Stone cold Celtics: After Providence scores for lead, Gavin Hagan’s fifth pick ices it. And that defense? ‘We’re flying around and making plays.’

Gavin Hagan has come of age in the playoffs for Providence.

The sophomore cornerback has rapidly evolved from a wide-eyed innocent learning how to play defense to a cornerstone for the Celtics during a magical push toward state.

“The speed and skill was greater than any level I ever played against by far,” Hagan said. “I just kept pushing and fighting, and here we are, one week away from a state championship.”

Here they are, indeed.

Hagan came up with an interception late in the fourth quarter Saturday to essentially clinch a 17-14 comeback win over Wheaton St. Francis in a Class 4A state semifinal game.

The Celtics (9-4) will play Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (13-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in the championship game at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Junior running back Kaden Nickel caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Lucas Proudfoot with 4:12 left for Providence, which has won 10 state titles.

Hagan followed with his fifth interception of the season with 1:16 left to lock down the win. It came just one play after St. Francis (11-2) threatened with a 44-yard pass to the 16.

“I saw the receiver (break) outside, and I knew he could only come back on the inside,” Hagan said. “I jumped the ball and made a play.”

The Celtics, who did not become playoff eligible until the final week of the regular season, qualified for the 14th state championship game in program history.

It’s their first since the 2014 team won Class 7A state title. It’s also a big one, according to sophomore middle linebacker Jay Jeziorski.

“We’re putting Providence back on the map,” he said.

Jeziorski finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss and seven tackles.

“I just lock in my guard,” he said. “Whatever he does, I react to the ball, play my game and not let him block me.”

The emergence of Jeziorski has provided a crucial building block for Providence’s defense.

Like Hagan, he settled into his new role, demonstrating a vast improvement from the beginning of the season.

“Personally, with my size and weight, I’m a different player now,” Jeziorski said. “As a freshman last year, I was probably 160 pounds, 5-foot-9, and I gained 40 pounds.

“I hit the gym hard, and it all paid off.

Junior BJ Olson is another of the young standouts for the Celtics. A two-year starter at defensive end, he had two sacks and five tackles Saturday.

“There are ups and downs to having so many young players on defense,” he said. “The positive is everybody is really young, so we move quicker. It also means we have a lot of room for growth and potential.

“We didn’t have a lot of seniors because everybody graduated last year. Our improvement is just a sign of everybody stepping up to the plate.”

Senior linebacker Billy Jones added an interception in the first half.

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After going an uncharacteristic 3-6 last season, the Celtics had more questions than answers at the beginning of the new year, plus a new coach in Tyler Plantz.

“Nobody knew who he was,” Jeziorski said of Plantz, the former Providence and Notre Dame standout. “And it started off with 6 a.m. morning workouts in January.”

During a three-week stretch in September, the Celtics played three straight defending state champions in Wheaton North, Fenwick and Joliet Catholic.

Tough losses against state semifinal qualifiers Loyola and St. Rita helped form the foundation for a strong defensive unit.

“The beginning of the year was rough,” Hagan said. “We made some mistakes. Those mistakes are what got us here today.

“Ever since the first game, we have become more mature. And now, we’re flying around and making plays.”

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.