June 9, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Lawson a leader at Middlesex

by Kevin Henkin/

David Lawson collected 55 goals and 22 assists at Middlesex this season.

David Lawson collected 55 goals and 22 assists at Middlesex this season.

Coaches with 30-plus years invested in the game don’t tend to be easily impressed. But when the topic turns to David Lawson, the accolades begin to flow freely from them like water through a busted dam.

Lawson recently put the wraps on a standout career as a midfielder at Middlesex School in Concord, Mass., finishing with a 55-goal, 22-assist campaign this spring that left him ranked second all-time in career points (176) at the school. His entire meaningful future as laxer — progressing to Duke University in the fall — is in the future. Regardless, his veteran coaches have already seen enough of the 6-foot-1, 195-pound multisport star to declare him to be a player in possession of some rarefied gifts.

“David is a tremendous lacrosse player,” said Middlesex coach Ned Herter. “He brings athleticism. He brings competitive edge. He brings a never-say-die attitude to the field and it’s infectious with the other kids. Sometimes you get a great player who’s there for his own voyage or who has terrific skills but doesn’t elevate the play of the kids around them, but I think that’s what David does. Even when he was a freshman, it was clear that he was going to be a terrific player, but it’s that edge that makes him special and it’s that competition and that grit that makes him invaluable to us.”

Lawson, a resident of Westford, Mass., also honed his skills with John Middleton’s Team Central elite lacrosse squad over the past three years and has made a similarly deep impression there.

“David is one of the best athletes that I’ve ever coached, and I’ve been involved in lacrosse for over 30 years,” Middleton said. “The other thing he brings, and some people call it that ‘X’ factor, is that he’s such a fierce competitor as well. He doesn’t settle for second best. I wish more guys had some of that fierceness and grit to their game, but David brings both of those pieces together.”

Beyond his own athletic achievements — which incude all-league honors in lacrosse (three times), football (twice) and basketball (once) — Lawson has evolved into a leader on the lacrosse field, although his transition into that role was initially bumpy.

“Last year as a junior, we asked David to step up with the seniors and take a leading role,” Herter said. “I think he thought that meant getting in people’s faces and pushing them real hard. But he figured out last year by the end that the way to lead is through example and by talking to kids. Yeah, you push them, but you have to know your teammates and know just how far you can push them and how to get the most out of them. He’s figured that out, and not all of our kids do.

“He’s got a sense of, if he’s got a player when you push them and they don’t react real well, you’ve got to find a way to talk to them,” Herter added. “And that might just be you pull them aside and say, ‘Look, when I come here, this is where you need to be and I’ll get you the ball.’ ”

During his junior season, Lawson was heavily recruited by some of the top colleges in the country, including Johns Hopkins, Brown, Harvard and Georgetown. It was his overnight visit to Duke that convinced Lawson that’s where he belonged.

“I felt real at home with Duke,” Lawson said. “I had a great time and I liked the kids. Just the combination of academics and athletics made it the perfect fit for me.”

Lawson’s coaches believe he’ll be able to raise his game to the next level.

Said Middleton: “When you get to the Division 1 lacrosse level, a lot of players out there are like David, so he’s going to need to be smart and know that he can’t run through people where maybe he could get away with that at the high school level. He’ll have to be looking to distribute the ball maybe a little bit more than he’s had to here, but he’s smart enough to know all that. I think he’s going to make a seamless transition and he’s going to be very successful.”

Added Herter: “I think he’ll be a contributor next year, even if it’s in a limited role. I think he’s ready for it. I think he’s going to be so happy that he’s not going to be the midfielder that draws the pole every time or draws the double-team or who the defense is trying to face-guard or whatever it might be. He’ll just be a normal kid down there.”

Lawson understands he has room for improvement, and he’s ready for the challenge.

“I definitely want to get stronger and faster and get better hands,” he said. “I just want to keep playing.”

E-MAIL PRINT