High school football provides numerous opportunities for athletes to put their leadership skills on display. Coaches are looking for dependable, smart and relatable athletes to carry the designation.

Captains are an extension of the coaching staff.  It’s invaluable to have leaders on a football team that help others buy into what the team is trying to accomplish in preparation and when it’s crunch time in games.

Captains come in all shapes and sizes and can play any position on the field. But there is one thing all captains have in their toolbox: Maturity.

Football teaches people about life, and it teaches people that when your part of a team you can’t do it yourself.  Captains are the players that know how to handle adversity and know how do what’s best for the team.

There is no doubt that great leaders inspire teams to achieve success.

That is why coaches are looking for the type of leader that propels their team to study more, practice harder and play as a united team.

Captains are your coaches on the field.  They represent the identity of the football team by setting the tone every rep, every film session and every game. To know that I have a captain I can trust to lead the team means everything.

Here are three more things all captains should possess:

Be the Standard. If you want to be a leader on a football team, then you have to be one the best practice players on the team. It is on the practice field that players learn to become leaders, which ultimately can become contagious when a leader continually comes up clutch during crunch time. This type of leadership can create huge momentum for a team.

Communication. A captain has to be someone that teammates can talk to and trust because captains are involved in the decision-making process.

Infectious Attitude. Leaders display effort, positivity and a consistent desire to improve and this type of attitude creates a trickle-down effect within the team. It is important to note, if you’re a vocal leader, choose words wisely and be the guy that when he speaks it matters.

2023-Josh Lach, Conner Larsen, Keelan Konkler, Francisco Fernandez

2022-Jackson Smith,  Braydon Talso, Hunter Mlinarcik

2021-Nick Ojile, Nate Litke, Aaron Clausen

2020-Jacob Fritz, Chris Curtis

2019-Zack Dunbar, Max Horn, Cyrinus George, Jacob Ward, Darius Robinson

2018-Sam Britz, Derric Bergman & Sam Fritz

2017-CADE MCMAHON & ROHAN MENDIRATTA

2016-ZACH OJILE, JOSH OJILE & NICK ROBINSON

2015-ISLEY CARRINGTON, AARON FLINK & JAKE LEVAHN

2014-ANTONIO ZEPEDA, AARON MURPHY & RYAN AMUNDSON

2013-AUSTIN SWENSON, EJI EYIJA, GRANT WALTERS

2012-JUSTIN AXELSON, CONNOR (CJ) JANU, DEREK MALBRUE, DAULTON OLINGER

2011-NATE DYKES, BRYANT LYMBURN, JORDAN THIMMESCH-SLEPICA

2010-JORDE RANUM, ANDREW TORTORA

2009-DAVID LEHMAN

2008-TOM BROOKS, DAVID TALLIFER

2007-DEREK ERICKSON, BRIAN LEONHARDT, CHRIS NORGAARD, JORDAN WAIWAIOLE

2006-BILLY BRUNN, MIKE WOODS

2005-JEFF CLARK, DEREK DOMINO, GRANT KRUMME, DAN PETERSON