This year, Brentwood Christian School has felt the thrill of victory and agony of defeat across the board in athletics. Between winning records, improved seasons, and even a state title, the close to the school year also closes out a two-year period in one of TAPPS’ most widespread districts in recent memory, including Austin, Dallas, and Tyler.

Additionally, BCS jumped from TAPPS 4A to 5A in 2024. The 5A classification has proven a challenge, but not one that BCS has not risen to overcome.

In the fall, football and volleyball struggled a bit with the level of competition, while cross country improved on its boys and girls team finishes at the state level from 2024.

After a 4-6 year, with only one win in district, the football team will be moving into an independent TAPPS district for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The move to an independent schedule will be a necessary step with an eye towards growth and long-term success.

Volleyball's sudden change in coaching last spring, as well as the graduation of many impactful seniors from 2025, left a mark on the program as a whole. But after an extremely competitive district slate and a renewed commitment to excellence, showcased recently through hosting a spring league on campus, the program is optimistic about the fall.

Cross country was able to compete well at the 5A level, just falling short of a state title in both the boys and girls teams. Senior Harper Counts, as she has done her entire career, earned a top-five finish in the individual standings to help the girls to a fifth-place finish overall. The boys finished 10th.

Moving to winter; between soccer, basketball, and swim, the Bears were nearly as busy as Santa on Christmas Eve.

Boys basketball lost a number of seniors last year, as well as a few transfers out of the school, but still managed to gain a spot in the playoffs. The basketball team was the only team sport at BCS to qualify for the postseason this year.

“It [the season] fell short of our expectations both in process and results,” said boys head basketball coach Dustin Karrer. “While we had an amazing group of guys, our work in the offseason did not meet the standard we set for ourselves and that falls on the coaching staff first and will be rectified going forward, but we are very thankful for our seniors and excited about the young guys coming back.”

Girls basketball’s growth has everyone in the program excited about the future. They fell just short of a playoff spot, losing to Regents in the district tournament, but they had some major wins in district and will only be saying goodbye to one senior.

It was a similar story for boys soccer, who also lost to Regents in the district tournament to miss out on the postseason. Head coach Cash Miller and company lose a large number of seniors, but a talented group of underclassmen are ready for more. The girls team is looking for a new head coach and will look to rebound from a winless district season when they return to the pitch in October.

Swim had a standout year at regionals and state. Although the team scores were lower than a year ago, the first-ever relay state championship was won by a group consisting of all underclassmen - junior Evan Berger and sophomores Henry Gibson, Andrew Berger and Chayce Lee.

This year, the theme for spring sports was improvement.

Fans saw a large spike in wins within baseball and softball, both at least doubling what they put up last year. Track & field once again had a strong individual season, with numerous regional and state qualifiers, and continues to produce state champions and new record holders nearly every season.

It was also a big year for golf, as the girls qualified for regionals for the first time in recent memory.

“The team grew in numbers in the program as well as in score improvements,” said newly promoted golf head coach, Connor White. “Every golfer made strides in their knowledge of the game and ability to execute shots in the tournament environment.”

The year-round sports of cheer and dance (Lady Bellas) were both lovely and dominant once again, to the surprise to no one who knows these programs even remotely. The cheer team had no score deductions at state and encouraged fellow students at pep rallies and other various school events.

Possibly the most exciting thing this year for the entire athletic department at Brentwood was the Lady Bellas winning their third state title in a row. Led by coach Lisa Warner, they are putting together a tremendous dynasty unmatched in school history.

“Looking back on the year as a whole, I would describe it as one of growth, resilience, and progress,” said Warner. “While we faced challenges along the way, the team consistently showed support for each other…overall, the year met, and exceeded my expectations and winning state for the third time was icing on the cake.”

Between the bigger district classification, crazy amounts of travel, and so many challenges, BCS has risen above. With a new school year comes new possibilities, and the Bears will be ready for them in 2026-27.