Although young minds are often filled with wonder, it’s doubtful to surmise that Folden and Boeckel saw their careers unfolding as they have. After winning their fourth consecutive regional title (the team’s sixth), the Our Redeemer’s seniors now sit on the precipice of their first Class B state championship.

ORCS enters this year’s tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Knights have achieved success all season long, defeating opponents all across the state with aplomb.

Growing up, Folden had no desire to play volleyball. She loved playing basketball, but her mother Debi encouraged her and her three older sisters to try volleyball as well.

“I hated her for it,” said Folden, a middle hitter. “I did not want to play volleyball at all. I thought basketball was what I would do really well in.”

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Annie Folden smiles during a break in the action. The Knights will face Dickinson Trinity at 1 p.m. this afternoon in the first round of the Class B state championship at the Fargodome.

Both Boeckel and Folden serve as captains. In order to help them learn the ropes, head coach Kara Nunziato gave them Bruce E. Brown’s book Captains: 7 Ways to Lead Your Team before the season.

“Everyone needs a leader on the team,” said Boeckel, a libero. “When you encourage and build others up, it really helps them.”

The Knights traveled to summer camps at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Jamestown. Those camps served as a breeding ground for the seniors to embrace their new roles.

“As seniors, they have really stepped up and demonstrated what a true captain and a true leader is,” Nunziato said. “They are the first ones in the gym and they are the last ones to leave. I just think they have been really good to their teammates, which has brought out the best in our younger athletes.”

One of those younger players is sophomore setter Eden Olson. Boeckel often sprawls out on the floor for digs, while Folden makes her presence felt through thunderous kills.

Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Téa Boeckel celebrates after scoring a point. Folden and Boeckel are the Knights' senior captains.

Olson earns her stripes as the glue in between.

“They always know when to pick us up,” Olson said of the seniors. “They’ve been good leaders, and they’ve been great people, too. They’ve been very kind and they’ve put the team first. ‘We over me’ is our team saying, and they’ve really pushed for that.”

In some ways, Boeckel and Folden play the yin to each other’s yang.

“Annie is a very stoic person when you see her on the court,” Nunziato said. “Behind the scenes, she is someone who really loves to be a part of conversations. Tea is kind of her opposite, as she’s a little bit more outgoing… she’s an adventurous individual. Any opportunity she has to travel, she’ll be on that plane to get those experiences.”

Throughout the years, both seniors took advantage of their opportunities to learn the game. Folden and Boeckel are sponges to Nunziato’s teachings, soaking up all the lessons they can.

“She has always encouraged us,” Boeckel said of her head coach. “She showed us the basics of volleyball and she’s built upon that. She’s always learning new stuff to show us. She wants us to get better.”

It’s not all business all the time, though. No matter how tense the environment, the Knights always know how to keep the mood light.

Their practice routine always includes dancing. They will groove to some tunes in the locker room before — and during — games.

“Even in timeouts in an auditorium with a very large audience, we just start dancing,” Folden said.

The team might struggle to stay on one conversation topic, but the Knights have kept their sights set on winning this year.

“As soon as we high-five and say good luck to the other team, I want to give them a pep talk,” Boeckel said. “They’re just talking about the most random stuff, and I can’t even get their attention. But somehow, we come out and win. We just go on so many bunny trails.”

The seniors’ fun-loving attitudes dates all the way back to kindergarten. They missed out on sharing a preschool class, but they began bonding the next year.

Folden and a few other friends created a special tradition. Wednesday night sleepovers at the Boeckel residence fostered lifelong memories.

As a prank, Folden and the others took frozen pizzas and surprised Boeckel by putting them in the shower.

“I don’t know how they got there,” Boeckel said with a laugh.

Frozen pizza pranks aside, food has long served as a common thread between the teammates. Both Boeckel and Folden have found passions for baking.

Folden bakes chocolate chip banana bread muffins and eats them for breakfast every morning. Boeckel is known for her unique creations, whipping up treats such as cakes, protein balls and orange scones for herself and her teammates.

“I’m a creative baker,” Boeckel said. “I don’t like to make the same thing twice.”

ORCS is powered by one Folden, but another keeps the engine alive. After Jim Folden drove the team bus for his three oldest daughters, he kept chugging along.

Before embarking on road trips, the Knights will utter their trademark phrase: “Start the bus, Jim.”

“The whole team is obsessed with him,” Folden said of her father. “He’s driven the bus for my four years, and now he’s leaving. He’s graduating with me this year. They’re going to have to find a new bus driver, but I don’t think anyone can live up to him.”

Both players are undecided on their volleyball futures, but have entertained the thought of playing in college.

“I think it would be fun to play,” Boeckel said. “I don’t know if it could hold up to the memories I have in high school.”

No matter the outcome of the state tournament in Fargo, both Folden and Boeckel can reflect on storied volleyball careers. The younger Knights form a talented group, but they will have big shoes to fill after Boeckel and Folden depart.

They’ve come a long way from that fifth-grade classroom.

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.