By the time Shane Smith left the field following the Hand football team’s 21-20 loss to St. Joseph in the Class L State Playoffs, the senior had pretty much decided it would be his last night as a football player. Shane had options to play football in college, but as much as he loves the sport, especially the camaraderie and physicality, that playoff game marked the final time Shane will take the gridiron.

“I knew before the season ended that it would likely be the road I took. It was bittersweet for me, knowing it was going to be my last game,” says Shane. “We fought really hard. I think it was the hardest we’d played all year, and I was proud of everyone. We played a great game, scratched and clawed until the end.”

Every year, seniors graduate and begin their new phase of life. It’s the hope of every parent and administrator that they have the confidence and self-awareness that’s necessary to successfully navigate the world. Hand football Head Coach Erik Becker has no doubt that Shane will thrive beyond high school.

“Shane’s an exceptional young man with great character and work ethic. We ask our guys to own their 20 square feet of space in our culture every day, because what we do within it will influence everyone else. Shane embodies that every day in the weight room, the classroom, and on the field,” Becker says. “He’s a 4.0 kid, an All-League caliber player. He’s an example of what we hope all our players will be—a gentleman first, a scholar second, and an athlete third—and then max out their potential in all three areas.”

Shane got his opportunity to start for Hand as a senior and had solid season by making 13 catches for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Three of his receptions were particularly notable. Shane caught a 79-yard touchdown pass versus North Haven, scored on a 61-yard connection against Notre Dame-West Haven, and made a 38-yard catch in the playoff game against St. Joseph

Smith says that the catch in the Notre Dame game was special, but adds that the one against North Haven was his most memorable.

“Against Notre Dame, I just got behind the defense and [senior quarterback Patch Flanagan] threw me a great deep ball. It was an awesome feeling running in the open field and trying not to get caught from behind,” says Shane. “But the catch I made against North Haven was my favorite memory, because it was a close game and we won 28-21. It was the first touchdown of the game.”

As much as he loves football, Shane admits that there was a time when he was uncertain if he wanted to play the sport in high school. Looking back at his tenure, Shane feels glad that he decided to suit up for the Tigers.

“I had my doubts, but my family and youth coaches talked me into it,” Shane says. “Once I got to high school, I really bought into the culture, the lifting, doing the hard work. And I guess it all paid off for me.”

Coach Becker believes that everything has worked out perfectly for Shane. Becker says that Shane made immense progress during his career with the Hand football squad.

“I know when he was growing up, he was not the star of his youth football team. If you saw him in 7th grade and asked yourself who would grow to be 6-foot-2, lift 450 pounds, and run 20 miles per hour, you probably wouldn’t have pointed to him,” says Becker. “But he worked very hard and made the choice to become his best. And he achieved that goal.”

Now that the football season is finished, Shane is participating in a winter sport with the Tigers. The senior is hitting the slopes a member of Hand’s skiing team.

“That’s been a cool experience, too,” Shane says of skiing. “It’s definitely a different crowd than the football team. I have some great friends. We race once a week at Mt. Southington and practice once a week.”

As important as sports are to Shane, he has future aspirations that go far beyond the world of athletes. Shane plans to major in business in college and has an interest in entrepreneurship. Shane and his teammate Cam Testa run their own landscaping business called CCS Landscaping.

“We help out some of our friends and teammates with jobs when we have something bigger to do like mulching. That’s really been fun. We have between 10 to 20 lawns that we do in the summer—mowing, weed-whacking, leaf blowing. And in the winter, we keep busy with shoveling and snow blowing,” says Shane. “Cam and I both have pickup trucks, and we started doing off jobs like moving people and doing dump runs, and it kind of grew from there. We bought a trailer, our friend had a ride-on lawnmower, and we got more equipment as time went on.”

Shane, who is a member of the National Honor Society at Hand, also founded his high school’s charitable Make-A-Wish club.

“Last year, we raised about $2,000 and donated a car through a fundraiser. We’re going to something like it again this year,” Shane says. “I’ve had a meeting with our local Make-A-Wish representative. We have a few fundraisers set up. Maybe a raffle, too.”

While Shane doesn’t yet know where he is going to college, one thing is for certain. Shane will be entering the next chapter of his life with a treasure trove of warm memories from his time growing up in Madison.

“One thing I’ll always remember is being at Strong Field on a Friday night and seeing all the people there supporting you, the little kids wearing their youth jerseys giving us high fives, the alumni. And Coach Becker, who is very committed to the culture. He’s taught us we’re a part of something that’s bigger than ourselves and we have a legacy to live up to,” says Shane. “I’m very proud of my time in high school. I had a great football career, and I’ve managed to keep up my grades. I’ve built many wonderful relationships.”