Captains Corner: Checking in with Varsity Football | Avon Old Farms News | About Us | Avon Old Farms

The Varsity Football team is off to a great start this year. They opened their season on Saturday night with a win over one of the toughest teams in New England, Brunswick. This week, we sat down with Hampton Bachelder '27, one of three captains on the team this year, to find out more about his role.

• How long have you been a member of the varsity football team?

“This is my third year at Avon and third on the varsity team. It’s my first year as captain. I've been football since sixth grade. I'm part of the O-line, usually center, sometimes guard."

• Why do you think you were elected a captain?

“Part of it is people think I'm a good leader, but I think it's more because of how much I care about our football team. I do whatever I can to help grow the program, which the other guys have seen. I think they see it and it doubles as good leadership.”

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• What does the role of football captain entail?

“I'm responsible for holding the other guys accountable. I make sure everyone is on time to practice or team meetings, but also to class and sit-down dinners and other things outside of football. At the beginning of the year, that's the biggest thing because there's a lot of new guys. Whether it's football or school-related, I make sure people are where they need to be. I also meet with Coach Wholley multiple times a week to give input on what the keys to success are for each week.”

• Do you have any goals for the season? Team of personal?

​​​​​​​“Win a New England Championship. I think we have enough talent—most years we do. If everyone, individually and collectively, does what they need to do, we can make it happen.”

• What makes a good leader?

​​​​​​​“The ability to influence people to do what's best for everyone, not just yourself. It might be easier to sleep in or to slack off in class, but you build your foundation on the little things. You can't force people, though. You have to make them want to do it themselves. Good leaders can do that well.”

• Favorite football team other than the Winged Beavers?

​​​​​​​“New England Patriots.”

Hampton and his teammates will face Kent next on Saturday starting at 3 p.m. Livestream information is available on the athletics page of our website.

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