Peninsula High senior Lewis leads lacrosse team with toughness, grit

There was blood on Peninsula High senior Cameron Lewis’ jersey after the fourth-annual Baggataway Bowl lacrosse game against Gig Harbor on Friday night at Roy Anderson Field.

Maybe the bloody chin came when Lewis dragged multiple defenders with him toward the goal late in the second half, as if it were a fall night, and Lewis was still suiting up at running back for Ross Filkins and the Peninsula High football team.

The blood — and whatever caused it — didn’t faze Lewis in the slightest. For the Peninsula lacrosse team, the senior leader is as tough as they come.

“I’ve split my chin and my head open too many times for it to bother me,” Lewis said, with a laugh. “With lacrosse helmets, you can get cut open pretty bad.”

But Lewis was all smiles after Peninsula’s big rivalry win. An infectious personality and a hard worker, Lewis has cherished his final season on Roy Anderson Field. In the fall, he didn’t see much of it.

A knee injury caused Lewis to miss much of the football season.

“I knew when I hurt my knee, I would miss a lot of the football season,” Lewis said. “I missed Fish Bowl, too. But I just kept remembering that I play lacrosse, so I get another chance at Gig Harbor. I was alright with it.”

Lacrosse, Lewis said, is more his sport, anyway. He’s been accepted to the University of Washington, along with teammate Jackson Reid, and plans to play for the school’s club lacrosse program. The Huskies are getting a good one, by the looks of it.

“Cameron is incredibly tough,” said Peninsula lacrosse coach Courtney Mauzy. “This year, especially, he’s been an incredible leader on the field. Maybe his production hasn’t been as high as last year, but he’s really taken control from a leadership standpoint. He’ll put us on his back when our team needs it. He’s just got a big heart and a desire to succeed.”

The Peninsula lacrosse program will most likely be able to find some new faces to replace Lewis’ production next season, like freshman Trent Akulschin, who scored five goals against Gig Harbor on Friday night.

But replacing Lewis’ toughness and heart? That would be a tall task for any team.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Peninsula High senior Lewis leads lacrosse team with toughness, grit."