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07/12/2018 12:00 AMWhether he was feeding his teammates the ball or putting away goals himself, Nate Palumbo had a knack for dodging the opposition as a member of the Hand boys’ lacrosse team. Nate’s elusiveness on the turf helped him produce a stellar senior season for a Tigers’ club that went on another memorable playoff run in 2018.
Nate scored 40 goals and had 47 assists for a total of 87 points on his way to being named Hand’s Most Outstanding Player this spring. The senior captain attacker made the All-SCC and All-State First Team, in addition to earning Academic All-State and All-American distinction for the Tigers. Nate also guided Hand to the championship game of the Class M State Tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
“[Hand boys’ lacrosse Head Coach John Orlando] has coached me since 3rd grade, so he was a great help this year. I’ve always been a dodger and x-attacker, so being that big dodger allowed me to score goals,” says Nate. “We had a lot of guys that came back this year, and we were fortunate to make it to the state finals again.”
Nate used a trademark maneuver that involved a little multitasking in order to put up points for the Tigers. Nate showcased his two-handed move during his team’s biggest victory of the season.
“One of my go-to moves is when I dodge with my left hand, but keep the stick in my right hand and backhand the ball in,” Nate says. “I actually did it twice in our state semifinals win.”
Nate absorbed a lot from the leaders that preceded him as he worked his way up to the rank of captain. When he stepped into that position, Nate used what he’d learned to serve as an ideal role model for squad that put it all on the line every day.
“My freshman year, I was called to stand on the sidelines for varsity, and I learned from great leaders that helped pave the path for me to be captain,” says Nate. “We had a great year. Everyone bought into the idea of going back to the finals. We played all-out every game, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”
Coach Orlando says that Nate was typically guarded by some of the best defenders in the SCC this season. Still, the extra attention couldn’t prevent Nate from coming up big in the clutch time and again for the Tigers.
“Nate led the team in scoring during some very big games this season,” says Orlando. “He often drew the top defender from the other team.”
Nate will continue his lacrosse career when he plays at Connecticut College in New London next year. He believes that his time as a student-athlete at Hand is going to serve him well in the future. Nate says the experience taught him about what it takes to be both a top-notch attacker and a person of high character.
“Every game is a challenge and opportunity to get better, so playing the best players was an early college experience for me and made me more confident,” says Nate. “My coaches at Hand helped develop my skills on attack, and I’ve made so many friends here. I still talk to former teammates in college. I’ve met so many people through the sport, as well.”