By Rubin E. Grant
Mountain Brook experienced plenty of adversity during the 2024 girls high school lacrosse season but not enough to keep the Spartans from maintaining their stranglehold on the state title.
The Spartans routed Spain Park 23-7 in the 2024 Alabama Lacrosse Championships girls final on May 4 at Hoover’s Buccaneer Stadium to earn their fourth consecutive state crown and eighth overall.
“I’ve got some very hard-working young ladies,” Mountain Brook coach Tom Lewis said. “If you didn’t see us play, you wouldn’t know about the trials and tribulations we had this season. We had about one-third of our players injured and on the sidelines throughout the season. We played a good number of games with just the girls on the field and in some games we had no subs and in others fewer than three subs.
“The championship game was the first game since the first game of the season we had everybody back. We had two girls who we let play – I’m sure to the chagrin of their parents – for about 30 seconds. One had a torn ACL and the other had sustained a knee injury.
“It’s a testament to the girls, doing whatever they could to come out on top. I’ve very proud of them.”
The Spartans (15-0) finished the season undefeated.
Spain Park finished 12-3 with all three losses coming against Mountain Brook, including twice during the regular season, 16-8 and 13-9.
Mountain Brook knocked off James Clemens 18-3 and Auburn 18-7 in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Junior midfielder Olivia Heaps scored five goals to lead the Spartans in the championship game. She was named the Alabama All-American recipient by USA Lacrosse for the third consecutive year and was selected first-team All-State.
“She takes coaching pleasantly and what people don’t see is how hard she works,” Lewis said. “She practices when nobody is watching.”
While Heaps was the leading scorer, Lewis noted it was a team effort.
“We won 23-7, so we had a lot of players who contributed,” he said. “Our defense didn’t allow any goals in the second half. We outscored them 13-0 in the second half, so it was not only offense.”
Attacker Regan Lewis, the coach’s daughter, scored four goals, and attackers Ruthie Armstrong and Wilkes Nichols tallied three each. Armstrong was named first-team All-State.
Junior defender Ashby Russell spearheaded the Spartans’ defense. She was named first-team All-State.
“Ashby can stop anybody on the field,” Lewis said. “She’s athletic, but she’s also smart. She can see a play developing and immediately reacts.”
Goalie Addison Hardee had 11 saves and was named second-team All-State.
“You can’t win without a great goalie,” Lewis said.
Mountain Brook midfielder Nancy Ryals Little and defender Lexi Smith also were named second-team All-State.
Spain Park had four players tabbed first-team All-State: attacker Rory Payton, midfielders Jenna Kate Hutchison and Elizabeth Thomas and goalie Zyian Heyligar.
Lewis was named 2024 Alabama Girls Coach of the Year. He believes the Spartans will be the favorites to claim a fifth straight crown in 2025.
“Wilkes is our only senior, so the team looks to be in good shape for next year,” Lewis said.
