By Nausicaa Chu
On May 3, the Mountain Brook High School (MBHS) varsity girls lacrosse team walked onto the field at Hoover’s Buccaneer Stadium for what head coach Tom Lewis describes as “just another game.” When they walked off, they were state champions.
Three hours later, the MBHS varsity boys lacrosse team stepped onto the field. After a fast break, stellar saves and tie-breaking shots, they, too, emerged as state champions.
The double win caps an impressive season for the Spartan lacrosse program. Both teams participated in a competitive playoff tournament before the final match, where the Varsity Girls won the championship following a 15-10 victory against Hoover High School and the Varsity Boys took home the trophy after a close 13-11 win over Vestavia Hills.
Varsity Girls Win Fifth Consecutive Championship
The girls team went into the game having been there before—a whopping four seasons in a row. The victory marks their fifth consecutive state championship, a feat that Lewis attributes to their pre-game mentality. “Because we have been here before, if we execute as we have practiced our offense, our defense and especially our fast transition game, we will win,” he recalls emphasizing to his team.
Their quality practice became evident when Hoover drove up the field and made a series of back-to-back shots. The Spartans’ defense, anchored by senior goalie Addison Hardee, stopped all of them. “That gave us a huge boost of momentum and confidence,” says Lewis.
Three seniors are committed to playing on the collegiate level: Meghan Donahue will be a midfielder in Wofford College’s Division I program; Grayson Crowe will be a midfielder in Rollins College’s Division II program, and Ashby Russell will play defense in Chapman University’s Division III program.
But the seniors are not the only ones leaving: Lewis, who was named the 2024 Alabama Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year, is retiring from coaching the varsity girls lacrosse program. “I introduced lacrosse to many of these players and have watched them learn and get better and better each year,” says Lewis. “To be able to spend every Spring with them, sometimes five days a week, was really just fun to be a part of. And to have them win five years in a row, they should be very proud to be part of this successful program. I hope that when they get older, they stay involved in this great game.”
Varsity Boys Reclaim Championship Title from Rebels
The varsity boys had also been there before: battling for the state championship against Vestavia Hills. But that time, in 2023, the game resulted in a 13-7 loss to the Rebels. Two years later, they came back prepared. “They practiced intentionally and worked really, really hard to get better together. We had guys showing up 45 minutes early to work on shooting, faceoffs and goalie play prior to two-hour practices,” says Catenacci. “I was very proud of the time and the discretionary effort they put in—it paid off!”
Catenacci says that the Spartans’ teamwork clinched the win. “Most of our guys have been playing together since elementary school,” he says. “They know success requires team above self, sharing the ball, playing at a position where the team needed them most and making decisions for the greater good.”
When the game was tied 11-11 with two minutes left, junior midfielder Sam Smith picked up a ground ball, streaked down the field and scored a tie-breaking shot. Fellow midfielders sophomore Archie Andrews and senior Truman Lee were also standout players, alongside junior attacker Roscoe Bare.
Junior Luke Catenacci anchored the defense in the goal, with an impressive save rate of 64 percent. Seniors Miller Brooks, Jack Walthall and Hayden DiVenere contributed key plays as well.
The victory marks the team’s fifth championship title in the past seven seasons. Though Vestavia Hills dominated in 2023 and 2024, Catenacci believes that the Spartans’ preparation and strong teamwork gave them an edge.
“They were ready,” he says.
