SANDERSVILLE, Ga. — "That's the only way to remember us," senior Will Wright said. "State champs."
It was the first of its kind in quite some time for the town of Sandersville -- 18 years to be exact.
"It was the best feeling in the world," Wright said. "I mean, I couldn't have dreamed it any better. Going out as a senior, winning my last game with my boys."
For Head Coach Bert Brown, at a certain point, it all begins to blur together.
"Is that the biggest time span for any coach in the history of the GISA to win one?" Brown said.
It might just be.
Coach Brown has lifted that trophy before, but not since 2003. In fact, it's been so long that some of his former players are now his own assistant coaches.
"My offensive coordinator this year, Jamie Dickey, was my quarterback on our '03 championship team," Brown said.
In his 22 years with Brentwood, some things have changed, but most stay the same. For this year's GISA Class AA state champs, that's a good thing.
"Familiarity creates consistency," Brown said. "Our kids who come through our program one year to the next, they kind of know what to expect from their head coach and from their coaching staff."
For the Brentwood War Eagles, it's a "quality over quantity" approach.
"I mean, we ain't got to be 24 or 25 players, but you know if everybody plays and does their job, then anything can happen," senior Thomas Denton said.
So, what made this year special after all?
"In years past, leadership hasn't been the greatest," Denton said, "And I feel like this year, everybody was playing with each other."
A little bit of help from a bigtime star on Friday night also didn't hurt -- country music star Luke Bryan attended Friday's championship at Five Star Stadium.
"That was awesome," Wright said. "I did not know he was coming to the game and then he's in our corner? Can't lose with Luke on your side."