WOODBURY — In the twilight of a late-October sky, a free kick from Nonnewaug senior Noah Sapack seemed destined for the back of the net.  

With a booming right foot, Sapack bent his shot past the outstretched arm of the Gilbert School’s goalkeeper as it rippled the back of the net, setting off a roaring cheer strong enough to pull a shower of ruddy leaves from spectating trees. 

“We knew it was going in,” said head coach Toby Denman. “Before he kicked it, I turned to assistant coach [Josh] Kornblut and told him, ‘He’s making this.’”

Collectively, the Chiefs scored nine goals Oct. 22 on Senior Night, but those who know Sapack agree that Noah’s goal was especially meaningful. This singular goal was the perfect closure to Sapack’s connection with Nonnewaug soccer that began when he was just 8 years old. 

‘It Was Heartbreaking, But My Life Kept Going’

In 2015, Kenneth Sapack unexpectedly passed away, devastating his family and leaving his three children, Kylie, Caitlin, and Noah in tragedy’s wake.

“I didn’t know what to think really because I was so young and I didn’t understand what grief was,” Noah Sapack said. “It was harder for my sisters because they were older, but for me all I really noticed was that some things changed. I didn’t understand death. It was always very sad, but as I really started to understand it more, it was heartbreaking, but my life kept going.”

Grief is a difficult feeling for elementary-age children, but Sapack has always had support from his friends, family, and soccer community.

“Since our sisters were friends, Noah, Gavin [Sandor], and I naturally grew up as brothers,” said Liam Sandor, Sapack’s childhood best friend and teammate. “Our first memories were us playing soccer coached by Noah’s mom and her picking us up from school every day. Through elementary school, middle school, and now high school, Noah has always been my second brother. When his father passed away, it was a tragic shock that shook all of Woodbury.”

News of the Sapack’s family tragedy spread quickly through the greater Woodbury community. 

Denman felt the need to do something to give Noah and his mourning family something to celebrate. 

“I spoke to the team at the time, and we thought it was the right thing to do,” Denman remembers.

‘A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience’ Lasts a Season

And with that, an 8-year-old Noah Sapack would not only spend an afternoon with the team, but he’d be leading the team out of the opening tunnel. 

“Being a part of their Senior Night made me feel really good,” said Sapack. “It really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was in third grade when I got to do that, so I felt like a celebrity. Being able to be there with the older players was so cool and got me so excited to keep playing soccer.”

Soccer became Noah’s main distraction, helping him cope while grieving the loss of his dad. Sapack’s positive character did not let the tragedy weigh him down; remarkably, he grew stronger.

“It may seem weird saying this, but losing my dad actually changed my soccer life for the better,” Sapack said. “Unfortunately, everything happens for a reason. If that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have gotten to know Coach Denman and his team, and that part of my life completely changed me.”

“It gave him something to do and be happy about,” Denman said, noting that Noah’s story with the team did not end with one game. “Then he was just there for the rest of the season, and we had one of the best seasons we’ve ever had. He was just around. He was part of the team and just one of the guys, our little 8-year-old teammate.”

Young Noah would run along the sidelines. The dichotomy was seemingly perfect: Sapack, all 4-foot-5 of him, holding an outsized impact on the team that day — and for the rest of the season. 

“He loved every second of it. I’m not sure he realized it at the moment, but we may have enjoyed it just as much as he did,” said Denman. 

For those playing in the games, Sapack’s impact was especially powerful.

“We all saw it as someone who needs a bit of a distraction from everything, and we were just happy we could play a role to help that,” said Riley Baker, a soccer player who graduated in 2017. “I think the most surprising thing was how much of an impact he ended up having on all of us. … Regardless of everything going on around him, there was an undeniable spark of excitement when he was on the field, which in turn made our own time on the field more enjoyable.”

Sapack’s impact didn’t end that afternoon; instead, Noah could be seen at practices and games for the rest of the fall season, a mascot, an inspiration for a group of high school athletes.

