SENIOR WEEKS: Avon Grove’s Chastain has eyes on Air Force Academy after illustrious career

Unlike all of the previous great lacrosse players to come from Avon Grove over the years, James Chastain is not going to get to showcase his talent as a senior.

The coronavirus pandemic shut down his final season before it began, but Chastain had already cemented his status as one of the program’s all-time greats.

“It is with no reservations when I say that James is not only one of the best lacrosse players in the country, but an amazing young man,” said his head coach Brian Wallace.

“I think he’s certainly one of the best defensemen we’ve ever had,” added former coach Eric Jackson.

As a junior, Chastain earned all-league, all-state and all-American honors — and he was poised for his best season this spring. A year ago, he moonlighted as an offensive threat, scoring 18 goals and dishing out eight assists, while simultaneously focusing on the main task of being a premier disrupter on defense.

“He is aggressive and pretty nasty on the field and that’s what you want from a defenseman,” Jackson said.

James’ mom, Kristen, played lacrosse at the University of Delaware, where she met his father, Curt, who played football for the Blue Hens. Chastain, and his older brother Nick, grew up in a sports-centric household, and both were drawn to lacrosse.

“My parents know what it’s like to compete at the division I level, so they’ve pushed my brother and me to be the best we can be,” James said.

His only sibling, Nick is a sophomore who attends Colorado State and plays lacrosse. James has been playing the sport for so long, he doesn’t really have any memories of first picking up the stick.

“With Nick being an offensive player and James on defense, they’ve probably had many one-on-one battles in the backyard, I’m sure,” Jackson said.

“Nick’s been a huge influence on me,” James acknowledged. “We’ve spent countless hours in the backyard throwing it around. We have two nets in the yard.

“I think one of the reasons that I’ve had success in lacrosse is that I started early and I’ve always been playing with older guys, trying to keep up with them.”

By the time Chastain got to high school, he was already singled out for future greatness. He immediately broke into the starting lineup as a freshman, and in the summer before his sophomore season, Chastain was already being heavily recruited by national powerhouses like Maryland, Penn State and Johns Hopkins.

“I went to Colorado Springs for an Under Armour All-American camp,” Chastain recalled. “I met the (Air Force Academy) coaches and was really impressed. It seems like a no-brainer for me to go there.”

Even though he verbally committed very early, it didn’t affect his upward trajectory. Chastain was a key cog as the Red Devils captured the 2017 state championship. Last season he was a unanimous all-league and all-area selection.

“James is one of the most selfless players I have ever had the pleasure of coaching,” Wallace said. “Being a defensive player myself, I am very critical of the skill-sets that the players I coach have. James, in so many ways, sets the bar for what an elite lacrosse player looks like. However, what sets James apart from others I have coached is that James defines what it is to be a teammate.”

For several seasons now, Chastain was so trusted by his coaches that he was given the green light to jump from defense to offense whenever he decided it was an advantageous situation. Seeing his effectiveness in the offensive zone leaves no doubt that Chastain could be a successful attacker or midfielder as well.

“I do think about that every once in a while,” he admitted. “It would be nice to see what I could do as an offensive player, but I’m not worried about it.

“I guess I was always better at defending. It’s where I belong.”

The last month has been a bit torturous for Chastain with no lacrosse practices or games. Every day, however, he heads to the backyard with Nick, who is home from college thanks to COVID-19.

“I don’t know what I’d be doing if I couldn’t get out and throw it around with Nick right now,” he said. “I’d be going nuts. He’s home from school right now, which is great because I feel like a caged animal, just raring to go.

“But it’s not the same as a real game, I’m itching to get out and compete.”