Even with the various solo accolades in both his athletic and scholastic endeavors, Sam Sisk has always put the various squads he has participated on and the teammates he competed alongside before himself and never harvested the praise upon himself–making him one of the most consummate professional athletes, peers, and students at the high school tier.

Sam, a senior captain for the Tigers’ boys’ lacrosse team this spring and varsity member since sophomore year, earned Second Team All-State honors as a sophomore and then garnered First Team recognition as a junior–the same campaign in which he was selected First Team All-SCC. As of press time, he is seventh in program history for total points with 175, 17th in goals (84), and fourth for assists (with 100). He has also committed to play lax at Babson College.

The attacker was also a wide receiver for the Hand football squad and was recently honored for his athletic and academic prowess by the Casey-O’Brien New Haven County Chapter of the National Football Foundation as a scholar athlete last month.

“It was an amazing award and ceremony to share with guys from some of the other schools. It is a huge thanks to my coaches and teammates, because without them, I would not be a leader or be recognized. It is more showing how great they have all been,” says Sam on the distinction. “The guys, my teammates, have made me stick with both sports. The friendships I have made and lessons I have learned through sports shaped me into who I am today.”

Sam further showcases his selfless nature when speaking to his well-roundedness as a student-athlete, noting that the duality and delicate balance of the books and the balls is a task that takes its toll not only just upon him, but others who have an athletic endeavor year-round.

“Balancing school and sports is really tough on all of us, especially those kids that do two and three sports each year,” Sam says. “It is all about time management, and I had to learn that quickly, but it helped me season to season. I picked up harder classes for college recently, but I have had a great support system of my family and friends. I am especially thankful to my parents for keeping me on track.”

When it comes to his current standing on the Tigers’ all-time stat column for tallies and helpers, Sam is very humble by simply thanking all the peripheral parts around him and simultaneously focusing on the paramount squad objectives of prevailing in each matchup.

“It is huge to be part of something bigger than yourself,” says Sam, who recorded his 100th career lacrosse assist in a win over Brien McMahon on April 22. “I said to the guys in the locker room after the McMahon game that my accolades are about them. As a team, if we are not winning, then there is no point to it all. Myself being top 10 in points and assists is a credit to my teammates for finishing with the ball. We have had a great year and look to keep it going.”

Looking at the Xs and Os and offensive schemes and scenarios on the actual turf, Sam proclaims that his swiftness and elusiveness have suited him well when it comes to producing points while working alongside ideal mates, with whom he shares only the highest-caliber chemistry.

“I like having the ball in my stick, and I love facilitating out there,” says Sam. “It is also great to have guys out there that I work really well together with. I love to dodge, draw a slide, and then see what happens. For me, it is any way I can get the ball into the net.”

Hand boys’ lacrosse Head Coach John Orlando explains that Sam has shown himself as a once-in-a-generation player in the pantheon of the Tigers’ prominent history while simultaneously acting as a dedicated competitor on the turf and immersing himself as a steadfast, team-first steward off of it as captain.

“I was Sam’s 8th-grade coach and also his varsity coach for his whole career. He is one of the top attackmen to come out of Hand since I have been involved and around the program dating back to 2004,” says Orlando. “He is a tremendous worker and a student of the game, always learning and getting better everyday. He is a great example for younger players to emulate. He is a captain of the team and a strong leader by example. He gives 100% on every rep at practice and games. He has put the time in to get where he is today throughout youth and high school lacrosse. He is even a better guy than his ability on the lacrosse field. He is respectful, attentive, and very coachable. It has been a pleasure and privilege coaching Sam.”

Very similar sentiments about Sam are expressed by Tigers’ football Head Coach Erik Becker, who declares that the leader never saw any task being menial or beneath him—even if it meant maintaining the field after a contest.

“Sam is an outstanding representation of the kind of young people we have at Hand. He embodies everything we hope for in a young person,” says Becker. “Sam is a fierce competitor who brings joy to the process of getting better every day. Once he crosses the white lines, he changes from the nicest kid in the world to the fiercest competitor on the field. As a captain, Sam is the ultimate servant leader. He stayed late to clean up our sideline and locker room. He carried the water. He never put himself above anyone else. He was outstanding in every sense of the word. He will be impossible to replace. There is only one Sam Sisk.”

Sam observes that he has grown more into himself as he has matured through his tenure at Hand, making an athlete who can serve out marvelous maneuvers and take them as well. Mentally, much like in the classroom, he has become a burgeoning scholar student of the sport.

“In the past year or so, I have grown a little bit more into my frame,” Sam says. “I have always been a smaller and skinnier guy, but filling out has helped me with my play and the ability to take hits. I have also improved in my preparation by watching film and talking to teammates and coaches. With all of it, we put together really good game plans and know what to expect. It has made the teams I have played on a lot better and more unified.”

As Sam gets ready to set sail to Babson in Massachusetts and make a similar impact as a Beaver that he did as a Tiger in Madison, he begins to close and reflect on his Hand chapter by stating how the pandemic produced gratitude and drove a championship-level attitude for all parties involved.

“I wanted to make a mark at Hand, and I look to do the same at Babson,” says Sam. “It is a perfect situation for me, and I could not be more excited or ready to take the next step. It has been an incredible experience at Hand. The COVID seasons have only made my senior class and the connections with the other classes more special. Those years taught us to never take anything for granted, and we took that to heart with our teams. I am grateful for all of my family, teammates, and coaches here. It could not have been a better four years.”