How Brentwood boys lacrosse held off Nolensville to repeat as TSLA state champion

NOLENSVILLE — Brentwood boys lacrosse coach Colin Hart felt the chilly sensation of ice spilling down his neck, then came the hard plastic cooler knocking against the back of his head. 

His players made sure he got an ice bath after Brentwood won its second consecutive state title with a 6-4 victory over Nolensville in the Tennessee Scholastic Lacrosse Association Division I-AA championship Saturday.

“If the cooler hit me, I didn’t feel it. It was so great to get another championship for these seniors. They’re unbelievable kids,” said Hart, who was an assistant coach when Brentwood captured the title last year and a freshman for the Bruins when they won the 2008 championship. “We took this as a new year, a new team. We tried to put last year behind us.” 

Brentwood (9-9) lifted the trophy despite a four-game losing streak early in the season that included an 11-7 loss to Nolensville. That spoke to how difficult it would be to win another title. 

Bruins captain Brocks Petterson, who scored two goals in the title game, was one of the seniors Hart let speak about last year’s championship in a meeting the night before the state final. It was one of the few times this season Brentwood addressed the prospect of winning two in a row. 

“Getting that first one done was a huge accomplishment for us. Coming back, we lost a lot of seniors, we had a lot of holes to fill,” said Petterson, who finished with a team-high 50 goals this season. “I think the leadership of our seniors, helping our younger guys fill those spots, I think that made them ready for the moment.” 

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Saturday was going to produce a repeat champion regardless. Nolensville won the Division I-A title last year, its first overall, before moving up a class. The Knights (16-3) were up 2-1 early in the second quarter Saturday after Jake Manning scored, but they never regained the lead. 

Brentwood’s Nathaniel Downer and Petterson each added a goal before halftime to put the Bruins up for good. Petterson’s final goal gave the Bruins a two-score lead with 7:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Petterson’s brother, Matthew, also added a score. He finished second on the team with 35 goals and will be a junior next year when the Bruins try for a three-peat. 

“We definitely still have a lot of good players left,” Matthew Petterson said. “Two is hard enough. Three would be amazing.” 

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.