Josh Heaney ’24 plays Attack on the Andover Boys Lacrosse Team.
Boys Lacrosse Co-Captain Josh Heaney ʼ24 uses his immense knowledge of Lacrosse to lead his teammates. Through his exemplary leadership style and presence on the field, Heaney guides the team.
Despite not being as vocal as other players on the team, Heaney uses his expertise from playing the sport since kindergarten. His biggest hope is that through his “lead by example” leadership style, those around him will become the best players they can be.
“I strive to lead by example. I know, and my teammates will say, I’m not the loudest person on the field, but I feel like because I’ve been playing for so long and I know the sport very well, if I can play and lead and have people follow and do as I do, and then do better than me, that’s what I strive for as a captain on this team,” said Heaney.
Jude Scarbrough ʼ25 also described Heaney as a role model on the team. He highlighted his core values and optimism on the field.
Scarborough said, “Josh has a really strong character, he definitely leads the team by example. He always brings a positive attitude and a good outlook on the lacrosse field.”
As a new student and member of the team this year, Jack Frischmann ʼ25 highlighted Heaney’s role in helping newer teammates adjust to Boys Lacrosse. Frischmann noted the impact of Heaney’s support and encouragement for each individual player.
“Especially for new kids, he’s done a great job of filling everyone in on the gameday schedule and what happens, building up everyone after a good shot. He’s always one of the first people to be like, ‘That was a great play,’ and he’s just really reassuring,” said Frischmann.
Heaney prioritizes in-game support by taking a personal approach, getting to know each player.
“I know with different athletes and different people if someone’s down about a game or a play there’s lots of ways to go about it. I know personally, if I’m playing bad, I like someone to really get after me and yell, but I know other people that will put them further in that hole. I feel like just knowing my teammates, and knowing which kids need what kinds of treatment to get out of a hole is very important,” said Heaney.
Frischmann noted that Heaney is a presence on the team. He also worked alongside his Co-Captains to prepare the team for the season through Captain’s Practices.
“He’s definitely more of a quiet leader but you know he’s there when he’s there and you can sense if he’s not at practice. I think a big part of being a captain is Captain’s Practice in the offseason. In the fall and winter, he and obviously Peter [Elliot ’24] and Bridge [Jack Bainbridge ’24] too, would get Captain’s Practices going and did a really good job with preparing us in the offseason for the season,” said Frischmann.
With the upcoming season being his last as a member of the Andover team, Heaney is bringing what he has learned from graduated teammates to be a leader of the program. In reflecting on past Boys Lacrosse teams he’s been a part of and getting to know this year’s team, he expressed an excitement for the dynamic he’s going to foster and the success the team may have.
Heaney said, “Being a captain this year is really meaningful because we’ve had captains in the last two years that I’m trying to take inspiration from how they’ve led our team. I feel like [this is] our year this year, at least from how we’ve been looking in the preseason, [and] seems to be a really good culmination of the last couple of years. I think the culture and the talent that we’ve had the last few years is put together in its best form since I’ve been here.”
Heaney will continue his athletic career at Lafayette College.