“Once Noah joined the team, it became more than soccer,” said Baker. “Our team had somebody and something to fight for beyond just normal competition.”

“When Noah came in, it immediately provided a spark for the team,” said Conor Coleman, one of Baker’s teammates. “We all wanted to rally around him. He was an amazing kid to have in our group and quickly became another member of the team.”

Although these players were 10 years older than Noah, it did not interfere with their ability to become his new best friends. From the soccer pitch formed an unbreakable bond. 

“In 2016, they came to my birthday party,” Sapack recalled.

In that moment, an 8-year old still grappling with grief, was surrounded by teenagers who knew their relationship with Sapack was bigger than anything they’d accomplish on the field.

“It felt so good to have them all be there for me,” Sapack remembers. “After being with them the whole soccer season, I sort of found the ones I gravitated towards. To this day, I still consider them my friends. I built friendships for life from that team.”

Perseverance Personified

A senior leader on the 2024 Chiefs, Sapack fought through more than just personal tragedy. A pair of leg injuries have hampered him in a sport where speed and burst can make all the difference. 

Sophomore year, Sapack suffered his first major injury, leading him to undergo surgery and taking him out of the game. Then, his attempt to return from the injury went awry.

“In a game sophomore year, I dislocated my left knee and I tried to just walk it off,” said Sapack. “After that game, my season was over. In preseason junior year, I was playing goalie and I dove out, and even though I was wearing my brace, I dislocated my knee again. I tore my MPFL [medial patellofemoral ligament] and had to get surgery, meaning I had to sit bench the rest of the year.”

Fast forward to this past fall and Sapack once again was hampered with injuries — but this time, he refused to miss time with his teammates, knowing this was his final season of Nonnewaug soccer.

“This year my recovery was looking good and I was playing again, but in the preseason I tore the ligament again,” Sapack said. “I played the whole season with a swollen knee and a torn ligament because I knew I only had one year left. Sometimes it hurt so bad I’d have to sit, but it was better than missing the whole season. I wasn’t going to stop.”

Despite the obstacles, Sapack’s energy and leadership have remained consistent. 

“He’s had some injuries, and he’s probably not had the personal high school career he wished he could have had, but that does not lessen his importance and significance to this program,” Denman said. “Especially this year, it is really hard to have two goalkeepers because you can’t play two people at once, but if he’s disappointed, his actions don’t show it.”

For Sapack’s current teammates, Noah’s perseverance isn’t just clear; it’s personified in everything he does.

“No matter how much we pick on him, the amount of injuries he faces, or the number of times we get into arguments, he’s the most compassionate, trustworthy brother,” Sandor said. “No matter what he always keeps his head up no matter the challenge.”

“He’s pure energy,” Denman said. “He’s the first guy off the bench cheering on his teammates. As a high school player, Noah is awesome. He’s the consummate, ideal teammate. Our culture is so strong because of guys like him. It’s a testament to Noah.”

Sapack’s senior season has come to a close after reaching the Berkshire League tournament championship and the Class M state tournament second round. For this rendition of Chiefs soccer, it won’t just be remembered for wins and losses, but the common bond that brought the group together beyond tragedy: a brotherhood.

“On the soccer team, he strengthens the bonds between us,” said Sandor. “There’s nothing that stops Noah from being Noah. I’m proud to call him my brother and I admire his courage, generosity, and humbleness.”

The symmetry is all too perfect: Sapack leading the 2016 Chiefs against Gilbert and now, in the fall of 2024, Sapack delivering a critical goal on Senior Night against, you guessed it, Gilbert. They were moments etched in NHS soccer glory, eight years apart.

“I’ve been playing with all the same people since my mom coached us in Woodbury Youth Soccer little league,” Sapack said. “We’ve all played together for over 10 years. I can’t believe it’s over.”

This story was originally published on NHS Chief Advocate on November 20, 2024.