SACO — Lacrosse has been on the upswing at Thornton Academy in recent seasons, and senior attack Chris Dolewa has been part of that surge.
Or, because at an imposing 6-foot-6 and standing head and shoulders above anyone else ”“ especially helpless opposing defenders ”“ one can safely say he’s been a big part.
For his part in leading the Golden Trojans to consecutive Western Maine Class A championship games ”“ the first two in school history ”“ Dolewa has earned selection as the Journal Tribune’s Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year.
Nearly unstoppable when in the shadow of the goal crease, Dolewa fired in 41 goals during the 2010 season, up from 16 the previous year.
That was tops among all York County marksmen.
Yet, ever the consummate team player, Dolewa takes more pride in having played a part in Thornton’s recent success, which has seen the Trojans narrow the gap between themselves and Maine’s more established lacrosse powers.
“That was our goal from the beginning,” said Dolewa, whose older brother Paul just finished up a strong junior season at St. Joseph’s. “To be up there with the Capes, the Scarboroughs, the Falmouths. All those great teams. We’re just trying to build a program like that.”
On-field success depends on a host of small details, usually beginning in the face off circle, which is where the massively built Dolewa has given the Trojans a sizeable advantage, since he took over those duties early last year.
Many Thornton scoring strikes began with Dolewa outdrawing a less beefy face off opponent.
Even so, the secret to his success, has been to use technique over brute force.
“I usually try to work my quickness to my advantage,” he said, “because they’re definitely not expecting it, thinking I’m going to be a big lug.
“I just try to keep my hands light on the face off. Try to beat the guy to the ball, and not muscle it. Push the ball to myself and start the fast break that way.”
Dolewa is hoping to parlay his skill and love for the sport into a college education, preferably with a Division I progam.
While he’s still sorting out his options, Dolewa will attend Bridgton Academy next year, in hopes of attracting some D-I attention.
“I’ll decide what I want to do from there,” Dolewa said. “But I’m going to try to continue to play lacrosse. See how far I can take it.”
— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less