For Cookeville Cavaliers football player Caden Sisco, every lift and sprint has seen him grow.
When Sisco first joined the Cavaliers as a freshman, head coach Taylor Hennigan and the coaching staff instilled a simple message. Hennigan told Sisco and the Cavaliers to work hard and skip nothing. Sisco said those early lessons built the foundation for a career defined by patience, persistence, and growth.
Sisco spent most of his freshman and sophomore years in the weight room, searching for his role before an injury sidelined him for most of his sophomore season. Instead of letting it slow him down, the setback only strengthened Cisco’s focus.
His breakthrough came as a junior, when Sisco hauled in his first career touchdown pass. Sisco said the comeback, two years in the making, was driven by how much work he and the Cavaliers put in the weight room.
“[A big thing I look forward to is] definitely the energy that we all bring,” Sisco said. “I can’t think of a specific moment, but I think every day there’s a lot of energy in the weight room. Max days are always very high energy, those are always fun, but I think every guy comes in here every day with a mindset to get better.”
Standing at six feet, three inches, Sisco’s size and athleticism have turned him into a go-to target in the Cavaliers’ passing game. His ability to catch the football at its highest point has made Sisco one of Tennessee’s top high school receivers in touchdowns and red-zone scoring this season. Sisco said doing this his senior season makes the journey that much more special.
“Every day I come here and I’m just like, I can’t believe I’m already a senior,” Sisco said. “It feels like yesterday I walked in a freshman year thinking it’s so far away, but now three, four years later, it’s hard to believe it’s already here.”
Off the field, Sisco has embraced a leadership role. Sisco said he sees this as essential to the team’s culture.
“Leadership is really big here,” Sisco said. “I think it’s something that’s great for future success.”
Sisco’s dedication has started paying off beyond Cookeville. Over the summer, he received his first collegiate offer from Kentucky Wesleyan.
Caden Sisco will play his final regular season game in high school Thursday night against Lebanon. Sisco’s Cavalier athletic career will not end after football, as Caden will run track and field for Cookeville in the spring.
