Dean Siapkaris '15 Recruiting Profile

I cannot remember a time that I didn’t play football. I started playing when I weighed forty five pounds and stood about 42 inches tall. The knee pads fell to my ankles because I couldn’t find football pants that were small enough. My uniform was kept in place by duct tape because it was so big. But I never gave up and eventually grew and became stronger and tougher. I played every year with the Barrington Youth Football Program and loved every minute.

In addition, I played year round travel soccer from kindergarten to eighth grade. The culmination of my soccer career came with a Midwest Indoor Championship and a trip as a finalist to the National Indoor Championship in Novi, Michigan.

When I became a freshman in high school a decision had to be made as to which sport I would play. I was not allowed to play two sports in a season at my high school. So, although I really enjoyed soccer, I knew the answer had to be football. American football, that is!

Although I had played all skilled positions in football over the years, I thought the years of strengthening my kicking leg in soccer would really be an asset in being a football kicker. So, I decided to exclusively put my heart and soul into kicking training and forego other football positions.

In addition to the ten years of travel soccer, I trained extensively with football kicking specialists and attended every specialty kicking camp to come through the mid west. Recently I was honored to be invited to the Kohl’s National Scholarship Invite and just last month I won the Midwest Last Man Standing Field Goal Competition at a National Camp Series.

I am always challenging myself in all aspects of my life. In addition to the year round athletic training and camps, I am enrolled in honors classes and am currently in two AP classes. I am a part of the Barrington High School Studio TV and a part of the inaugural Business Incubator Program at school. I am trying to be as academically accomplished as I could be and am striving towards a great score on my upcoming ACT.  During spring I participate in lacrosse. I have played on the high school team every year and have attended the Notre Dame lacrosse summer camp every year as well.

I also believe strongly in volunteering to make our world a better place. I volunteer for the Relay for Life, and help at a local animal shelter. Currently, I am also in the process of starting a new fundraising drive to get donations to find a cure for brain cancer. I lost my uncle to brain cancer when he was only 38 and its very important to me to help find a cure so no one else has to go through the pain, surgeries and treatments my uncle had to.

In conclusion, as I approach the end of my time in high school and look towards college, I cannot fathom a future without playing football. It is a huge part of my life. It has helped shape me into the person I am today. It has taught me discipline, hard work, brotherhood, commitment, fitness and loyalty. My ultimate goal is to get a quality higher education that will be the foundation of my adult life and play football during those collegiate years.