Co-Captain Max Herbison ’25 leads Boys Lacrosse by fostering a strong sense of community among his teammates. The team’s bonds translate to strong performance on the field.
Herbison, initially participating in soccer and baseball in his childhood, began playing lacrosse in second grade and quickly improved. Herbison explained the reasons he quit soccer and baseball and how he arrived at Andover as a new Lower seeking to take his talent to new heights.
“But soccer didn’t have enough contact for me, and baseball was too slow-moving. The only Christmas present I wanted was a lacrosse stick, and from there, I started playing at home and then joined the team in my town. At first, I was terrible compared to everyone else who had started when they were really little and had lacrosse as their first sport,” said Herbison.
He continued, “But eventually, I got better and started playing club. I was originally at a private school that didn’t have lacrosse, and then I moved to a public school. I wanted better lacrosse, so I came here. I came in as a new Lower. In 10th grade, I didn’t know where I would fall on the team—there were other people in my position ahead of me. But over the years, I worked my way up to become a starter—and now, a Co-Captain.”
Boys Lacrosse’s community is unique and tight-knit. That is, players form bonds both on the field as athletes and off the field as friends. Herbison, as a Co-Captain, tries to foster a supportive environment, especially off the field.
“Off the field, we do a lot of team meals, and the team really moves as one unit this year. At meals in Commons, we always sit together, and all the guys feel like they can hang out. It doesn’t feel as much like a team as it does one big friend group that’s been together all year—especially in the spring. I think that’s what sets us apart from some of the other teams. Everyone just feels really close, especially off the field, we spend a lot of time together—whether it’s in the locker room or just around campus— it doesn’t feel like we’re just showing up to play lacrosse every day,” said Herbison.
Luke Honos ’28 corroborated his Co-Captain’s efforts to build community on the team. Additionally, Honos noted Herbison’s commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Lafayette College as a source of inspiration.
Honos said, “He personally inspires like me because he’s committed to a [Division I] school for lacrosse but then he also invites us to hang out with him all the time with the upperclassmen. Truly, it’s fun and helps him build team chemistry.”
Jeffery Lim ’27, a new member of the team, described Herbison’s cheerful nature and persevering work ethic, which guide his teammates’ growth.
“Max is a great human being. He is always full of happiness and he is always up for the job whether he likes it or not. He pushes us to become a better version of ourselves as a Co-Captain and a teammate,” said Lim.
Herbison’s leadership focuses on accountability. Luke Honos ‘28 explained the standard of responsibility that he strives toward and how it pushes the team toward improvement.
“During timeouts and things, Max tells us what we need to work on, especially in games, on both offense and defense. … He admits when he’s made mistakes and when he’s wrong. This really helps build us up,” said Luke.
Next year, Herbison will compete with Lafayette College’s Division I Lacrosse program.
