Lewiston’s Jayden Wilson winds up for a shot on goal during a game against Chevrus at Bates College in Lewiston earlier this season. Lewiston won the game 13-6. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

In 2015, freshman Jayden Wilson scored a game-winning goal 1:54 into overtime in the Eastern Class A quarterfinal against Portland High School.

“It feels amazing, but it wasn’t just me,” Wilson said after the goal. “It started with the pass.”

As a senior, Wilson still keeps the same team-first mindset he had as a first-year Blue Devil. His game-winner, in head coach Ben Fournier’s first playoff win with Lewiston, was assisted from the stick of Griffin Wade, the brother of Wilson’s teammate and life-long friend Gunnar Wade.

In 2018, Wilson and Wade lead a high-powered Lewiston attack that defeated Deering on Tuesday and will face Falmouth on Saturday.

“We’ve been playing together since second grade, we’ve been playing forever,” Wade said. “Since we are both lefties, we are always on the same side so if one defender pushes up we always find the guy to score.”

Wilson and Wade grew up together in Lewiston. They attended the same daycare, played on the same Lewiston Rec lacrosse teams and in the same 207 Lacrosse league, were teammates in middle school and now as seniors at LHS are leading a pack of 10 seniors into the playoffs one last time.

“I would say we started shining together in seventh or eighth grade,” Wade said. “That is when we started playing a big role for our teams.”

“We’ve always been friends,” Wilson said. “It’s definitely helped. Chemistry helps a lot.”

Playing together for years on the same fields has helped the two Blue Devil stars grow and learn the game together. Fournier has also noticed that they work well as a pair.

“Gunnar doesn’t score a lot of goals but he is close to leading every team he’s been on in assists,” Fournier said. “He is a great playmaker and has great vision on the field. This year it has been a lot of assists to Jayden for the finish. They’ve teamed up and really have been a great duo.”

In Monday’s 15-9 win over Deering, Wilson and Wade teamed up on a goal where Wade came from behind the net, found a cutting Wilson to dump the pass off to which was finished for the goal. The play was quick, if you blinked you could have missed it. It was also a product of their lacrosse minds, not one of their coach.

“They have such high lacrosse IQ that we have a loose script but we still give them freedom in what they want to do in that script,” Fournier said. “Those two are guys that you give them a few guidelines but they’re so great that they’re smart enough to almost create their own plays out on the field based on what’s going on in the field.”

The play started from the stick of Wade, just like many others over the past four seasons. In fact, according to Lewiston statistics, Wade is tied with Lewiston’s all-time points leader Jon Fournier with 299 points, the 299th coming on that play.

Wade has 125 goals and 174 assists, while Wilson has tallied 142 goals and 87 assists. That’s a lot of goals for two players who are always looking to help their teammates.

“It’s nice to draw my defender and find him,” Wilson said.

“We always know how to reciprocate, I get one and then he gets one,” Wade said.

The two seniors also played on the same hockey team, the same one that won the past three state titles, with the most recent coming this past March over Biddeford, 2-1. Wade plays on the wing while Wilson plays back on defense, but the two still use their natural chemistry on the ice to their advantage.

The Blue Devils are hoping to bring their success in the rink to the field this spring, and the duo up front will be crucial to lead the experienced team deep into June.

“Both of us wanted to be that leader,” Wade said. “Not just vocalize being a leader but to be a leader by example.”

Fournier has watched his senior captains grow into their roles for some time now.

“Freshman year they were really good lacrosse players. But over the four years they have evolved into really good leaders for the team,” Fournier said. “They’re quiet leaders but they both do exactly what I need them to, a lot of the time without being asked. They have that instinct to know what to do and when to do it. They serve as good role models to the other players.”

Other seniors that have been contributing to the Blue Devils’ success this season are Garret Poussard and Brayden Charest. Both help the attack become one of offensive proficiency averaging over 11 goals a game in their last eight.ils’

“The team is pretty close-knit,” Fournier said. “We have a core group of guys that have been playing together for a while and they learn each other’s tendencies and they kind of complement each other. That’s what we try to teach. It’s not one person going forward, it’s a whole team effort on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.”

The senior class is large for Lewiston and have been together for a few years now, but Wilson and Wade have blossomed into leaders.

For Lewiston to defeat top-seeded Falmouth, the Blue Devils will have to play a similar game to how they played when they defeated Falmouth; fast movement with and without the ball.

“We have to play a full game, keep the defense moving and move the ball quick,” Wilson said.

“We have to come out flying and stay strong all four quarters,” Wade said. “I would say we are pretty close on and off the field so I think it helps us know where are our heads are at. We want to win.”

Gunnar Wade of Lewiston High School fires a shot on goal over Kyle Mooney of Edward Little during the third period in Lewiston last month. Wade scored on the play to put the Blue Devils up 7-4. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal)

Lewiston’s Jayden Wilson gets past Deering’s Andrew James during the Class A North quarterfinals at Garcelon Field on Tuesday. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)

Gunnar Wade of Lewiston works his way upfield against the defense of Deering’s Bailey Eide during the Class A North quarterfinals at Garcelon Field on Tuesday. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)

Lewiston’s Alex Rivet talks to teammate Gunnar Wade as they walk back on the field following a timeout in the fourth quarter of the Blue Devils’ 15-11 win over Messalonskee in the Class A North semifinals in 2017. Rivet, Wade and Jayden Wilson all scored 100 goals in their first three seasons with Lewiston. (Lee Horton/Sun Journal)