Boys Lacrosse: Stunning Spartan Comeback Falls Just Short

After the year of growth and bonding Glenbrook North boys lacrosse has been through the way the season ended was somewhat fitting.

The Spartans fell in a big early hole against Naperville North and it looked like there would be no way back. Trailing 9-4 with ten minutes left the game appeared beyond their reach, but this team and family knew it wasn’t over.

GBN rallied to score the next four goals and had possession several times down 9-8, but were unable to get the equalizer in the second round of the Illinois High School Lacrosse Association state tournament.

The No. 6 seed Spartans beat the No. 11 Huskies 15-9 two weeks earlier, making the loss at Techny Fields even more frustrating. The comeback, successful or not, was symbolic of the team’s spirit throughout the year.

“These guys are fighters,” coach Justin Georgacakis said. “All the way through every game whether we were down or winning. We have an intensity that I’ve never seen with any other team I’ve ever been apart of. That carried us all the way to the end.

“These kids play with their hearts and their passion. As a coach you can’t hope for anything more.”

The Huskies dominated the start of the game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead after the first quarter and taking a 5-1 lead into halftime. Sophomore captain Matt Brown scored the Spartans’ lone goal of the half.

A pair of goals from Ryan Merritt cut the lead to 6-3, but the Huskies responded and took an 8-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ryan Maksimovic was key in the comeback, scoring four goals in the fourth. With the score at 9-7, Maksimovie hit the post twice, but finally was able to get his team within one with 4:41 remaining. Another cling of the post at 1:20 was as close as the Spartans would come to tying the game.

After the season ending loss, many of the typical reactions, anger, tears and shock were visible. Still, it didn’t take long for some laughs and smiles to come from the tight group.

“I’ve been playing since fourth grade and my last year in high school ironically has been the best lacrosse season of my life,” senior Kyle Fernitz said. “This team has been the best part. This team is so good because of how close we are together.

“It makes this twice as hard, but at the same time it just brings us that much closer. We’re still going to be a family tomorrow, the next day, the next year.”

The team’s four captains, Fernitz, Brown, Nathan Kelleher and Charlie Carlisle all singled out a comeback win against Arrowhead (WI) as one of the best moment’s of the year. In a scenario similar to Friday night, GBN trailed 8-3 in the fourth quarter and came back. They won that game 10-9, one of the experiences that brought this team together.

“That game was particularly important for me because I played horrible that game, but to know that these teammates, my brothers, could pick me up, there’s no better feeling,” Kelleher said.

The captains also spoke very highly of Georgacakis.

“He could be the hardest working coach,” Kelleher said. “Our family is just a reflection of what we’ve been given from Geo. We give each other the respect that he unconditionally gives us.”

“I think one reason we’re so close is because really if you look at it a lot of kids that play in this program are one season athletes that just play lacrosse,” Carlisle said. “Through the offseason we’re all together working out, lifting, running. You get so close to a group of guys that you see pretty much every day of the week. You can’t really recreate that.”