Dabrowski the last line of defense for Highlanders
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers POINT-BLANK RANGE- Royal High goalkeeper Stash Dabrowski goes high out of the water to try and stop an uncontested shot by Agoura's Peter Kurzeka.

As a junior last year on the Royal High boys' water polo team, Stash Dabrowski saw himself as one of the Highlanders' best pranksters and often found humorous ways to keep his team loose.

This year, however, Dabrowski is more serious about playing the game, and his opponents don't think it's too funny.

"This season has been a little different for me," Dabrowski said. "Last year I was the one making up nicknames for players, coming up with songs on the bus, just a lot of little things to keep the team loose after four hour practices. I thought, 'Water polo is fun, and we should remember that it is fun.'

"This season I'm a senior, and I want to go out a winner. So now, I'm the one telling people, 'Okay, we need to get serious about this."'

The Highlander goalkeeper has helped guide his team to a second-place finish in the Marmonte League while earning the No. 4 spot in the CIFSouthern Section Division IV poll.

Dabrowski's rise to prominence in the cage has been swift.

"I'd been playing water polo since the fifth grade, but I was always the fast swimmer that would find a way to give the ball to Barry (Snyder) or Scott (Snyder) and then hang out at the side of the pool," Dabrowski said with a laugh. "I did know that there were no other goalies, and if I worked hard on becoming one, I could have a starting spot for two years."

Dabrowski spent his first two years at Royal watching goalkeeper Matt Lewis, who graduated in 2005. Although Dabrowski was improving in practice, head coach Steve Snyder was still skeptical when Dabrowski entered his junior year.

"There was a big question mark when my son's class came in of who would be our goalie," Coach Snyder said. "We've had a long line of great goalies at Royal High, and we weren't sure how he would fit in."

Dabrowski quickly disposed any doubters when the Highlanders traveled to play Villa Park High on the road last season.

"The game against Villa Park High was huge for me," Dabrowski said. "We had never beaten them before, and we were up by one goal at their pool with time winding down.

"They had one more chance to tie the game, and one of Villa Park's players threw a lob shot toward the net. People have told me that they had never seen me get that high out of the water as I did on that play. I was able to save it, and we won. I think after that I gained not only the respect from the other team but my own teammates as well."

During the rest of his junior season, Dabrowski continued to impress by recording 210 saves. At the end of the year, Dabrowski was voted onto the 2006 CIF AllSouthern California Water Polo Coaches Association Third Team.

This season, despite a torn meniscus in his right leg, Dabrowski's continued to play stellar defense in the cage.

Earlier in the year, Coach Snyder said he paid Dabrowski the highest compliment by letting him rest the injury during practice, knowing that Dabrowski would work enough on his own.

"Every game I worry and hope he doesn't injure it any more than it already is," the coach said.

"He has worked very hard to become the goalkeeper he is. Stash is just a pleasure to be around. I realize every day that I'm a very lucky man to be around the best kids in the community such as him. Guys like him motivate me to be a better coach."