Male Athlete of the Year: Ethan Silcher

Senior Ethan Silcher’s high school journey had ups and downs after recovering from a torn ACL which didn’t allow him to play his junior season for both football and basketball. 

Despite his lack of production in both sports, he managed to gain the starting quarterback role as well as the starting point guard role in his respective sports. 

“I had to work harder than a lot of other people [since they] were in a different position than me,” Ethan Silcher said. “I was at my house for three months and couldn’t walk, and after that I tried my best to get back. [I]ended up getting the starting spot and was able to play sports my senior year.”

Silcher has continually shown his commitment to becoming a key role in both his sports; however, it wasn’t a surprise that he had so much talent.

An athletic path has always been paved for him as both his mom (cheerleader), dad (baseball, basketball, and football player), cousin (all american defensive end who played at Vermont), and twin sister (softball) were/are varsity athletes.

In particular, Silcher’s dad was a 3 sport athlete to go along with being the captain for football, baseball, and basketball at Pascack Hills. 

“He was the captain of all three sports at Hills and he was centerfield, running back, and point guard,” Silcher said. “We had the point guard role in common but he was a lot bigger than me.”

The love of sports comes naturally within the Silcher family as Ethan’s twin sister, Madison Silcher, is also a great athlete. 

As a twin you always want to be better than the other half, but when you are similar to your twin that makes you even more eager to come out as the “better” twin. 

“It’s good because we have that competitive aspect,” Silcher said. “We always want to be better than the other and [it] pushes us to be better, but it’s fun for us.”

As a multi-sport athlete, the drive to win and the fierce competitive nature is eminent. Whether Silcher was on the sidelines or in for the last minute of the game, his attitude was always to win.

“I’ve always been competitive and know when you’re in that game setting the adrenaline [in] football is just different,” Silcher said. “It’s crazy and the competitive aspect is unlike anything else. Winners want to win and when you win, it’s a great feeling.” 

Additionally, being a quarterback comes with great responsibility and leadership, which Silcher has in abundance. 

“Being a quarterback you have to be the leader and when things are going wrong or things are going good you always need to have a positive aspect for the team,” Silcher said. “You have to let them know that the next play is the most important.”

However, life as a quarterback comes with tons of pressure and expectations from your teammates, coaches, and even the fans. When a mistake is made on the offensive side, you are the one held responsible for it. 

“The nerves are crazy before the games,” Silcher said. “Then once you get in the game, you’re all locked in. You make a big play and see the crowd going crazy. It’s the best feeling.”