Szell glad he stuck with Polytech lacrosse team
WOODSIDE — There was really no warning, said Alex Szell.
He had been playing long-pole defense as a freshman on Polytech High’s boys’ lacrosse team at the time.
Then one …
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Szell glad he stuck with Polytech lacrosse team
By Andy WalterWOODSIDE — There was really no warning, said Alex Szell.
He had been playing long-pole defense as a freshman on Polytech High’s boys’ lacrosse team at the time.
Then one day at practice, former Panthers’ coach Bob Gilmore handed the youngster a short stick.
“It was so sudden,” Szell said with a laugh. “I think I really had no time to react.
“I was like, ‘OK.’ It was in the middle of a drill. I had no reaction. I just went back in the drill and went.”
But Gilmore’s instincts were right. Szell’s background in box lacrosse made him perfectly suited to play midfielder.
By the time he finished his playing career at Polytech last month, the Dover resident was considered one of the top midfielders in the state this spring.
A first-team All-Henlopen North selection, Szell will be playing in the Blue-White Senior All-Star Game, which is slated for Tuesday evening at Frederica’s DE Turf.
“When you talk to other coaches, he’s just one of those guys you’ve got to find on the field,” said second-year Polytech coach Matt Jones. “He just has a natural knack of playing the game.
“He has a ton of self-motivation — tenacity — that allows him to grind. More than anything, he doesn’t settle, He’s constantly striving for more.”
But Jones said that Szell brought so much more to the Panthers than just being a good lacrosse player. A two-year captain and three-sport athlete, he owns a 3.8 grade-point average.
As much as anything, though, Jones said Szell makes the players around him better.
Despite finishing only 6-9, the Panthers missed making the DIAA state tournament by just a point because of their difficult schedule.
“The biggest gift he probably has ... is pushing others to become more and achieve more than they probably think is possible,” said Jones. “He’s a huge part of our success on the field but he’s even a bigger part of our success off the field.
“I’ve heard my younger players talk about life-changing conversations they’ve had with him, where they felt inspired. They were encouraged not to give up when times were tough. It just speaks volumes for his character.”
Jones knows he was fortunate to keep Szell around for his entire high school career.
Szell admits that he considered transferring “countless times.” He could have gone to state power Salesianum, Archmere, Caravel or Tower Hill.
“I stayed with it and I’m glad I did,” he said about staying at Polytech.
At Polytech, Szell has already learned to weld and started working in the field through a co-op program. He plans to major in business management in college with an eye on owning his own business.
“I didn’t go to the bigger schools because I don’t think I’d flourish there the way I did here,” said Szell. “I learned how to weld here and that’s mostly likely what I’m going to make my career out of later in life after college. And I make really good money now in high school.
“I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for that.”
As for playing midfield, Szell said he quickly took to the position.
“I learned to love scoring goals,” said Szell, who went to Dover’s Holy Cross in grade school. “Once I saw the back of the net move my first time, I fell in love with it.”
Szell finished with over 100 goals, totaling a school-record 184 points in his career. That included 46 goals and 24 assists as a senior.
He averaged 4.6 points per game this past season. Against the seven state-tournament teams on Polytech’s schedule, he still averaged 3.5.
In college, Szell will go back to being a long-pole defender. He’ll continue his playing career at Washington College and its traditionally strong NCAA Division III lacrosse program.
Szell said he learned his work ethic from his parents, Dr. Michele Domenick and Douglas Szell, who are both medical professionals.
“They’re the hardest-working people I’ve ever made in my life,” he said. “Having them as parents and seeing what they did makes me want to succeed in academics.”
Szell also played soccer and swam for Polytech.
Szell feels like being a leader comes pretty naturally to him.
“I love it,” he said. “I think that’s what I was born to do, honestly. I think that was my calling.”
Extra points
•Odessa’s Mark Reynolds and Archmere’s Pete Duncan are the boys’ all-star head coaches.
•In the girls’ all-star game, Ursuline’s Stephanie Mark and Tatnall’s Ruth Hiller are the coaches.
•DIAA state champion Salesianum has eight players in the boys’ game.
