The Bartram Trail girls lacrosse team has entered dynasty territory.
The Bears won their third consecutive state championship on Saturday afternoon, building a comfortable halftime lead and putting away Tampa Plant 10-8 for the Class 2A state title in Naples. It is the fourth state title for the Bears (18-5).
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Freshman Esa Brenneman scored five goals and reigning All-News4JAX player of the year Ryann Frechette added three more as Bartram ended the perfect season of Plant. The Panthers entered the game 23-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country by MaxPreps. But the dynasty that is Bartram had an easier time with Plant than it did with No. 6 Vero Beach in a 6-5 win in the semifinals a day earlier.
The Bears led 6-3 at the half and then put four in the net in the decisive third quarter. The Panthers made it respectable at the finish, but this one was never in doubt.
First-year coach Megan O’Grady, who inherited a championship team from longtime coach Meghan Jackowiak, guided the Bears through a tough schedule in the regular season with a veteran’s showing in the postseason. It took an overtime win over Lake Mary (13-12) to get back to the state semifinals.
For Frechette, the most decorated star in area lacrosse history, it was a storybook finish to her career. She tore her ACL before the state semifinals against Vero Beach as a freshman and had to watch from the sidelines as the Bears lost that game. But on Saturday, Frechette and her six other senior teammates (Alex Adams, Julia Dingman, Elsie Casella, Isabel LaFleur, Savannah Payne and Madison Stevens) completed the story.