Beginning in 1962, when Calvin and Carlton first attended Charlestown High School together, and continuing through 1972, when June graduated from the newly regionalized Fall Mountain School District, the Fisks could be counted on to appear in post-season playoffs. Along with Calvin, Conrad, and younger brother Cedric, Carlton formed the nucleus of a dominant Charlestown presence in basketball, baseball, and soccer. Early on, though, Pudge's greatest accomplishments came on the hardwood. "Fisk could have made it in basketball," said Coach Silva. "He was that tough."

After developing his hoop talent in his grandfather's barn, Carlton went on to some legendary high school performances. In a 1963 regional playoff game at the Boston Garden, for example, he made such an impression in a victory over Winooski, Vermont (led by Ralph Lapointe, Jr.), that Walter Brown, owner of the Celtics, leaned over to a local reporter and said, "You have got to tell me-who is that kid?" That same year, playing against Hopkinton in the New Hampshire Class M semifinals, the 6'2" Fisk scored forty-two points and yanked down thirty-nine rebounds-even though the opposition included players who were 6'10", 6'8", and 6'3". When he fouled out with a minute left, Fisk received a standing ovation from the Portsmouth crowd. Charlestown lost by two points, and an oft-told story is that after his son's memorable performance, Cecil Fisk's only comment was that Carlton had missed four free throws.

Cecil wasn't being harsh or overbearing-he simply understood that to excel as an athlete, mental toughness was essential. Cecil's philosophy on child-rearing was simple: "I expected them to do as well as they could, whatever they did." Cecil and Leona Fisk sat behind the bench during basketball games but never said a word to Coach Silva, never criticized his strategy and never let on if they disagreed with how their sons were handled. "No Hall of Famer ever had a better start than Fisk," said Bellows Falls American Legion coach Tim Ryan, "and it was because of his parents."

Because of the northern New England weather, Carlton Fisk's high school baseball career consisted of no more than sixteen games a season. Before early-season practice he and his teammates often had to shovel off the Charlestown High School baseball field, which was shaded from direct sunlight. Sometimes the team simply practiced in the nearby Fisk cornfield. "I'd let them practice for as long as they wanted, long after we would have otherwise gone home," said Coach Silva. "Of course, they don't do that anymore."

Carlton demanded that practice be taken seriously-on one occasion he punched out a teammate for goofing off. The competitive nature of those practices resulted in Carlton's first experience as a catcher. During batting practice, with Carlton manning third base and Calvin behind the plate, a foul pop drew both of their attention. With the entire team yelling "Fisk!" both attempted to make the catch, and the resulting collision made Calvin look like a hockey player (only one of the two teeth retrieved could be saved). Because the catcher's mask no longer fit over his swollen jaw, catching responsibilities fell to Carlton. (In typical Fisk fashion, Calvin played the next day, only in left field.)

Calvin, Carlton, and Conrad all pitched for the Charlestown team, which went 49-3 during Carlton's high school career. One of those losses came in the Class M state championship against a strong team from Woodsville. Despite striking out fourteen, Carlton was a victim of his own aggressiveness. With one out and the winning run on third, the Woodsville batter laid down a perfect squeeze bunt that hugged the third-base line. Not hearing his teammates' cries of "Let it go foul!" Carlton leaped off the mound, picked up the ball and threw across his body, making an amazing play to nail the batter at first as the winning run scored.

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