McCann Tech senior Shane Fuller is joined by his sister, Hanna, and parents, Lori and Everett.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — From the time Shane Fuller was a freshman, it was obvious that he was a special athlete at McCann Tech.

 

On Friday, he did something that few — if any — at the school have done before.

 

"We have had a few students here at McCann, male and female, in soccer who have gone on to play DIII at state schools, but this is a first for us: a DII player being recruited for soccer," McCann Athletic Director Robert Guettler said on Friday morning.

 

"So you're a ground-breaker — in more ways than one," Fuller's McCann Tech soccer coach added.

 

Surrounded by his family, Fuller on Friday signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Albany's College of St. Rose and play men's soccer for Knights second-year coach Stephen Hogan.

 

It was the culmination of a process that saw Fuller talking to 12 different schools — one as far away as Indiana — before ending up finding a comfortable fit relatively close to home.

 

"I'm definitely looking forward to it," Fuller said. "I love the team. I stayed overnight with two players. I just got a great feel.

 

"The tryout was phenomenal. I liked the team. I liked the pace. I thought it as a good fit for me."

 

And the proximity to his home in Cheshire did not hurt either. That is one reason his parents were smiling on Friday morning.

 

Another?

 

"I'm just glad it's over," his mother, Lori, said in reference to the recruiting process.

 

"Looking at 12 different schools and then doing the soccer part, the academic part and admissions, I can't thank my family enough for helping me along the way," Shane Fuller said. "My top four were Stonehill, Curry and Earlham, a very strong academic school in Indiana."

 

Fuller said he expects to play midfield or striker at St. Rose, where he expects to have an opportunity to earn significant playing time as a freshman.

 

"It all depends on how hard I work on the field," he said.

 

Academically, he expects to study business and possibly accounting. He said he heard good things about St. Rose's academic program from 2014 McCann Tech grad Andrea Leal, who is studying business at the Albany school.

 

McCann Tech Principal Justin Kratz, who attended Friday's signing, said St. Rose is getting another well-rounded McCann product in Fuller.

 

"You certainly have your name up in our gym both individually and on a bunch of team banners as well," he reminded Fuller, a 1,000-point scorer in basketball who has won team titles in both sports and a State Vocational title in soccer. "You've made your mark here.

 

"We're real proud of you. And not only were you an excellent athlete here, it's definitely worth noting that you were an excellent student for the four years you were here. It wasn't just a one-sided deal."