Though I focus mainly on big topics in the collegiate and professional sports world, I thought it would be nice to give a shout out to all of those who are now playing sports at a competitive level who have come through my high school, St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, CT.  The school is grades five through twelve and the high school itself is only about 300 people so when we see athletic excellence here, we tend to notice.  Here are some of the biggest names that have played here at SLS.

Noel Thomas Jr. – Starting wide receiver for the UCONN Huskies football team.

Noel is far and away, the best football player I’ve ever had the opportunity to play with.  He was a senior captain when I was a freshman and absolutely lit up opposing teams.  Noel played running back, wide receiver, quarterback, safety, defensive back, and occasionally made an appearance as a pass rushing outside linebacker.

High School:

• Named to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class C All-New England team
• Named by MSG Varsity as its Connecticut Player of the Year
• Was team captain and MVP at St. Luke’s.
• The team was 8-1 in his senior year and advanced to Fairfield Athletic Association (FAA) championship game and also won NEPSAC Class C championship with a victory in the Dan Rorke Bowl.
• Had 2,000 yards of offense with 25 touchdowns in senior year and a total of 4,888 yards of offense with 53 TDs

(UCONN official football website)

Noel was given a full scholarship offer to play wide receiver for the Huskies in 2012.  They decided not to redshirt him because they believed he could make a positive impact on the team as a true freshman.  During his freshman year, he played a primarily special teams role and subbed in at receiver when they needed help.  However, during his sophomore year, he has proven he can hang with top tier competition at the receiver position.  Thomas’ production increased in the latter portion of the season for a total of 26 receptions, 305 yards, and a team high four receiving touchdowns.  Next year as a junior, expect Noel to turn some heads.  If he continues to progress at such a rapid rate, who knows, the NFL could most definitely be in his not so distant future.

Salma Anastasio- Starting forward on Clemson’s women’s soccer team

Salma graduated St. Luke’s in 2014.  Watching a girls soccer player of her caliber was something that nobody had seen before at the school.  Whenever she got the ball you could hear parents and students say stuff like “I guarantee she scores” or “why do they even try to guard her?”  She was selected three consecutive years to the all state, all New England, and all FAA teams.  Salma is now a freshman at Clemson.  Not only did she start her freshman year, she dominated.  She was chosen as a member of the Freshman All-ACC team.  The Clemson Tigers women’s soccer team had a great year (13-3-3) and Salma was a huge part of that success.

Cameron Wilson – Winner of 2014-15 NCAA Division I Golf Championship (Stanford), and now on the PGA tour.

Wilson, a SLS graduate in 2010, has gone on to be one of the best collegiate golfers in the country.  In high school he was ranked in the list of top ten golfers in the country by Golfweek/Sagarin.  He starting playing golf for Stanford in 2010 and has had unbelievable success in his four years on the team.  Though, none more stellar than his senior season that included three first place finishes.  One of them being the NCAA Championship.  No big deal or anything.  Wilson graduated from Stanford in 2014 and is now officially on the card for the 14-15 PGA tour.  The transition from college to the big times will undoubtedly be a tough transition but I have faith Wilson will do very well in the PGA.

These three recent athletic talents are not the only big time players to once roam the halls of St. Luke’s School.  The school has a deep history of players going on to play at major collegiate sports programs.  For example, Pat Powers ‘00 now holds the all time three point record at Brown.  Also, Tommy McDonagh ‘07 competed with some of the best talent in the nation playing golf at Penn State.  These are just a few examples.  The school is now becoming recognized as not only a school of excellent academics but also because of its competitive athletic programs. The amount of young athletic talent here is outstanding for a small prep school.