Senior Profile: Sean Lissemore Javelin,” Lissemore Said
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By Jack Lambert ’11, SID Assistant although he played in every game his sophomore and junior season, he no The football field, emerald green with longer could fly. chalk-white lines separating right from He still was fast, but because of the wrong, has always been the canvas of injury he could no longer play at an elite the impossible. And although few are level. Instead of drinking deeply from the able, there are a lucky few with special Pyrean spring, for the first time in his life talent who, when they step on the foot- Lissemore felt all too mortal. ball field, have the ability to fly. “It was really frustrating,” Lissemore Sean Lissemore can fly. said of his injury. “It was probably the You see, the Tribe’s senior defensive equivalent of when you get older and tackle has always been fast, the type of you can’t physically compete at the same fast that makes you sit up and take no- level. It was the same feeling.” tice. It’s been that way ever since he tried Lissemore admitted that even at the out for the track team in ninth grade. start of last season, he was not one hun- “I tried out for track in high school and I dred percent healthy. was planning on doing the discus or the “I went ahead and got the surgery Senior Profile: Sean Lissemore javelin,” Lissemore said. “But this one done [in the offseason] but the thing scrimmage…I went to the coach and I about it was, the time frame after I got was like, ‘Hey coach, can I try the 100 my shoulder surgery was about four or [meter dash]? I’m pretty fast.’” five months and generally a full heal Wearing high-top basketball sneak- is anywhere to six plus [months].” Lis- ers, Lissemore lined up in the starting semore said. Senior Sean Lissemore blocks next to kids half his body weight. “When I came into the N.C. State When the gun went off, the 230-pound game I was actually a month early, so much on us, it’s what we’re expected to freshman then proceeded to out-sprint I was a little bit nervous. I got through do and we’re ready to do that.” the sprinters. the game; I played decent but I didn’t It is the talents of the defensive line “I ran a twelve [seconds], twelve flat, play anywhere near where I could,” Lis- as well as the entire team that allow Lis- something like that and that was pretty semore said. semore to look at the schedule with an decent,” Lissemore said. “So coach goes, It was not until halfway through the even greater optimism than ever be- ‘You ran a twelve with those big Franken- 2008 season that Lissemore and the fore. stein shoes on? ...We’ll give you a shot.” coaching staff felt he was returning to his “The past couple years, you could Soon outfitted in more proper footwear, original ability. look at the schedule and say optimisti- Lissemore became one of the larger and “The thing I liked was that he fin- cally, I don’t think there’s a team that we more successful 100m-200m runners in ished the [2007] season and was physi- can’t beat but this season I can look at New Jersey. By his senior year, Lissemore cally hurt,” defensive line coach Trevor the schedule and say, there is no team consistently ran a time of 11.20 seconds Andrews said. “It showed the toughness that we can’t beat. There’s no doubt in in the 100m, earning him four-year and the intangibles that coaches look for. my mind that we can’t do it. It’s just how letterman and all-league distinction. Because of the surgery though, he was I feel; I’m that confident,” Lissemore “I got the weirdest looks ever,” Lis- not full strength to start the season [last said. semore said. “Like I’d be in the line-up year]. He was good enough to start on “I don’t care if it’s UVA or JMU; if you and they’d be like, ‘You know shot put is our defense, but he was frustrated be- ask me which team and why, I can tell that way?’” cause he was not making the plays he you exactly why. I’ve thought about this His large frame didn’t hurt on the wanted to be breaking off.” hundreds of times…there’s no reason gridiron, though, and by his senior sea- Lissemore began breaking off plays why we should lose a game this year,” son, Lissemore had earned first-team with more regularity starting with the Lissemore said. all-league and first-team all-county hon- New Hampshire game, where he record- For now, Lissemore remains uncon- ors at the linebacker position. He racked ed a career-high 10 tackles and a sack. cerned with his post-collegiate football up 120 tackles to go along with nine Following that game, Lissemore aver- goals. Lissemore’s 4.8 second time in the sacks and one interception as a senior aged 5.57 tackles-per-game compared 40-yard dash at William and Mary’s Pro and by the time Lissemore left Dumont to the 3 tackles-per-game he averaged Day in the Spring certainly didn’t hurt his High School, he had helped the Huskies through the first four contests. pro prospects, especially considering the to its best record in 20 years and a berth “He would come talk to me [early in fact that he ran it two days after spring in the state playoffs. the season] and say ‘I just want to make practice on tired legs. Lissemore redshirted as a freshman plays. I don’t want to feel like I’m not But for now, Lissemore’s goals re- at William and Mary, putting on weight doing anything’,” Andrews said. “He just main in the present. He wants to double as he made the permanent switch to needed his strength back, his range of his totals in tackles, tackles for a loss a defensive lineman. He didn’t see the motion, but also his confidence.” and sacks from last season and he also field at Zable Stadium until his redshirt- Lissemore’s presence in the middle wants to leave the field having reached freshman season, where he played in also helped free up space for his coun- the personal heights he set for himself in 10 games. Ranking third among defen- terparts on the defensive line. It’s no both effort and accomplishments. sive linemen with 33 tackles, Lissemore coincidence that after the game at New “My goal is that when I walk the field finished his that year with season-high Hampshire, the Tribe went from allowing after my last game, which is hopefully seven tackles against Richmond. 173.8 rushing-yards-per-contest to only in Chattanooga,” Lissemore said, “that I Then, the hard times. 139.67 yards-per-game. feel confident that I played the best that Midway through his sophomore “The level of competition that we I could this season and that we went as season, in a game against Towson, Lis- have on our own defensive line is really far as we should go.” semore hurt his shoulder. He aggravat- incomparable,” Lissemore said. “What “I’m going to play with it in the back ed the injury against Villanova, missed we expect as a unit is we expect to dom- of my mind that every play could be my the following game versus Maine and inate and to lead this team. It’s pretty last,” Lissemore said. “And just go for it.” www.tribeathletics.com 53.