Sports have been one of the highlights in Jacob Lamanna’s high school career.

“I think it's just having good times," Lamanna said. "Your teammates, your teammates are what makes or breaks the sport for most kids. And we've been able to have fun and play the sport that you want to play with your friends. I think it makes everything.”

A three-sport standout for the Magicians of Herkimer High School, Lamanna said he has learned countless life lessons from participating in soccer, basketball and baseball.

“Cooperation and teamwork so big with sports, it's not a solo sport," Lamanna said. "You need a whole group of people to win. What I think I picked up from it is you’ve got to leave everything out on the field. And it's kind of the same way with big exams, stuff like that, like you’ve got to put your heart and soul into it. But then at the end of the day, you know, you did your best and you’ve got to take what you get.”

While his athletic career has ended at Herkimer, Jacob excelled in the classroom. He’s one of the best in his class, holding an "A" average throughout high school.

“We all think we could be an NBA star as a kid, but we're not all going to be," Lamanna said. "So you need to have a backup, which you should be your academics. You should push as hard as you do on the field in your academic classes.”

Lamanna will head to Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall, pursing both his bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering technologies and product design.

“I can take in a concept and then build it kind of in a way, or I know I can easily tell you how to fix something, and that's kind of what I'm into," Lamanna said. "I'm a big fan of racing. I want to be able to say ‘someone gave me an idea and I'm going to develop that.' "