By Michael Najarian
NEFJ Correspondent

BILLERICA — Just over eight minutes into the first quarter of an MIAA Division 2 quarterfinal, Billerica had already jumped ahead three scores, leading Peabody 19-0.

According to head coach Shawn Theriault, that was exactly how they planned it.

“We just jump teams,” said Theriault. “[It puts] a lot of pressure on them, it gives us a lot of momentum, and that’s how we’ve been playing the last four, five weeks.”

Behind that fast start and four combined touchdowns by Jackson Gearin, Billerica rolled to a 47-29 win over Peabody to secure a Final Four berth in Division 2.

Gearin only needed to throw the ball four times all night, with Billerica leaning heavily on a ground game that produced nearly 400 yards in their second win of the playoffs.

“That’s how we play football. We dominate the trenches,” said Theriault. “They were big up front, we were worried about them, but we dominated that part of the game.”

Billerica got on the board one minute into the game on the second play from scrimmage, with Gearin breaking lose for a 48-yard touchdown run for the early lead.

Nearly six minutes later, Gearin threw it 14 yards to Daniel Venezia for another score to double the lead. After recovering a Peabody fumble on the kickoff, Gearin scored again, this time a one-yard rush to make it 19-0 as the two-point try was unsuccessful.

Gearin said running behind the Billerica offensive line is one of the things he enjoys the most.

“I feel like we have the best line in the state,” said Gearin. “Running behind them is one of the easiest things I can do. I do the least amount of work and get the most amount of yards because they block and I just have to run [through] a hole, that’s all that matters.”

The Tanners got on the board in the final minute of the first quarter on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Dominik Mercier to a wide-open Jack Smith.

The two-score lead was short lived as William McNelis picked up a 37-yard touchdown run on Billerica’s next drive. That was followed up by another one-yard touchdown run by Gearin, making it 33-7.

Asked about his four-touchdown day, Gearin had a short, simple response.

“It feels great. It feels like the team’s behind me, and it’s the best feeling.”

Peabody picked up a touchdown right before halftime on a 16-yard strike from Mercier to Smith, and they scored on their first drive of the second half on a three-yard carry from Mercier, and it was 33-21 in a blink of an eye.

Late in the third quarter, the Billerica defense stopped Peabody from the 12 yard line on a fourth down conversion attempt. Erik Knight took the handoff from Gearin on the first play and took it 88 yards to the house to make it 40-21.

That, according to Theriault, changed the momentum of the second half.

“He’s unbelievable. He plays offense, defense, special teams, he’s always on the spot, always hitting big runs. Really changed the momentum of the game right there.”

In the fourth quarter, Venezia scored on a four-yard run to make it 47-21, and Peabody scored again in the final minute on a two-yard pass from Mercier to Miguel Cabrera, with the successful two-point try making it the 47-29 final score.

Up next for Billerica in the Final Four is a stiff challenge in Bridgewater-Raynham, the team they lost to in the second round last year. Theriault believes that if Billerica can start that game how they started this one, they’ll get another win.

“They beat our butts last year in the elite eight. They’re big up front. It’s gonna have to be similar to today, we gotta get on ‘em quick, and that’s how we have to play.”