Sean Williams has been reading Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” an appropriate choice given how the recent East Lyme High School senior chose to spend his summer.

Williams left last month for Casco, Maine, a small town in the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine. The Day’s 2017 All-Area Boys’ Lacrosse Player of the Year is working as a counselor at Laurel South, an overnight summer camp for kids ages 7-15 from across the country.

“(Older brother Liam) said he met some of the greatest people he ever met (working there),” Williams said. “He got connections to one of his jobs right now, actually. And I love kids. I love people. I thought, ‘why not give it a shot?’”

Williams’ summer job caused a scheduling conflict; he’d have to be there before graduation. Well, it would’ve been a conflict had Williams felt strongly about being part of the event.

Instead, Williams spent his June 16th getting ready to lead hundreds of children instead of donning a maroon cap and gown and walking with his fellow seniors.

“I was kind of like, whatever,’” Williams said. "I thought that one day wasn’t going to keep me from enjoying this. … I love it.”

Williams knows what he wants in life and isn’t afraid to take the road less traveled. He transferred to Avon Old Farms his sophomore year because he wanted smaller classes. He returned to East Lyme for his senior year in order to afford to attend Trinity College next fall and, in the process, earned second team Class M all-state honors and helped the Vikings win their seventh straight Eastern Connecticut Conference title.

Williams took an Advanced Placement course in government this school year to feed his interest in politics. And he blew off graduation to work with kids.

“He’s a very intelligent individual,” East Lyme boys’ lacrosse coach Gary Wight said. “He’s kind of driven. He plays lacrosse with a passion.

“He knows what he wants.”

Going back to East Lyme was no big deal for Williams. He had spent his entire life in East Lyme and was in touch with all of his friends.

“I thought, ‘why not go (to Avon Old Farms)?” Williams said. “If I had an opportunity to do that, I would take it. Then I went up there and it’s like absurdly expensive. I was recruited by Trinity by junior year, so there was no way I was going to be able to pay almost 50 grand a year and go off to Trinity.

“It really wasn’t an adjustment at all (returning to East Lyme). It was fun. I loved my senior year.”

Lacrosse was a big part of Williams’ senior year. He led the Vikings to an unbeaten ECC season (all of their losses were nonconference). He scored five goals in their 11-9, come-from-behind win over Waterford in the ECC final and was named the James Courtney Most Valuable Player.

“I was very close to a lot of my teammates,” Williams said. “I’d been playing with most of those guys for almost 10 years.

“I loved the Waterford-East Lyme rivalry. That was one of my favorite things, especially because of how close the towns are and the interest in the games. I missed that rivalry and playing in the ECC.”

Williams finished with 115 points (65 goals, 50 assists) for East Lyme this season.

“He’s very dynamic and knows the dynamics of the game,” Wight said. “He has a great feel (for it). He knows how to bait a defense and bait them to beat them. He plays with phenomenal energy. … He goes 100 percent on the field.”

n.griffen@theday.com

The Day's 2017 All-Area Boys' Lacrosse Team

Player

of

the

Year - Sean Williams (East Lyme)

Attack - David Bibeau (Stonington), Bray Griffith Potter (Waterford), James McCoy (East Lyme)

Midfield - Matt Boguszewski (East Lyme), Logan Bowdish (Waterford), Nick DeDominicis (Stonington)

Defense - Luke Barrs (Waterford), Spencer Hoagland (Waterford), Andrew Noorigan (East Lyme)

Goalie - Mack Bentley (East Lyme)

Long-stick midfield - Nick Reid (Stonington)

Faceoff specialist - Chris Ladyga (NFA)

Utility - Sam Kury (Montville), Noah Reuling (Fitch)