WOODBURY ー Most soccer games are about kicking a ball down the field and scoring. The Nonnewaug boys soccer team likes to keep the crowd watching in a different way.

Durkin Stankevich, a senior defender for the Chiefs, has an ability like few others that never fails to entertain a crowd ー the flip throw in.

But where did it all start?

“When I was a sophomore before a JV game, [the flip throw-in] somehow came into conversation because I saw a video,” said Stankevich, who is also a Berkshire League champion wrestler. “I decided to try it. I already knew how to do a front handspring because I did gymnastics when I was little.’’

Coach Toby Denman has a different take on how the throw-in came to be.

“I saw him messing around doing a roundoff or a handspring, and I was like, ‘Dude, can you do a flip?’ and he was like, ‘I think so.’ So then he tried doing a flip, so I was like, ‘Do you think you could try that with a ball?’ and he was like, ‘Sure.’ This happened during a JV game at Shepaug two years ago, so while the JV game was going on, he was subbed out and he started practicing the flip throw and he kind of was successful on probably try No. 5 or 6. I was like, ‘Dude, do you think you could try that in a game?’ So then [assistant] coach [Josh] Kornblut subbed him back in and Durkin did a flip throw-in in a game, and ever since then he has worked to perfect it.”

Gallery • 11 Photos

Deme Jones '26

A frame-by-frame look at Durkin Stankevich's flip free throw on Sept. 13 against Northwestern.

Still others, like teammate Matt Shupenis, have other recollections.

“In a JV game sophomore year, we were on TikTok and saw it and thought he could do it,” said Shupenis, a senior goalie. “Right when we got off the bus into warmups, he was practicing, then during the game for the first time he hit it perfectly in the box, and [he] has been doing it since.”

No matter how Stankevich’s throw-in came to be, it’s been amazing addition for the Chiefs. The throw came easy to Stankevich, but was it ready to be tested in a game?

“I kind of tried it to see if I could, then I tried it in the game and someone took a video and we showed Denman and he told me to work on it,” said Stankevich. “I picked it up pretty easily; the problem was just being consistent with how high and far I throw it because it’s easy to slip if I’m playing and my hands get sweaty.”

Kornblut knew Stankevich was right for the job; he just needed to test the theory in that 2022 JV game at Shepaug.

“We almost scored on at least two of them,” Kornblut said. “We ended up hitting a post on one, but then from that point forward it was something he was kind of practicing. He, even up to this point, has gotten better and better each time, and this year pretty much every flip throw is consistently you know right where it needs to be.”

The throw-in benefits the team in many ways, senior Jeff Bernardi says, especially as Stankevich has improved his precision.

“Before, we didn’t know where the ball was going, but now he has become very consistent and very good with where he is putting the ball,” said Bernardi. “It helps us get the ball close to the net and makes other teams guess where the ball is going.”

So how does this ability benefit the team?

“It helps because it pretty much gives us a free cross whenever we get a throw on the opponent’s sideline,” said Stankevich. “It can also help with defense because it lets me throw the ball far up field so a wing or striker can receive it.”

This trick helps the team not only to look cool, but to get the ball down the field in a timely manner.

“It gives us goal-scoring chances from the sideline, so it’s a huge benefit,” said Denman. “We actually haven’t finished very many of them this year, but I feel like if you’re defending it, you’re worried every single time. We did finish a couple last year; there was a really good header scored off Terryville.”

Bernardi feels Stankevich helps the team stand out in the BL while making a statement.

“It helps us put the ball in dangerous places and forces teams to guess what’s going on,” said Bernardi. “We love his ability; nobody else in the BL can do this, so it really helps set our team apart from others.”

It also comes as no surprise to Kornblut that Stankevich can pull it off.

“Playing soccer in general speaks to his athletic ability,” said Kornblut. “He is a great athlete and just the things he’s able to do and his work ethic [are impressive]. The condition that he puts himself in, in terms of working out and his physical ability, I think it’s really impressive the control he has over his body. It’s not something every athlete has, and I think that makes him just a great soccer player, wrestler, and athlete.”