As much as he enjoyed the sport, Ethan Dodge admits he was never the greatest soccer player.
“I’d play primarily center bench,” the Erskine Academy senior joked.
2016 Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal Boys Indoor Track All Stars
55: Jesse Donisvitch, Sr., Messalonskee
200: Jesse Donisvitch, Sr., Messalonskee
400: Ethan Dodge, Sr., Erskine
800: Carson Bessey, Sr., Messalonskee
1 mile: Owen Concaugh, Jr., Messalonskee
2 mile: Zach Hoyle, Jr., Messalonskee
55 hurdles: Tanner Burton, Jr., Messalonskee
4×200 relay: Messalonskee (Jesse Donisvitch, Dylan Labrun, Alec Currie, Tanner Burton)
4×800 relay: Messalonskee (Zach Hoyle, Natale Cardillo, Carson Bessey, Owen Concaugh)
High jump: Jon Whitcomb, Jr., Gardiner-Hall-Dale
Pole vault: Ray Weymouth, Sr., Erskine
Long jump: Nate Pratt-Holt, Sr., Mt. Blue
Triple jump: Nate Pratt-Holt, Sr., Mt. Blue
Shot put: Trever Gray, Sr., Waterville
Heading into his freshman year at Erskine, Dodge participated in summer cross country to get in shape for soccer at the urging of his older brother, Erik, who was entering his junior year at the time.
“He said it’d be a great way to stay in shape,” the younger Dodge said. “He was really great at it so I thought I’d give it a try.”
From there, Ethan Dodge was hooked. Citing his older brother as an inspiration, he has improved each year of high school and this past winter captured the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B title in the 400 meters.
For his efforts, Ethan Dodge has been named the 2015-16 Kennebec Journal Boys Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year. His older brother also received the honor for the 2013-14 indoor season.
Ethan Dodge presented a pleasant problem for Erskine track coach David Currier this past season, as his versatility made it challenging at times to figure out which events to push him toward.
“The problem was figuring out what he would do best,” Currier said. “It’s unfortunate, I wish we had the multi events to do a decathlon. He would probably crush that.”
Currier said Dodge was like his “Swiss Army knife” this season, as he could put him in just about any event. Though he excelled in the hurdles and 400, he also picked up triple jumping in the offseason. He filled in for a leg of the 4×200 relay at the Class B championships — the group of Dodge, Ray Weymouth, Luke Peabody and Tyler Condon finished seventh — and throughout the season also competed in the 200, 800 and mile.
“He runs cross country so I could have put him in the two mile,” Currier said. “It just never came up.”
Dodge showed off that versatility at the KVAC B championships, where he won the 400, took second in the 55-meter hurdles and placed fifth in the triple jump. At the Class B championships in Lewiston, he was fourth in the hurdles and 14th in the triple jump.
“It was a nice season,” Dodge said. “I improved on my hurdle time, which was my ultimate goal.”
Dodge will attend the University of Maine at Farmington in the fall and plans to try out for the cross country and outdoor track and field teams. UMF does not sponsor an indoor team, but Dodge said he would think about trying to make it to a few meets on his own accord.
Before he moves onto the next level, though, Dodge has his sights set on the outdoor season and breaking the school record in the 300 hurdles. Dodge said he needs to shave about 2 1/2 seconds off his time to set the new mark.
“I just want to set a school record and have my name written down somewhere,” Dodge said.
Evan Crawley — 621-5640
ecrawley@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @Evan_Crawley
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