Q&A with DB/WR/KR Nathan Sleiman

One of the top teams in the NEPSAC ranks this fall is St. Paul's of Concord, N.H., which is off to a 4-0 start. 

One of the key contributors to that team is North Quincy's Nathan Sleiman, who just joined the program this year.

We reached out to Nathan to get his thoughts on the team and how his experience has been at St. Paul's so far.

Here is an edited version of that conversation.

MassVarsity: What prompted you to go from North Quincy High to St. Paul's? How was that transition from a day school to a boarding school?

NS: I first began thinking about attending a prep school last year primarily because I wanted to focus more on academics, and to also improve in both football and track. After visiting St. Paul’s, seeing the campus, and meeting the coaches, I knew it would be the best place for me improve both academically and athletically and be successful at the next level.     

The transition from a public school to a boarding school was/is a big adjustment for me. I was really looking forward to starting this chapter of my life the entire summer, but it was my first time living away from home and my family, so it’s taken a while to get accustomed to. Everyone at St Paul’s has been very accommodating and supportive throughout the process, particularly my coaches and teachers, which has really helped a lot.  

  

MV: What positions do you play for St Paul's, and are they any different from North Quincy?

NS: I play defensive back/wide receiver/kick returner. This is my first year playing wide receiver as my primary position on offense and it’s a bit of an adjustment for me after being a running back my whole life. I also really like returning kicks, which I didn’t get to do a lot of last season. The biggest difference I’d say is that I’ve been able to get in a lot more quality reps in on defense this year just because I’m not running the ball 20-plus times a game like I did last season.     

MV: What type of offense and defense do you run at St. Paul's? How have you liked your roles in them so far?

NS: We run a multiple spread offense and mostly run a 4-2-5 on defense. I play field corner on defense and slot receiver on offense. So far I’ve liked my roles a lot and feel that I’m contributing on both sides of the ball. And because of the way our offense is run I’ve been able to get the ball in a lot of different ways, which has been great. 

MV: What are some of your best times in track?

NS: My PRs in running events is 7.97 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles, and 15.25 in the 110-meter hurdles. My best event in track is the triple jump and my PR is 45-feet, 7-inches, which was No. 2 in Massachusetts last year. I’ve qualified for Nationals in the triple jump the twice so far in high school, and my goal is to improve on my personal bests this upcoming season.  

MV: Do you know any of your statistics from this season?

NS: Honestly I’m not sure, I don’t really focus on personal statistics, but more on always consistently improving my game. I’ve had some catches and runs on offense, but I do know that I’ve been almost perfect in pass coverage on defense and have some tackles for losses and caused a few fumbles. 

MV: What are your personal and team goals for the season?

NS: My personal goals this year are to work as hard as possible and to challenge myself in everything that I do. Working hard and challenging myself is how I try to separate myself from others in both football and track. I always try to push myself to continually improve in everything that I do and I feel that this is one of my best personal traits.

Our team goal is to go undefeated and win a bowl game this season. This is without a doubt the most talented and close-knit team that I have ever been a part of.  We are continuing to improve every week and still haven’t reached our full potential, and last week’s win over New Hampton (49-21) was a step in the right direction. I know that the level of football up north can be overlooked a lot but this team is special, we have so many good players at almost every position and everyone works really well together.   

MV: Do you know if you'd rather play track or football in college? What level of either would you hope to play?

NS: Ideally I’d like to compete in both football and track at the Division 1 level. I know it won’t be easy continuing with two sports, but both sports have always truly helped with my preparation for the other since I started when I was young. It will be different with spring football in college and how that will affect the outdoor track season so I guess I’ll have to see how it plays out, but most of the coaches I’ve talked to so far in the recruiting process have been supportive of me continuing to play both at the next level.

MV: Do you have any other numbers that coaches should know, like height and weight, 40 time, lifting numbers, etc.?

NS: I’m 6-0, 180 pounds and my PRs for this summer were 4.65 40 time, 265 bench, 545 deadlift, and 475 squat. My goals for this past offseason were to get bigger, faster, stronger, and to also improve my route running, which I feel I did. I was also able to work out a lot at Edge Performance in Foxboro which really made a difference.