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Yukica Profile: Rolando Sylvain-Stott

NOTE: The 2020 Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation Scholar/Athlete banquet was cancelled this year because of COVID-19. Each Scholar/Athlete will be recognized with a commemorative program, a plaque and a personal profile that will appear in the program, on the New Hampshire Football Report, the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter web site (joeyukicafootballfoundation.org) and the Joe Yukica/New Hampshire Chapter Facebook page. This is one in a series of 39 profiles. Once published, each profile can be accessed by clicking on the athlete’s name at the bottom of the page.

ROLANDO SYLVAIN-STOTT
Newfound Regional High School

It’s unlikely that any NHIAA football player in the Class of 2020 made more progress from his freshman season to his senior year than Newfound Regional running back/defensive end Rolando Sylvain-Stott, who moved from an orphanage in Haiti to the United States in 2010.

“To show you how raw he was as a freshman he ran onto the field and went to the wrong huddle,” Newfound Regional coach Ray Kershaw said. “He went to Monadnock’s huddle instead of ours. We had white jerseys, they had green jerseys. He didn’t know what end of the football to carry, but he was dedicated. He was committed. He bought into the weight room. He bought into conditioning. He knew it would pay off.”

When Sylvain-Stott was in middle school he was introduced to flag football by Bryan Richardson, a community member who supports football in the Bristol area. Sylvain-Stott transitioned to the full-contact version of the sport when he began high school. He broke the school record for yards rushing in a season last year, when he ran for 1,396 yards and 15 touchdowns on 216 carries (seven games).

Kershaw said Sylvain-Stott’s big senior season came as no surprise.

“Rolando is a perfect example of what hard work and dedication will do for an athlete,” he said. “When he was a freshman he wasn’t very strong. He was very raw and talented. As an individual he wouldn’t look you in the eye. When you talked to him he would look at the ground. Socially, he had a lot of stuff to work on, but he was constantly lifting and trying to better himself. He’s really come full circle since his freshman year.”

According to Kershaw, Sylvain-Stott made huge strides academically during his high school years as well. Because of the improvement he made in school and on the football field, Sylvain-Stott became one of 39 players selected for the Scholar/Athlete Award by the Joe Yukica New Hampshire Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Sylvain-Stott, who also competed in baseball and track and field for Newfound, served as a student council representative during his senior year. He was a Division IV First Team selection at running back, and was chosen to represent New Hampshire against Vermont in this summer’s Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, which is scheduled for Aug. 1 at Castleton (Vt.) University.

He was also chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player following the 2019 season.

“Rolando has always been very organized academically, but he’s more outgoing now,” Newfound assistant coach Josh Kershaw (Ray’s son) said “He’s a leader by example. Kids follow him because he does the right thing. 

“We all knew he was going to be a good player, but it just took a lot of time and dedication to get him to where he needed to be.” 

Q and A with Rolando Sylvain-Stott

Q: Please describe the most memorable moment of your high school football career. 

A: The most memorable moment for me is my senior year playing football. The reason is because my improvement at my positions since when I first began playing was huge. 

Q: Tell us about someone who has had a significant influence on your life.

A: Bryan Richardson got me involved in football and he always believed I had the capability to become better at anything I put my mind to. 

Q: What is your favorite subject in school and why? 

A: My favorite subject is AP stats because the teacher I have makes it fun. 

Q: What life lessons have you learned from football?

A: The life lesson I have learned is you can achieve anything if you work hard enough and remain patient. 

Q: What is your dream job? 

A: My dream job is to run a gym with a nutrition center attached to it. 

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2020 Scholar/Athletes: Keith Albergo (Winnacunnet), Thatcher Allen (Exeter), Cole Ames (Lebanon), Mason Belsky (Windham), Patrick Brust (Bishop Brady), Jaedon Cliche (Exeter), Riley Desmarais (Windham), Bobby DiCicco (Windham), Jared Dyer (Merrimack), Casey Gladu (Portsmouth), Owen Gormley (Salem), Jack Grogan (Bedford), Steven Guerette (Bow), Evan Haskins (Pelham), Samson Hodges (Milford), Ethan Holt (Bishop Guertin), Jack Jones (Bedford), Charlie Kneissl-Williams (Bedford), Hunter Lassard (St. Thomas), Joseph Lupo (Bishop Guertin), Jake MacInnis (Pinkerton), Braden McDonnell (Nashua South), Will MacLean (St. Thomas), Hayden Moses (Bishop Guertin), Riley Mulvey (Salem), Kyle O’Connor (Nashua South), Nolan Pafford (Portsmouth), Wade Rainey (Lebanon), Ismael Rivera (Bishop Brady), Oceanne Skoog (Newfound), Caleb Smith (Lebanon), Rolando Sylvain-Stott (Newfound), John Thibault (Trinity), Zach Twardosky (Merrimack), Gavin Urda (Milford), Carter Vedrani (Campbell), Jacob Wenger (Trinity), Jon Willeman (Lebanon) and Devin Wood (Merrimack).

 

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