Lake Central’s David Dorneanu is relentlessly upbeat.
The junior midfielder figures that type of attitude is more constructive than the alternative.
“I always try to be positive all around, even in school outside of soccer,” Dorneanu said. “I always try to keep a smile on my face.
“It’s better on the field to be more positive than down. I feel if you’re a negative person, you can bring everyone down. Then they’re scared to be themselves. They’re scared to take on a player. If you’re more positive, they’re free to be themselves.”
That enthusiasm influences Dorneanu’s teammates, such as senior defender Andres Ruiz-Avila.
“As a person, I like him,” Ruiz-Avila said. “He’s one of my good friends. He’s really trustworthy and honest. He’s really fun to be around, and he’s a good teammate too.”
But make no mistake. Dorneanu also has an edge to him. Lake Central coach Jereme Rainwater described futsal games involving Dorneanu and the staff, which is filled with former standout players.
“He’s trash-talking the coaches,” Rainwater said of Dorneanu. “You have all of these guys, and they’re all really competitive, and David just has the knack for getting under your skin just a little bit when you’re playing because he’s competitive too. He knows how to twist those words enough. It’s funny because I’ll go to see the coaches and they’ll be like, ‘David got to me.’ He is so good at what he does.
“And he’s likeable. Everyone loves David. Just getting him in a different environment or playing against him when we’re messing around and seeing how competitive he can still be even though he’s playing against 38-year-old men, it’s pretty fun. It just adds to it. He has a lot going for him.”
Dorneanu rarely comes off the field. That’s how valuable he is to the Indians as a defensive midfielder.
“He’s a kid that is key to what we do,” Rainwater said. “His position, it dictates how we press and how we distribute going forward. He’s a lot of the brains behind what we do. He just has a great instinct for the game.”
Ruiz-Avila agreed that Dorneanu is an intelligent player.
“He has a very high soccer IQ,” Ruiz-Avila said. “He’s very good with the ball. He’s very technical. He sees the field in ways other players can’t. He likes to pick out passes that other people can’t even make.”
Rainwater also praised Dorneanu’s work ethic, consistency, endurance and durability.
“He’s really an ironman,” Rainwater said. “He’s never not available. He’s always available for training. He’s always available for games. He plays every week.
“A lot of times, these days, it’s not like it was 25 years ago when kids played through things. You get a little twinge or something, it’s, ‘Hey, I need my time.’ David’s a little old-school when it comes to that. He’s always training, always working hard, always trying to get better. He’s asking questions. He’s a fun one.”
The 5-foot-5 Dorneanu has started since his freshman season. That’s no small feat on the tradition-laden Indians.
“It was intimidating coming in,” Dorneanu said. “I was always on the smaller side. It was hard looking up at all of the people. But everyone was always nice to me, like, ‘I got your back.’ That’s how the team is. We always have each other’s back.”
Dorneanu will take on an expanded role for the Indians (17-4), who lost to Noblesville in penalty kicks in a Class 3A semistate last season and then had an influential senior class graduate.
“This summer, we put in way more work because we know we lost a lot of seniors, a lot of starters,” Dorneanu said. “I’ve gotten more in shape. I have to be more of a key player. I have to talk more and direct the team more. I have to be more vocal.
“As a six, I just want to better the team. I want to help the team be the best. On the field, I’m talking the whole game. I have to motivate the whole team to do their best. When we play the game, we play like it’s our last game. We put everything into it. We care a lot.”
Dorneanu, whose father Marian played in college in his native Romania, moved from Mount Prospect, Illinois, in fifth grade. He flew under the radar until he reached Lake Central.
“I know all freshmen who come into this place because I do so much with club and different levels,” Rainwater said. “But he came in, and I had never even heard of the kid. Then you see him walk out, and he’s not anything to look at. You’re not looking at a specimen or anything. And then he gets out there, and you’re immediately like, ‘Yeah, this kid can play.’
“You always get, ‘Hey, he knew coach or coach had him when he was younger.’ Well, I never coached that kid, and I never had anything to do with him growing up, and he just walked out here and earned his spot from day one.”
