Crawdads Lacrosse Team Finds Winning Formula
On May 17, 2025, the Nolensville High School boys’ varsity lacrosse team won the inaugural Division I Class AA TSSAA boys lacrosse championship in a 10-4 win over Franklin High School. This was the first championship with lacrosse being a sanctioned sport in Tennessee scholastic athletics – and we brought it home to Nolensville.
How did Nolensville become such a powerhouse in lacrosse? It’s all thanks to Nolensville’s local youth lacrosse club, Crawdads Lacrosse. Founded by Ravenwood High School head coach Eric Clapp in 2016 as Sunset Middle School’s club team, Crawdads has grown into a well respected club with programs for both boys and girls in Kindergarten – 8th grade.
Many of the 2025 State Championship team were players that came up in Crawdads. In fact, several Knights players also won the state club championships with Crawdads as middle schoolers in 2021 and 2022.
“It’s the coaching and development that really sets Crawdads apart,” says Crawdad board member Phillip Posey. The Varsity team (5th-8th grades) is led by Coach Drew Hawken, a stand-out player at Ravenwood and Nazareth University in Rochester, NY. Hawken is joined by Coach Will Jenner (K-4th grades), a USA Lacrosse TN Hall of Famer. Jenner is a pioneer in Tennessee lacrosse, establishing the state’s first lacrosse club some 15 years ago.
The Fall training season for Crawdads runs the last week of September to the beginning of November, with time off for fall break. The Spring club season runs February through May 2026.
Interested in learning more? Crawdads Lacrosse is hosting a free, no commitment “Learn to Play” clinic at Nolensville High School on Sunday, August 24. To register or for more information, go to www.CrawdadLacrosse.org, find us on Instagram @crawdadlax, or email crawdadlax@gmail.com.
