Billerica boys bypass Reading for crown

DIV. 2 BOYS LACROSSE

Gearin gets winner with nine seconds left in the game

Billerica’s Jackson Gearin, left, takes a stick to the face guard from Reading’s Nate Mulvey during the second quarter of the Div. 2 boys lacrosse state final in Buzzards Bay. PHOTO BY PAUL CONNORS — MEDIA NEWS GROUP/BOSTON HERALD

Reading goalie Charlie Webberly, right, cannot make the save on a goal scored by Billerica’s Braden Martin, left, during the second quarter. Billerica won the Div. 2 boys lacrosse title over Reading, 17-16. PHOTO BY PAUL CONNORS — MEDIA NEWS GROUP/BOSTON HERALD

Image

By Brian Fabry

brianfabry@gmail.com

BUZZARDS BAY >> In one of the more exciting lacrosse games this season, top-seeded Billerica (22-1) held off a furious comeback from No. 6 Reading in a 17-16 thriller at Massachusetts Maritime Academy to capture the D2 state boys lacrosse title.

Billerica needed every second of the match as senior captain Jackson Gearin found the back of the net out front off an assist from Adam Priest with nine seconds remaining in regulation for the game-winner.

“It feels great, this feels unbelievable. We got a little nervous there in the end when they stuck their last goal and they were winning the faceoffs,” said Billerica head coach, Ryan Nickerson, who’s team finished the season with 22 wins in a row after losing their opener to Lincoln-Sudbury.

Reading (19-4) trailed the entire game and held a 1-1 tie in the first quarter at 10:02 and never tied things up again until 49 seconds left in regulation as senior Nate Mulvey took an assist from Cullin Granada to knot it 16-16.

Ethan Filipski, who dominated the draw circle all game long for the Rockets, picked up the faceoff and had Reading ready to take their first lead of the game inside a minute to play and Billerica clearly on their heels.

But the play of the game came from defenseman Timothy Murphy on a steal at midfield as Billerica called timeout with 16 seconds left to set up the final game-winning theatrics.

“The defense getting that stop is unbelievable, Timothy Murphy picking that ball off … unbelievable,” said Nickerson.

The Indians offense was clicking in the first half as Billerica rattled off six unanswered goals to end the second period. Braden Martin (four goals; four assists) was the star in the first two quarters as the Indians held a huge 11-4 lead at the break but Reading still had some tricks up their sleeve.

Led by Filipski’s face-off magic, Reading chipped away winning seven of the first eight draws of the third quarter to get right back in things with an unanswered six-goal run of their own,

Zack Lindmark scored four of his five goals to open the third quarter and added an assist along the way for Reading to pull the Rockets right back into the mix as they trailed 11-10 with 7:32 left in the third. Junior Nick Casarano (four goals; three assists) was outstanding for the Rockets as well.

Martin picked up his fourth and final goal to give Billerica a two-goal cushion and breathing room down the stretch as the Indians captured their second state lacrosse title in school history.

“The rest is history now,” said junior attackman, Martin, who is coming back to defend the title in 2026. “We’ve been talking about this since we were little kids. This one group that we’ve had, always coming together, playing hard together, we knew each other, we grew up together, we’ve known each other our entire lives.”

But it was the senior Gearin, who was injured during the early part of the season, that put the ribbon on the game-winning goal for Billerica’s first state lacrosse title since 2001.

“I was thinking they were on a run, but I feel we can always win, and there is always us,” said Gearin. “We called a dart, so basically Adam Priest comes down and dodges and two people clear through from top and the wing and I just get to the weak side. When I saw the short stick on me — I knew it was coming to me.”