitelman. “She was the heartbeat of our program, a true warrior whose toughness, determination and competitive spirit elevated everyone around her.
“What made Coco special wasn’t just her talent on the field but the way she led with humility, courage and unwavering commitment to her teammates.”
That’s high praise coming from Ghitelman, who had an impressive playing career and now has a growing coaching resume across lacrosse leagues.
For Crawford, her humility is a key piece of who she is. She enjoys talking about her teammates, whom she dubs her best friends. She values being a part of the history and tradition of Park City lacrosse, and she understands how special it is to carry on her playing career into college.
At the same time, Crawford knows she has put in the work to get where she is. She also acknowledges her competitiveness, which is why she will always choose controlling the draw over scoring a goal.
“I think that’s one of the most competitive parts of the game, and I really want to be in that circle,” Crawford said. “I want to be the one that gets the ball. I want to be the one that possesses the game and controls the game.
“I remember my recruiting summer, I just worked my butt off to do draws and do wrist control, and I did it every single day. I think that my hunger for the ball definitely helps.”
Crawford’s work ethic has rubbed off on her teammates, and so has her commitment to focusing on the team aspect.
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“She helped guide all of us so much throughout the whole year,” said freshman Georgia Kostuchenko about Crawford. “She was so welcoming that it made me excited to come to lacrosse.
“She would always say, ‘Control the controllables,’ and I think that was a really great mantra for our team to have.”
While Crawford and the Miners have had a lot of success, they have hit some bumps in the road. Crawford was a sophomore when Park City lost to Olympus in the championship game. That one stung, and she worked hard to help the Miners get back on top the following season as they added another title.
This year, Park City suffered its only two losses against California schools on the road. Kostuchenko credited Crawford for being the model the team needed by reminding them it was OK to get a loss when they had controlled everything they could.
That helped the team bounce back and roll through the rest of its schedule.
For Crawford, the wins matter, but so do the experiences, and she really pushes that those experiences include some fun.
“I think I really just (play lacrosse) to have fun, and I like to remind myself that because I’m a very competitive person,” she said. “Sometimes I get in my head and have to think about that.”
Crawford also is a creature of habit when it comes to her routine to enter the field.
“Every single time I walk on the field, I have this little ritual where I hit my foot on the middle of the field and then turn around, then I go up to the draw circle and I tap the ground three times,” shared Crawford. “It’s just a little ritual for me, and I do it every time to clear my head.”
The ritual seems to work well as Crawford and her teammates hoisted another trophy in 2026. This one came after topping Fremont 19-9 in the 5A championship game, with Crawford contributing four goals and two assists.
Crawford finished her career with three rings and didn’t lose to an in-state team again after the championship loss her sophomore season.
Up next, Crawford has a national all-star game this summer, and then she’s moving on to play collegiate lacrosse at Florida Southern, where she will major in sports management.
“It’s so special to me. There’s nothing more that I want to do. I think that being a college athlete is something so cool and rare,” Crawford said. “Being able to work with people from all across the country for the same goal, I’m so excited to do that and have the opportunity to play.”
Crawford is the third Park City player to win Ms. Lacrosse and returns the honor to the Miners after a two-year gap.
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Past Deseret News Ms. Lacrosse winners
- 2025 — Sarah Anne, Olympus
- 2024 — Hannah Nelson, Olympus
- 2023 — Ava Kimche, Park City
- 2022 — Samantha Riely, Park City
- 2021 — Jaimeson Meyer, Waterford