Darrell St. Jean came up through the ranks as an offensive soccer player. By the time he reached the varsity level at Erskine Academy his junior year, coach Phil Hubbard had a different idea.

“Last year I just tried him as stopper,” Hubbard said.

It turned out to be a wise decision. Not only did St. Jean solidify the Eagles defense, he also developed into one to the top players in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference’s Class A division.

During his senior season, St. Jean expanded his game, taking the Eagles’ free kicks. And those offensive instincts he developed in his youth surfaced, even for one of the conference’s top defenders, as he led Eagles in scoring.

For his efforts, St. Jean has been selected Kennebec Journal Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Maranacook senior Jon Varney and Hall-Dale junior Colin Lush also were considered.

Despite his offensive background, St. Jean said he always wondered what it would be like to play defense. The position shift didn’t bother him at all.

“I just went with it and tried as hard as I could,” he said.

Playing hard never has been a problem for St. Jean, who plays all 80 minutes of a game regularly and marks the opponent’s leading scorer.

“He is so intense,” Hubbard said. “He plays hard the whole game. He just wants to win.”

The Eagles finished 7-7-1, but played well against just about every team in the conference. St. Jean thinks they could have contended if not for a few players who decided not to come out for the team.

“We had seven starting seniors out of positions at the beginning of the year,” he said. “It threw off our entire rotation.”

The Eagles played one of their better games against Eastern Maine Class A champion Messalonskee toward the end of the season, losing 3-2.

“We so matched up well with them,” St. Jean said.

St. Jean, who led the team with nine goals, scored one against Messalonskee on a free kick just inside midfield.

“I work on those before practice and whenever I get a chance,” he said. “It’s nice to finally put a couple into the back of the net.”

Scoring goals was a bonus for St. Jean who was even better keeping the ball out of his own goal. In fact, shutting down the opposition’s big guns is about his favorite thing to do on a soccer field. It helps that he’s fairly big — 6-foot-1, 170 pounds — and extremely aggressive.

“He’s got a great foot, and he tackles real well,” Hubbard said. “His judgments are very strong.”

And there was no one better for the Eagles, or around the league for that matter, in contesting 50/50 balls. St. Jean was at his best when the ball was in the air.

“He’s the best kid I’ve seen in the air in Erskine’s history,” Hubbard said. “A lot of stuff in that central area takes place in the air.”

St. Jean said his aerial acrobatics come naturally, and it helps that he’s tall. But it also helps that he often wants the ball more than his opponent does.

“His best attribute is he works really hard,” Hubbard said.

St. Jean has yet to decide on a college next year, but he wants to play soccer. Among others, he has spoken with coaches at the University of Southern Maine.

“They’re looking for defensive players,” he said.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

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