By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Logan Dawson scored just 101 points during his high school basketball career. He had one blocked shot and made a handful of 3-pointers.
But he loved every second of his prep hoops career.
Why?
Why would somebody who barely even played before his senior year love being in the gym on cold winter nights?
Because he was a star in two other sports, and so good in baseball, in fact, that he got drafted this summer by his beloved Philadelphia Phillies and currently is in Clearwater, Fla., at the Phillies’ training site getting his feet wet in his professional baseball career after he passed up a chance to play at Boston College to sign a professional contract.
Dawson — son of former quarterback Dave Dawson — was a quarterback himself who helped get Eastern Regional back to respectability during his three-year varsity career. He threw for more than 2,300 yards and 24 touchdowns and led the Vikings from 1-8 as a sophomore to 5-5 and a state playoff berth as a senior.
Dawson is the prototypical All-American Boy — handsome, well spoken, 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, the quarterback of the football team, the star shortstop and pitcher on the baseball team. He showed toughness, dedication, talent and leadership throughout his career in multiple sports. In short, he was a coach’s dream.
“Logan was a key part of our success the last four years. We enjoyed a tremendous amount of success due in large part to his commitment to the baseball field,” said Eastern baseball coach Rob Christ, who has churned out his share of professional players during his distinguished career that includes more than 500 wins. “He was a critical arm for us and I know he’s not going to pitch at the next level, but (him pitching) was a huge part of our success and the reason we were so competitive both within the conference and within the state. He loves baseball, and it really seems like this year he took a huge leap in terms of his leadership. Logan often did things that were selfless and were important to the team, and that spoke to his character.”
Dawson said he was just doing what he’s been doing his entire life. He comes from a wildly successful sports family, as his father was a college athlete, mom was a cheerleader; his sister plays field hockey at the University of Indiana and he has six aunts who all played major Division I field hockey — including three at the University of North Carolina, two at Iowa and one at Michigan. Ever since Logan was in kindergarten he’s been trying to beat kids at whatever sport they happened to be playing on the school playground.
“I loved (the high school experience). Eastern is a great school to represent and there were a lot of good coaches I played for. I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. I wouldn’t want to be representing any other school,” Dawson, now 19 years old, said by phone from Florida recently. “It flew by. I just love competing, it didn’t really matter what environment. The football field is obviously where you have the most adrenaline but I loved competing in all different environments. Being able to play physical sports all year was awesome. I was always competitive, from a young age on the school playground in first or second grade. I was always competing with people. My family is a big sports family. My dad was a quarterback and I have six aunts who all played Division I field hockey. So, coming from that background, I guess I was destined (to be an athlete). My path was different than some people, but it was just what I was born into and what I enjoyed.”
Dawson said he never once thought about specializing just in baseball, even when he knew after his junior year there would be a chance of him getting drafted in 2025. The football team needed him, so that’s where he was come September of last year. That’s just how he’s built.
“I did everything for a reason. I got a lot of time off from baseball and I was able to throw a football instead of a baseball, so that was better for my arm and allowed me to work on different athletic movements in different sports. I think playing those other sports helped me become a better baseball player, and I didn’t want to switch up that routine my senior year,” he said. “People would always say, ‘oh, you’re a big-time (baseball and football) player, why do you waste your time with basketball?’ My answer is just because it’s what I like to do. I don’t care what my role is, I just want to see Eastern succeed. My freshman, sophomore and junior years I was more of a practice player than a game player, but that’s just what I wanted to do — help my team get better. I wanted to help support my buddies and be a leader even if I wasn’t the main guy. It’s just the competitive nature in me.”
“Logan wasn’t someone who was a smack talker. He was just going out there and trying to perfect his craft. At Eastern we talk about being warriors on the field and gentlemen off the field. But even as we’re trying to be ferocious on the field, we do so by respecting our opponents and respecting the game as a whole. The way we approach the game, Logan embodied all those components,” Christ said. “What I love about Logan is you can talk about his athleticism, he was a three-sport athlete, which is rare these days and even more rare at a large school. But my favorite thing about him is on the basketball team he was the sixth or seventh man but toward the end of the season he was leading the team in rebounds. You’re not going to make a lot of headlines with rebounds, but it speaks to his work ethic. You don’t see too many shortstops leading their (basketball) team in rebounds.”
