Tommy Stierwalt becomes a key part of Potomac's lacrosse program, despite a form of autism

Tommy Stierwalt stands between the benches used by Potomac's and Freedom's boys' lacrosse teams.

Potomac's manager has finished jotting down Potomac's goals, shots on goal and ground balls for the first half.

Keeping statistics is nothing new for Stierwalt. He has been performing this function for four years.

It is through this that he has developed friendships with Potomac's players. He has found a social niche despite living with Asperger's syndrome, a neurobiological disorder and form of autism, though those that live with it are usually highly functional. They often struggle to interact with people, something Potomac boys' lacrosse coach Frank Dunn noticed in Stierwalt when he taught him in Algebra 2 trigo-nometry his freshman year.

"He thought managing the lacrosse team would be a good way for me to make friends because I was reclusive in his class a little," said Stierwalt, a senior. "So he asked me to be manager and I've been manager since my freshman year."

Dunn trusts Stierwalt with a huge task. Keeping statistics are valuable when Cardinal District lacrosse coaches convene at season's end to determine the all-district teams.

"They paint a picture of the athletes," Dunn said. "You start comparing statistics at the end of the season because stats are accurate. That's input for the coaches to consider."

Stierwalt has never been totally without friends. He has had one or two good friends and other friends during his seven years in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

But being around the lacrosse team has given him opportunities to strengthen his social skills.

He'll talk with the players about how their day is going and what their class work is like.

"If he knows you or is around people he knows, he seems to be engaging," senior midfield Mark Clark said. "I guess he's more comfortable around people he knows."

Stierwalt's bond with the players is so deep that he is not afraid to show them his passion for video games. Waiting in Potomac's hallway for buses to arrive for transportation to road matches, Stierwalt will play Nintendo DS before playing Game Boy on the bus.

He will walk on the track with his fellow seniors when they are recognized for their years of service to Poto-mac's program on senior night.

He will likely be with the players when they go to Maryland to watch a tournament on April 11.

And he will never be afraid to lend his opinion to any conversation.

"If he's nearby, he'll make himself a part of the conversation," said senior goalie Austin Thomas, who has known Stierwalt since sixth grade. "He won't say something to you. You have to talk to him. When you talk to him, he'll talk with you until you're done. He'll stick it out."

Stierwalt does not allow Asperger's syndrome to alter his way of living. He is content with his life.

"He's in a pretty decent comfort zone," his father, Fred, said. "This year has been OK."

The social setting is a change from what Stierwalt experienced as a child. Staying entertained by the Legos and building blocks he used to build things, he felt comfortable by himself.

His parents never wondered why he liked it that way.

"We just thought that was his personality-type," Fred said.

As Stierwalt got older, his tendency to isolate himself became a concern. When Tommy was a fifth grader, his parents began seeking professional help to find a way to improve his social skills.

One year later, it was revealed that Tommy had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

More testing followed and at the conclusion of Tommy's seventh grade year, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.

He soon was placed in a specialty school for Asperger's children at Lake Ridge Middle School. He continued the program after entering high school and has been in it five years.

The disorder, though, has not prevented him from succeeding academically. Stierwalt is involved in the inter-nationally recognized Cambridge program, taken by students interested in succeeding in a college prepara-tory course load.

Dunn and his players know how intelligent Stierwalt is. Thomas knows if anyone needs help solving a math problem, they can go to Stierwalt and he will solve it. Stierwalt scored a 33 on the math portion of his ACT, considered an excellent score.

"He wasn't a guy who could traditionally grind out a problem. He could see the solution without having to do the work," Dunn said in reference to how he taught him. "He had a solid B because he was unconventional in the way he did things. He didn't do all the homework, but test- wise, he was always good at taking tests."

Stierwalt's 3.27 GPA has helped him get accepted to the University of Alabama, where he will attend college.

But before Tommy attends Alabama, he will finish his duties with Potomac's lacrosse team. They include getting the press box radio ready for the National Anthem to be sung before matches, operating the scoreboard during matches and filling water bottles for players to drink from during timeouts.

Another one of his functions has been to serve as public address announcer. During his first two years as announcer, he would say "Goal Potomac" when Potomac scored. He would say it with the same enthusiasm that internationally known soccer announcer Andres Cantor says when he bellows "GOAAAALLLL!"

"It's good to know it's one of our guys in the box," Thomas said.

One of the guys they have come to embrace.