While most kids her age are busy looking to the future, Hannah Cain would much rather dig into the past.

Cain, a junior at Fountain Valley in Colorado Springs, spent three weeks last summer working on an archaeological dig in Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Cain said the trip was the experience of a lifetime.

"We stayed in this little medieval town that was something right out of a history book," Cain said. "At our dig, we found some Roman dice and about a half-dozen medieval graves. It was very exciting."

Cain admits that almost anything she accomplishes on the soccer field this season will pale in comparison, although she is capable of some spectacular achievements.

During her first two years at Fountain Valley, Cain has earned first-team Class 3A all-state honors, and she has helped the Danes reach the quarterfinals each season.

Combined with sensational sophomore Wrendy Rayhill, there's no reason to think Fountain Valley can't reach that level again this season, if not advance further.

"We lost a lot of talent from last year, but we didn't have a whole lot of chemistry," Cain said. "We haven't replaced all of that talent, but we're a much more cohesive unit."

Despite all of her accomplishments in soccer, Cain remains realistic about her abilities. Although she said she would like to play soccer in college if the opportunity arises, she most likely will not attract any offers from Division I programs.

"I'm not one of these athletes where everything comes really easy to me," Cain said. "I meet girls who have never been cut or who have never had to work -really hard and are just naturally able to excel. That always amazes me."

Cain has felt the sting of being cut as recently as this past summer.

She made the elite level of her club team, but the trip to Spain cost her three weeks of practice time with the squad. When final cuts came the week before the team's first game, Cain was sent down to a lower level.

"They put me on the Classic team, which was about five levels below Elite," Cain said. "I had a great time and I really loved the girls on the team, but it wasn't the challenge I was hoping for."

Cain said getting cut was a humbling experience, but she quickly got over it. She

realizes her future lies somewhere in the past.

"I've wanted to be an archaeologist as long as I could remember," Cain said. "I started out really liking dinosaurs, and somewhere along the way, my interest switched to ancient people."

NOTEBOOK

This classification has been dominated by the Metro League, as the past eight champions have come from that league. So, too, have the past eight runners-up, and all eight of the semifinal teams in the past two seasons.

In fact, the semifinals last year featured the same four participants - Faith Christian, Kent Denver, Colorado Academy and Denver Christian - as the 2005 tournament.

But there hasn't been a repeat champion in 3A since Lewis-Palmer won consecutive titles in 1993-94. Back then, the championship encompassed all schools Class A through 4A, and there also were 5A and 6A championships awarded.

The previous team in any classification to win successive titles was ThunderRidge, which captured 4A championships in 1999 and 2000.

• Defending champion Kent Denver lost five starters, but the Sun Devils return a lot of talent, including a strong junior class.

Marsha Harper, the most valuable player of the state championship game, combines with fellow junior Erin McGonagle to pace the offensive attack, and senior Suzanne Stawiarski will anchor the defense.

Kent Denver will get a boost from the return of Sidra Bonner and Jess Lehigh. Both missed much of last season because of injuries.

• St. Mary's Academy has a Division I goalie to build around in its quest for a top finish in the Metro League. Katie Bell, who surrendered a little more than one goal a game last season, signed to play with Oregon State next year.

• Basalt won its ninth consecutive Western Slope championship last year, and the Longhorns are a good bet to extend that streak to 10. Senior Katie Staerkel is a dangerous scorer and has earned all-state honors the past two seasons.

Aspen, which has finished second in the league the past two seasons, once again appears to be the biggest challenger, although Coal Ridge, which is in only its second year, believes it can make a charge.

Basalt is the last non-Metro League team to reach the 3A semifinals, making the final four in 2004. The Longhorns lost to eventual champion Denver Christian.

• Manitou Springs might be the one team capable of breaking the Metro's stranglehold on the top spots in the classification. The Mustangs return nine starters from a club that was 16-0 heading into the state quarterfinals. Manitou Springs' run was ended by Colorado Academy with a 1-0 overtime thriller.

The Mustangs are led by senior Megan Ausec, an all-state midfielder, and junior Jordan Lang, who notched 17 goals last season.

• Manitou Springs expects to be pushed for the Tri-Peaks title by Colorado Springs Christian, The Classical Academy and St. Mary's.

Colorado Springs Christian returns eight starters from a club that won 11 games, including two dangerous forwards in seniors Steph Friesen and Heidi VandeGriend.

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