Hawksbills LAX Answer the Bell, Bring Championship Home from Delaware
There's an old coaching saying: "You find out what your team is made of when it leaves home."
Last weekend, a group of young lacrosse players from across the Savannah area packed their bags, traveled nearly 700 miles north, and came home with something they'll never forget—a championship 2026 Bay Bridge Brawl.
The Savannah Hawksbills 2029 team didn't just win a tournament. They represented an entire community.
Made up of student-athletes from Benedictine, Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, Bethesda Academy, South Effingham, Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah Christian, St. Andrew's School, Savannah Country Day, Hancock Day School, and Blessed Sacrament, the Hawksbills traveled to Kirkwood, Delaware, to compete in the Aloha Lacrosse Bay Bridge Brawl, one of the premier youth lacrosse tournaments on the East Coast.
Powered by NXT and Aloha Lacrosse, the tournament annually attracts some of the nation's top club programs. Teams from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, New York, and North Carolina filled the fields for a weekend of high-level competition.
For the Hawksbills, this wasn't just another tournament.
It was a chance to put Savannah lacrosse on the map.
The road to the championship wasn't easy.
A Savannah Hawksbills player advances the ball during the Aloha Lacrosse Bay Bridge Brawl in Kirkwood, Delaware. The Hawksbills battled back from an opening-game loss to win four straight games and capture the championship. (Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse)
After opening the weekend with a loss to a talented team from Annapolis, Maryland, the Hawksbills had a choice. They could let one tough game define their weekend—or respond like champions.
They chose the second option.
Savannah bounced back with victories over teams from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Baltimore to earn another shot at the same Annapolis squad in the championship game.
This time, the Hawksbills left little doubt.
Savannah controlled the pace from the opening faceoff, built a 4-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining, and finished off a 4-2 victory to capture the championship.
A Hawksbills attacker drives toward the goal during tournament action in Delaware. Savannah finished the weekend by defeating an Annapolis, Maryland, club 4-2 in the championship game. (Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse)
It's one thing to make the trip.
It's another thing to travel into the backyard of some of the country's traditional lacrosse hotbeds, line up against elite competition, and come home carrying the championship hardware.
Head coach Dustin White said the experience became much bigger than wins and losses.
"It's not every day you have the opportunity to travel with a team made up of players from all the different local high schools and go up to Delaware to hopefully just compete. There were many unknowns going into the weekend, but the coaches knew this team had the potential to do something great," stated Coach White.
"They wanted to go up there and make a statement and represent Savannah. Every game came with its own challenges, but the team pushed through adversity and came out winning the championship. That's a lifelong memory that you can't put a price on. I'm very proud of what this Bills team was able to accomplish, and I want to wish our 2027 Bills team the best of luck as they travel to Richmond, Virginia, this weekend. Go Bills!"
The Hawksbills competed against teams from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, New York and North Carolina during the tournament. (Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse)
Assistant coaches Billy Groves and Corey Ingram said the championship was built long before the first whistle in Delaware.
"This is a group of kids that has played together for a while now," they said. "They show up to practice every day and compete hard to make each other better, and that effort is paying off.
"Most importantly, it's an excellent group of young men who have grown together and elevate each other on and off the field.
"We live by three rules, and they exemplify them every day: respect, effort and, most importantly, have fun and enjoy what you're doing and the people around you."
That's what makes this championship special.
A Hawksbills player battles for possession against an opponent during championship weekend in Delaware. The Savannah squad represented 11 local schools while bringing home the tournament title. (Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse)
The Hawksbills weren't representing just one school. They represented the Coastal Empire. Rivals during the school season became teammates for one weekend, united by the same goal and the same city across their hearts.
Around here, we like to say championships aren't built overnight. They're built one practice, one teammate, and one lesson at a time.
The Hawksbills proved exactly that.
They traveled farther than any Savannah-based Hawksbills team has before, battled through adversity, defeated some of the East Coast's top competition, and brought home a championship that every player, coach, and family will remember for years to come.
One trophy won't define this program.
But last weekend proved something many of us already believed.
When young athletes from the #912 pull in the same direction, they can go anywhere and compete with anybody.
The Savannah Hawksbills 2029 team celebrates after winning the Aloha Lacrosse Bay Bridge Brawl championship in Kirkwood. (Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse)
Next stop for the Sweet Lax Hawkbills program is for the 2027 Bills team heading to Richmond, Virginia, this weekend to bring back more hardware to the #912!
When young athletes from the 912 pull in the same direction, they can compete with anybody, anywhere.
Next stop for the Hawksbills program is the 2027 Bills team heading to Richmond, Virginia, this weekend to bring back more hardware to the 912.
2029 Hawksbills Bay Bridge Brawl Championship Roster
Championships aren't won by one player. They're earned by an entire team. The following lacrosse players and coaches represented the Savannah Hawksbills during their championship run at the 2026 Aloha Lacrosse Bay Bridge Brawl in Kirkwood, Delaware.
Players
Parker Bailey
Landon Brown
Peyton Cooper
Connor Gold
Baker Groves
Scott Groves
Will Haire
Callen Ingram
Matthew Johnson
Tyler Jones
Clark Lambright
Colman Lock
Declan Lynch
Hunter Martin
Kevens Mosley
Cohen Paquette
Austin Quasha
Grayson Uhrich
Parker Williams
Coleman Zeigler
Coaches
Dustin White, Head Coach
Billy Groves, Assistant Coach
Corey Ingram, Assistant Coach
Photos courtesy of Noel Ingram/Hawksbills Lacrosse
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