Semoball Awards: Cape Central’s Sam Cairns wins Bank of Missouri Scholar Athlete Award

Balancing school with athletics is one of the most common challenges high school athletes face.

For Cape Central’s Sam Cairns, he was awarded the Bank of Missouri Male Scholar Athlete Award at the 2023 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on Friday, July 14, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau.

Cairns was a centerpiece of the Cape Central boys soccer team this season as they finished the season 19-4-1.

On the field, Cairns was named All-Conference, All-District and All-Region during his senior year.

In the classroom, Cairns maintained a 4.262 GPA while being top five in his class.

“Soccer and school are hard to balance,” Cairns said. “It’s an ultimate grind. I wake up early to train for soccer and I go to bed late studying. It can be hard to mix those two sometimes.”

While Cairns graduated in May, he still thinks the Tiger soccer program has a bright future.

“I think the future looks strong,” Cairns said. “They’re going to be rebuilding and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.”

Cairns was a major contributor on the field with his skill, but he also contributed in a major way with his leadership on and off the field.

In August, Cairns will go to Mizzou to study biochemistry. On top of that, Cairns also said he will be going to med school.

Cape Central will look to replicate its success as well as replace Cairns’ presence as they begin preparation for the 2023 season.

The Tigers will open the season on August 25 at the Greg Kline Invitational.