BURROUGHS HIGH -- Much has been said and written about three-sport
standout Sara Larquier during her four years with the Indians.
And for those who might say the recent graduate has had her share
of exposure, they are about to get another mega dose of Larquier, as
she has been selected the Burbank Leader Female Athlete of the Year.
When it comes to players who deserve their share of accolades,
Larquier -- who is an all-league honoree in softball, girls'
basketball and girls' volleyball -- is at the head of the class.
"Athletic wise, there has been only one other athlete who I have
coached at Burroughs who has better overall athletic skills, and that
was Suzy Babko," said Burroughs girls' basketball Coach Doug Nicol,
who has headed the Indians for nearly a decade.
"Sara could play just about any sport she wanted. I like to say if
there was a tiddlywinks team at Burroughs, Sara could make the team."
For Larquier, who will attend University of Virginia on a softball
scholarship, enjoying as much as possible during her high school
years was a top priority.
"I really just wanted to do as much as I could," she said. "You
are only in high school once and it was important for me to
experience as much as possible. Some times it got hectic, but looking
back, I wouldn't change a thing."
Larquier's dedication, along with her ability to excel at almost
everything she tackles, is not lost on coaches like Nicol.
"Along with her sports, Sara is a great student with something
like a 4.0 grade-point average, and she is also involved with other
school things like she was the [Associated Student Body athletic
commissioner]. So she has really been able to balance sports and the
classroom.
"I tell people that Sara has probably packed 10 years worth of
experiences into her four years at Burroughs.
*
Although Larquier will be continuing her athletic career as a
collegiate softball player, one of her most successful seasons came
last winter as a member of the Indian girls' basketball team.
Along with having a fine individual season, Larquier helped
Burroughs set a host of team records during the 2001-2002 season in which the team went 22-7 and advanced to the CIF Southern Section
Division IIA quarterfinals.
Playing alongside All-CIF Southern Section second-team standout
Gracie Coronado, Larquier averaged 13 points a game -- 16 in the
Foothill League -- nine rebounds and had 102 steals her senior
campaign to earn all-league second-team honors.
"That was a great season," Larquier said. "We were more like a
