ORONO, Maine (WABI) – Cooper Heisey and John Costanza know what it means to be captain of the Maine football team.
“It’s an honor, a privilege. When I think of all the guys who were here before me: Mike DeVito, Steve Cooper, Coach Stevens himself, Coach Carey. It’s all the guys who played here and the tradition of this place. Of course, you know I love my teammates. The fact that they think that way of me and choose me as captain is great. It’s a great feeling,” said Heisey, a former tight end.
“I never really expected this. From my freshman year to last year, there were a lot of really great leaders. To be named captain is truly an honor. I’m happy and will give it everything I have,” said Costanza, senior defensive lineman.
They bring their own leadership style to the team.
“My approach to leadership is to just pick up what needs to be picked up and correct things when they need to be corrected. If something goes wrong, I take care of it. If something goes right, I keep going and keep pushing the guys,” Costanza said.
“The best teams have the most responsibility, so I try to take responsibility. I’m one of the older guys on the team. I try to be the leader that holds the guys accountable, makes sure we do the right thing and practice what we preach. Since January, that’s been a huge success,” Heisey said.
The position of Heisey and Costanza on the team is no surprise.
“It was pretty clear that the players see those two guys as leaders on both sides of the ball. I think they both have tremendous leadership. Cooper is just very comfortable in his own skin and takes the bull by the horns no matter what we do. That’s what we need. That’s what we need right now. Costanza has basically done the same thing,” said Jordan Stevens, head coach.
They support the Black Bears in their quest to take a step forward in 2024.
Maine begins the season on Friday at 7 p.m. by hosting Colgate
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