By Caley Breese
Nathan Biddle has been playing sports for as long as he can remember. Since he could hold a stick or kick a ball, you would often find Biddle in his backyard practicing with his father. As he begins his final year at Saints Peter and Paul School in Easton, 18-year-old Biddle looks ahead to his senior season in soccer, ice hockey, and lacrosse.
“I got involved mostly through my dad,” Biddle explains. “He played sports throughout high school and college.”
Like most young kids, the Easton native picked up soccer when he was about four or five years old. He then started lacrosse a few years later, but he didn't start playing ice hockey until his freshman year.
“We didn't have a goalie freshman year when they ought back the team, so [the coaches] figured that since I'm a lacrosse goalie, they just threw me in,” Biddle says with a laugh.
Although he started ice hockey just four years ago, you would think he's been playing his whole life. In his freshman year, he won the Chris Maxwell Award, had one shutout against Glenelg Country School, and helped his team make it to the semifinals in the MIAA B Conference. During his sophomore season, he had two shutouts against Boys' Latin and Gilman School, saving 66 shots between the two games. Again, he helped his team make it to the semifinals, and he also earned MVP for the season. Earlier this year in his junior season, Biddle and his team made it to the championship, where the Sa es lost to Loyola Blakefield.
Although he's an all-star at ice hockey, Biddle also puts a lot of focus on soccer and lacrosse. His freshman year in soccer, he was captain, MVP, and the leading scorer on junior varsity. That type of success bumped him up to the varsity, where he received a few minutes of play time. His sophomore year, he made varsity and had two assists during the season. In his junior season, Biddle scored three goals and had five assists.“This past year in soccer, I scored a game-winner in double overtime,” Biddle remembers, smiling. “I slid into the crowd and there was a dog pile on top of me. That was exciting.”
Lacrosse is where Biddle has the most passion and plans on playing in college. He competed on two club teams—Rock Lacrosse in Baltimore and Dark Horse Lacrosse on the Eastern Shore—and played varsity since his freshman year. During his sophomore year, he became the starting goalie and his best two games came against Archbishop Curley (14 saves) and Easton (13 saves). He and his team went on to semifinals that year. With as busy as he stays during his three seasons, Biddle finds that his social life revolves around sports.
“A lot of my friends play sports with me, so that's always fun,” he says. “And we'll just hang out after. Games are usually on the weekdays, so we have weekends off. That's the nice thing.”
Although he is a three-sport athlete and remains occupied throughout the school year, Biddle is sure to make time for his education. He carries a grade point average of 3.75, and takes honors and advanced placement courses as well. Biddle is also a student-pilot and has been flying at the Easton airport since summer 2017. He hopes to attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy after high school and go into the military. As his senior year approaches, Biddle is looking forward to three final and successful seasons.