Dawson had a senior year that he won’t soon forget. He led the football team back to the state playoffs, and in basketball the Vikings won 21 games and made it to the sectional semifinals before a tough loss against Cherry Hill East. In baseball, he led the defending South Jersey Group 4 champions back to the sectional title game, where the Vikings fell in a heartbreaker by one run to eventual state champion and rival Cherokee.
“I enjoyed myself my whole senior year, through all the sports. I realized that I’m not going to get these opportunities to play with my buddies for the rest of my life, so I wanted to embrace it,” Dawson said. “The baseball team was something special because those guys are some of my best friends. It was tough the way the season ended, but it was an awesome experience. Taking off the jersey for the last time is tough, but you just have to move on. I did it two times before, taking off my football and basketball jersey for the last time. I had a pretty damn good thing at Eastern, but I know there are good things ahead if I just keep my head up and keep working.”
“We had probably more scouts this year than I’ve ever had in all my years of coaching — and I’ve had some very talented players — but they were really hot on Logan,” Christ said. “That helps out the whole team because they know they needed to approach every game with a certain level of professionalism. His presence really had a tremendous effect on the chemistry and atmosphere of this team.”
Dawson credited Christ with having a major impact on his high school athletic career.
“Coach Christ was a huge part of my development. I came in as a freshman who had a lot of baseball skill, and mentally I just needed to learn the game better and coach Christ was there for me. He helped me grow as a person. It was so awesome to be a part of his team and also impacting other teammates’ lives. I feel like I was a big part of my teammates this year, helping everyone see what was possible if you put the work in — you can get a college commitment, you can get drafted, if you really put the work in, and it was awesome to see those guys grow,” Dawson said. “I think (my leadership) comes from just playing three sports and being a leader in all of them. I learned how to be a leader in different environments, and that was huge, to be able to understand and work with different types of teammates and personalities.”
Dawson said it was a very difficult decision when it came down to signing with the Phillies and passing up a scholarship opportunity at Boston College. But he has a dream of one day playing in Citizens Bank Park in South Philly, and he wanted to get right to work — in typical Logan Dawson fashion.
“I don’t even know if I’d be able to put words into that. (Playing for the Phillies) would be an awesome experience. There’s a lot of work I have do to, and a lot of work that I’m willing to do to get there. Hopefully we’ll make it happen sooner rather than later. It’s crazy, growing up a die-hard Phillies fan and them being the team that takes me — it’s a surreal feeling,” he said. “Being a young guy, I’m still focusing on developing. I have to put some weight on and some other things, preparing my swing, preparing my arm. But I’m so excited for this to be my life and I’m going to put all my effort into it. People might think there is pressure, but I think it’s a privilege. I was asked by somebody the other day, ‘everything’s on the line for you now, how nervous are you?’ I’m not nervous, I’m excited to be able to play baseball. I love baseball so much, I don’t even think of it as a job. It’s a blessing to be able to do this.
“I dedicate my whole life to my craft and every single thing I do is dedicated to getting better at baseball, and in high school I was dedicated to getting better at football and basketball, too. I knew I put the work in and I was hoping (to get drafted),” he continued. “I hold myself very professionally and I enjoy being looked at that way, to be known as a professional baseball player. I like to think about who I’m representing and the people I’m doing it for; the people back home who have always supported me and been there. It’s awesome to have that fan base and all the sports people have always been supporting me. It’s awesome to represent (Eastern) at the next level.”
Christ said the only advice he gave Logan about the decision was to follow his heart.
“It’s almost like falling in love. How do you quantify that? You just have to follow your heart,” Christ said. “It’s something I believe as a baseball coach, a mentor, is that you follow your heart and if you’re fully committed to that then you’re always going to be happy. That’s what I wish for Logan, ultimately, is just to follow his heart and be happy.”
