Politicians and bureaucrats can argue whether sports are essential to the high school experience, particularly when it comes to who pays the bill.

But to understand how meaningful they can be, just have a chat with Prentiss Swett.

Swett is an honor roll student at Brewer High School, and his work ethic in the classroom is matched by his work ethic on the soccer fields and hockey rinks and baseball diamonds of Eastern Maine.

Not to mention behind the scenes, when misfortune creates injury and injury mandates rehabilitation.

Midway through the 2006-07 hockey season, Swett suffered a broken right fibula in a game against Winslow.

“I just got hit and snapped it, tore all the ligaments,” he said this week. “They said I’d be out 10 to 12 weeks, which would be another three weeks from now.”

Swett was wearing a baseball uniform during this conversation. Granted, he’s not running at anywhere near full speed, and he’s still wearing a light air cast during games and practices to protect his healing leg.

But three weeks from now is more than halfway through the baseball season, and Swett would have none of that.

“This is the sport I love,” he said. “I wanted to be back out here. Originally I thought I’d miss four, five or six games and then be coming back like this, but now it looks like in four, five or six games I should be getting back to 100 percent.”

Motivation came easily to the junior, who bats cleanup for Brewer while playing first base, outfield, designated hitter and pitcher.

“Just watching all these games was tough,” he said. “Watching us win the state championship in hockey, sitting there wanting to play and not being able to, and then all through baseball practice, I’d go in and ride the bike while everyone else was taking ground balls.”

So he endured double physical therapy sessions of his own choosing in order to beat the odds and his rehab schedule. It worked. Not only was Swett in the Witches’ lineup for their season opener at Bangor on Saturday, he pitched two innings of relief.

“I got my support boot off last Friday, I played Saturday, threw two innings and came in again tonight,” said Swett after Brewer’s 4-3 win over Old Town on Monday.

A Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference all-star as a sophomore and a member of the American Legion All-Zone 1 first team last summer, Swett knows he’s not close to full strength yet.

“I can’t run out ground balls,” he said. “If it’s not hit to the outfield there’s no way I’m getting on base. It’s hard to push off my back foot pitching, so I lose velocity where I can’t push off.”

But his presence – even at less than 100 percent – with Brad Brown in the 3-4 spots in the batting order gives Brewer one of the more formidable hitting duos in Eastern Maine Class A, although Witches’ coach David Morris is trying to be careful about how he uses Swett early in the season

“You have to watch out when you’re going to spot him,” said Morris. “He’s gimpy right now, but he’s going to come, and hopefully in a couple of weeks he’ll be in a position so we won’t have to use him as a DH and he can play somewhere regularly.”

Although he’s already ahead of schedule, Prentiss Swett can’t wait for that day. It’s an essential part of his high school experience.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net.