PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth High School boys lacrosse team completed its championship mission Saturday, defeating Westerly 10-6 to capture a second consecutive Rhode Island Division II title at Brown University’s Stevenson-Pincince Field.

The Patriots broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter, relying on the same formula that carried them all season: winning ground balls, controlling possession and trusting one another.

“I’m really proud of these guys,” head coach Charlie Willauer said. “They worked really hard all year long. I think we showed up on March 17th with one goal in mind: to win the championship again, back to back. And we know that the way to do that was ground balls, patience, trusting your teammates, going 100% on every play.”

Westerly struck first, scoring about three minutes into the game, but Portsmouth answered two minutes later to tie it. Senior Luke Brandariz led the early attack, helping the Patriots build a 3-1 lead after one quarter while the defense turned away a dangerous Bulldogs threat in the closing seconds of the period.

Westerly surged back in the second quarter, scoring twice during Portsmouth penalties to knot the score at 3-3. Senior Joe Sanderson restored the lead with a long-range shot, and junior Teddy Gersen followed with another outside goal to make it 5-3.

The Bulldogs refused to go away. After forcing a turnover, Westerly scored with 17 seconds left in the half to cut Portsmouth’s lead to 5-4.

Patriots take over

The Patriots responded quickly after intermission. Gersen scored, and Brandariz added another goal following a Portsmouth takeaway as the lead grew to 7-4 midway through the third quarter.

Westerly again fought back, scoring twice to trim the deficit to 7-6 entering the final period. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get.

Brandariz opened the fourth-quarter scoring after battling through defenders on the right side. Freshman Aiden O’Connor then came up with a steal that led to a goal by senior Oliver Melanson, who scored while cutting across the front of the crease to make it 9-6 with 4:27 remaining. Moments later, another Westerly turnover gave Melanson a second straight goal and a 10-6 lead.

As Portsmouth seized control, the student section sensed history. Chants of “It’s all over!” echoed from the stands before Brandariz was greeted with chants of “MVP” when he next touched the ball.

“It feels amazing,” Brandariz said afterward. “All of those people in the stands — I love every single one of them and it really means a lot.”

Brandariz credited the team’s bond for helping Portsmouth navigate a season that included high expectations and a No. 3 playoff seed.

“We had bumps along the road,” he said. “Eventually, we knew that we can beat any team on any given day. That's exactly what we did.”

Senior goalkeeper Jack Colna delivered a standout performance, repeatedly turning away difficult shots, including several low attempts that bounced near his feet.

“Today wasn't our best game defensively, but we really cleaned it up at the end and we got it done,” Colna said. “This whole season was about do or die for all of us. This huge senior group — we all knew. This was the last time, and we wanted to end up with a back-to-back championship.”

Willauer said the Patriots’ dominance on loose balls proved decisive.

“I told them that we needed to play smart, but play physical, and run through and get every single ground ball,” he said. “Ground balls win championships. We reminded the guys about that today, and we got ground balls today. Possession is everything.”

Losing many seniors

The repeat championship also marked the end of an era for Portsmouth. The Patriots will graduate 11 seniors, including Brandariz, Colna and much of the team's defensive core.

Still, the coach expressed confidence in the program's future, pointing to returning contributors such as Teddy Gersen and Rafe Dionne, along with younger players already making an impact.

"It's gonna be a different team," Willauer said, "but we're gonna be able to win some games."