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For their exploits in both the classroom and in their respective athletic endeavors, Masconomet field hockey superstar Maggie Sturgis and St. John’s Prep pass-catching specialist Jackson Delaney have been chosen as the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athletes of the Month for October.
Delaney — an 18-year-old senior at St. John’s Prep — had a magnificent season for the Eagles, who finished the year at 8-4. The glue-fingered receiver tied for the team lead in pass receptions (51) and notched a team-best 978 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The Prep set all kinds of school records throwing the football this fall, and the Boxford native was a big reason why.
He certainly comes from good bloodlines — Jackson’s father, George, was a wideout at St. John’s Prep three decades ago and went on to play at Colgate.
“I’d say playing receiver developed over time for me,” said Delaney, who was a running back when he was younger. “I found that I was pretty fast off the snap and liked running routes and could catch the ball.”
He said that working every day with head coach Brian St. Pierre, quarterback Jack Perry and fellow receivers such as Stephon Patrick and Jesse Ofurie in the Eagles’ complex offensive scheme made his own game even better.
He’ll head off to continue his career at Brown University while, naturally, putting his academics first.
“I’ve always prioritized my schoolwork, and when it came down to choosing a college that was no different,” said Delaney. “I thought I might be able to get the academics I wanted and be able to play football at an Ivy League school, and Brown was definitely the best fit for me.”
Delaney carries an excellent 4.45 grade point average. His favorite class currently is AP economics, which one of his favorite teachers at St. John’s, Mr. Tim Broderick, teaches.
The youngest of George and Kara Delaney’s three children (he has two older sisters, Kathryn and Madeline), Delaney said he’s enjoyed all facets of his St. John’s Prep high-school experience.
“There are 300 kids in each class from all different backgrounds and walks of life. But we’re all part of the same brotherhood,” he said. “They talk in school about ‘educating the whole person,’ and I really feel that that’s what I’ve received here.”
Sturgis, a 16-year-old junior, led the North Shore in scoring by a wide margin this fall, scoring an eye-popping 38 goals and adding 20 assists. Her 58 points placed her among the top scorers statewide. The speedy forward led the Chieftains to their ninth straight league title (the last two as members of the Northeastern Conference), an unbeaten regular season and the top seed in the Division 2 state playoffs, where they reached the semifinal round.
Playing against some of the best competition the Commonwealth had to offer in the postseason, Sturgis was again brilliant — producing four goals and three assists in four contests.
“I don’t think I could have been any prouder of my team this season. The effort and talent we put forth was unmatched,” Sturgis said. “The final outcome (a 3-2 state semifinal shootout setback to Nashoba) wasn’t what we wanted, but at the end of the day the girls I played with the last three months will be my friends forever. We should be proud of what we accomplished and for always being there for each other.”
But her excellence doesn’t end on the turf. A recent National Honor Society inductee, Sturgis sports an outstanding 4.475 grade point average at Masconomet. She is also the junior class treasurer and serves as a peer leader, helping freshmen acclimate to high school.
Her favorite class in school is currently AP psychology.
“I’m a super-science person, so that class interests me greatly,” said Sturgis, who hopes to pursue a biology major in college. “How the brain works and that entire process is fascinating to me: the way people deal with anxiety and stress, and coping mechanisms.”
The daughter of Heidi Holland and the younger sister of Emma Sturgis (a junior at UMass – Amherst) said that she’d love to continue her field hockey career in college wherever she goes, and is currently involved in the recruiting process as several institutions of higher learning are interested in her services. But she also stressed that academics will guide her choice as to where she’ll end up.
“That’s priority No. 1 for me,” said Sturgis, who wished to thank Ms. Reilly Finnegan of the Masconomet English department for “always having been there for me since my freshman year.
“If I could go to a great Division 1 college (academically) and play field hockey there, that’d be great. But if it was a great Division 3 school that was best for me and I could play field hockey there, that’s fine by me too.”
