Dordevic struggled through elementary school. He fell behind in reading, could not memorize math and hurriedly completed multiple-choice exams with random selections of answers just so he could hand in the Scantron at the same time as everyone else. He took Adderall, a drug used to treat ADHD, and it made him feel like a zombie.
Everything changed at Edison, where there’s one teacher for every nine students, oral exam options, kinetic activity and music in classes and a customized approach to learning. Dordevic thrived there and starred for Jesuit’s lacrosse team, earning 2017 OHSLA Player of the Year honors.
One thing has not changed, however.
He’s still defying gravity. He’s still very dangerous.
A two-time All-American midfielder, Dordevic scored a goal Saturday that would make Gary Gait blush. You’ve likely seen it by now. It has more than 890,000 views from various accounts on Instagram and Twitter — including a cinematic 4K slow-motion edit from Syracuse — and landed the No. 1 spot on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” for the top play of the day.
As Syracuse Post-Standard writer Donna Ditota depicted it:
“It started when long stick midfielder Landon Clary delivered a hit that dislodged the ball from a Duke stick and then charged upfield with the ball.
“Syracuse, at that point, owned a slender 11-10 advantage over the Blue Devils with 9 minutes, 23 seconds left in the Carrier Dome game between ACC lacrosse rivals.
“Clary crossed midfield and soon spied Tucker Dordevic near the right crease. He flung a pass that sailed a bit high. Dordevic speared it, pirouetted and flicked a one-handed shot between his legs.
“The ball beat Duke goalie Mike Adler and triggered pandemonium on the Syracuse sideline, so spectacular was Dordevic’s execution.”