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From the time that Preston Evans was injured against St. Sebastian’s, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season, Belmont Hill had several guys step up.
One guy has stood out above the rest, though.
Lindan Verville capped his remarkable run with an overtime winning goal in the ISL championship game. Verville completed his hat trick and gave the top-seeded Sextants a second straight title with an 8-7 win over sixth-seeded Tabor. The game-winner came with just 46 seconds left in the extra frame when Verville sprinted down the left alley, bullied his way inside and tucked home a shot with his right hand just inside the right post.
The helmet, gloves and sticks went flying in the ensuing seconds as the team and massive student section on hand mobbed each other at midfield.
“We had a long possession, we had to reset the shot clock. We were just dodge, pass, pass, dodge, whatever the best look was,” the Laxachusetts four-star Virginia signee said. “I had an open lane, took it to the net and it’s honestly…I don’t really remember. I blacked out. That was awesome. We worked so hard for that and I’m so proud of the guys.”
Back-to-Back for Belmont Hill
The Seawolves had won six straight coming into the game, including upsetting No. 2 St. Sebastian’s in overtime to reach the title game. Sophomores Dylan Franzen (Laxachusetts) and Jayden Walters (Laxachusetts) each had a goal. The Tabor defense was outstanding too, holding a prolific Belmont Hill offense under 10 goals. A big part of that was sophomore defenseman Jack Czepiel (Laxachusetts), who set a physical tone.
Belmont Hill trailed 7-6 with a little more than two minutes left in the game until sophomore John Lynch tied it off of a setup from four-star Virginia commit Dylan Casillo. The teams exchanged possessions until a lengthy overtime possession ended with Verville’s heroics.
The winning scene unfolded seconds later, capping a remarkable season for Belmont Hill after an 0-2 start.
“We started 0-2, lost to Deerfield, lost to Choate. We got back from Choate about 10 o’clock at night and we hit the field at 8 o’clock on Saturday morning and I could just tell this was a resilient group,” Belmont Hill head coach Tim Sullivan said. “Our guys had a great practice and then we just started rolling. We were able to deal with adversity. We kind of thought we were through it and then we lost Preston (Evans) for the year and lost to Middlesex. The boys just kept battling and believed in each other.”
A Fitting Ending for the Sextants
It was a fitting ending, then, with the Sextants successfully defending their league title.
“That type of game, when you’re like grinding in January, you’re thinking this is what it’s for,” Belmont Hill goalie Will Butler (Laxachusetts) said. “Once it got to that fourth quarter stage, going back and forth, both teams just played their heart out. The other goalie was absolutely fantastic. Once we got to overtime, the ball didn’t even come (the defense’s) way, they made it easy and obviously, our captain Lindan Verville scored the game winner. It’s just electric. So much fun.”
BELMONT HILL VS. TABOR STANDOUTS
Lindan Verville ’25, midfield, Belmont Hill (Mass.) / Laxachusetts – Virginia
Verville was the offensive bellcow for the Sextants, as shown by his hat trick and game-winner. He’s also a constant vocal leader and he’s taken over offensively since Evans went down. His ability to go low-to-high is outstanding, giving goalies fits from different angles. Verville uses his big frame to just sort of muscle his way to the cage or separate and get his hands free. There’s a reason he was a captain and he showed it with this performance.
Will Butler ’26, goalie, Belmont Hill (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Butler wasn’t tested nearly as much as his counterpart, but came up with a few big stops in the third and fourth quarter to help lock up a second straight title. He finished the game with seven stops.
“When the other goalie is just playing incredible like that, you kind of realize the type of game, the type of team you’re playing,” said Butler about not seeing much action until the second half. “The guys in front of me were doing such a great job in the first half of limiting the shots I got. The shots I did get were not bad, so I was just holding my end of the deal and I’m glad I could execute for all the guys.”
Dylan Franzen ’27, attack, Tabor (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Franzen potted one goal in the title game, but he was a constant threat to both shoot and pass all game long He is an excellent dodger who easily could have had a couple more had the ball bounced differently. You’ll be hearing his name a lot more the next two seasons.
Jayden Walters ’27, midfield, Tabor (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Much of the same can be said for Walters that was said for Franzen. Walters had one goal and is a big body to handle at the midfield position. Wing, defense, offense, he can do a little bit of everything. Tabor’s future is extremely bright with guys like Walters and Franzen. They gained valuable postseason experience this early in their careers.
Jack Czepiel ’27, defense, Tabor (Mass.) / Laxachusetts
Czepiel was a big reason why the unit was able to limit the Sextants to just eight goals total. Czepiel throws some heavy handed stick checks and his footwork is already pretty elite. One of the premier defenders in the 2027 class, he’s a constant on-ball pest for offensive players. Verville had quite the complement for the Seawolves defense following the game.
“They played the best on-ball D out of any team we played all year,” he said. “It was super hard to get by that first guy.”