What do you think of when you hear the word “leader”? Is it the oldest member of a team? The most experienced? At Scituate High School, leadership positions are highly regarded, but they are not reserved for seniors. In fact, during the 2020-21 winter sports season, there are three juniors who were selected as captains for their teams: Hayley McCarthy is the women’s hockey captain; Keegan Sullivan is the men’s basketball captain, and Sam Benning is the men’s basketball captain. 

Being a captain doesn’t just mean you lead the team during the season; you are a captain year-round. Benning describes his steps to becoming a captain, saying, “It’s been a dream of mine since I first played in the third grade… I worked all spring, summer, and fall to make me and my teammates better players.” Sullivan agreed and added, “It is important to be a leader in the classroom just as much as it is on the court.” These two basketball captains lead by example to the young basketball players of Scituate. 

When asked who she looks up to as a leader, McCarthy said her parents “because they are both very hard workers and did well in school and sports, and they are overall good people.” On and off the ice, it is clear McCarthy also embodies these characteristics as she takes after both of her parents. As a team captain, McCarthy said she is “making sure everyone is included, and making sure that [she’s] always working hard during games and practice because it rubs off on the other players.” 

Generations upon generations of sports captains here at SHS have led to the amazing students that now take this position of leadership. Benning and Sullivan shouted out their former captains, including Aidan Sullivan, Jack Poirier, Daniel May, and Peter Shamata. Benning described his experience with Shamata, explaining, “He would wake me up around 5 a.m. and make me rebound for him at the high school.” Sullivan and McCarthy emphasized how impactful these SHS graduates were to their captainship and how they taught them qualities like honesty, trust, and leadership, in addition to other traits that a captain needs in order to have success.

The definition of a captain is “one who commands, leads, or guides others.” Even as juniors, these SHS athletes are able to guide their teammates to success, whether they are younger or older. These junior captains are excellent examples of leadership and dedication.