Alot can be said about Trinity College’s football team. They are a talented, hardworking, and diverse group who represent nearly every major on campus, and each player has his own unique strengths and weaknesses. There is, however, one quality that brings them all together, and that is their collective will to win.
Senior captain Ben Sherry is no exception. In his four years as a starter on squad, Sherry has been moved all over the field, playing outside linebacker, free safety, and even putting in some time at quarterback; it’s all the same to him so long as he’s doing his part: “I enjoy playing all of these positions,” said Sherry, “I don’t really have a preference as long as I can do everything I can to help the team win.”
An All-State quarterback in high school, Sherry was recruited by several Division I schools, but chose the intimacy and academic stimulation of a small New England liberal arts college instead: “I felt comfortable in the small school atmosphere, and liked the concept of small class sizes. In addition to this I was leaning more towards liberal arts schools as I was an undeclared major, and Trinity was one of the finest academic institutions that I could attend.” Sherry also appreciated the honesty with which he was treated during the recruiting process, and the respect that he has for the coaching staff certainly goes both ways.
Coach Jeff Devanney calls Sherry “of the smartest football players that I have coached. He really likes to understand the intricacies of the game and what all 11 players are doing on the field. He is a dynamic athlete and someone that we try to use in all phases of the game - defense, special teams, and offense.” Sherry’s versatility is certainly a boon to his coaches, and his eagerness to constantly be on the field coupled with a clear love for the game help to make him an effective captain.
Sherry is somewhat of a rarity within the realm of Trinity football, because he is a two-year captain, something that, according to Coach Devanney, “shows the respect that he has from his teammates.” Sherry admits that it can be tough sometimes to shoulder all of the responsibilities that come with being on an athletic team while majoring in American Studies at a rigorous academic institution: “It does get difficult to juggle football and school at times, especially with the amount of off the field preparation that goes into what we do. It is something that we learn to deal with freshman year with four two-hour study halls per week. When you start out with that structure in your life you realize that the workload is doable if you give yourself the time.”
Clearly, as Coach Devanney says, Sherry leads by example, “working hard in the weight room, studying film, and practicing hard.” He obviously wants to be on the field at all times, helping the team – and his coaches might even let him, if that were a feasible strategy. As it is, Sherry is an estimable piece of the equally admirable whole, and he’ll continue to work his very hardest to make Trinity football the best team it can be.