by Katie Ryan
Known for housing many stand-out athletes, Hopkinton High School is home to two senior athletes, Samuel MacDonald and Pete Carbone, both of whom will be attending Saint Anselm College in the fall of 2010. The small, rural college, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, has recruited Samuel and Pete to play for their Division II sports program.

Playing a different sport every season, this year MacDonald was captain of the varsity football team and indoor track team, and will be leading the varsity lacrosse team this spring as well. An academically challenging and competitive school, Saint Anselm College, or Saint A’s for short, is $48,000 a year, and for this reason, merit based and athletic scholarships are common. MacDonald says, “I’m relying a great deal on my athletic ability to cut down the cost of tuition.”

Although MacDonald is being heavily recruited for lacrosse, he comments, “I’m planning on talking with the football coach as well to see if there is an opportunity to continue playing football alongside Pete Carbone, and hopefully lower the cost of tuition at the same time.” While MacDonald hopes to play both sports at the collegiate level, his main goal is still lacrosse.

A major contributor to the success of Hopkinton sports teams, Pete Carbone is a member of the football team, baseball team, and indoor track team, and has even tried his hand at wrestling. Saint A’s is currently recruiting him for football and baseball, and Pete hopes to be a starter during his sophomore year. Carbone says, “As of now, I only want to play one sport because I’ve heard the work load is through the roof, but I’m pumped to go to the same school as Sam.”

Sports seem to be very high on these two athlete’s list of priorities; however both desire a good education as well. Carbone is looking to major in Criminal Justice, and hopes to become a police officer or member of a S.W.A.T. team. MacDonald is currently undecided and stated, “I’ve got another two years to set my sights on a career I’ll be passionate about, and so I’m comfortable resting on the concept for a while.”

The two are excited to attend Saint A’s together, and Carbone explains, “In my opinion, Sam and I both have the same mind sets. We are going to school to get a good education while playing the sports that we love. Fun comes after that.

Samuel and Pete are eager to continue playing their respective sports at a collegiate level, and are excited to compete against other schools such as Lemoyne, Assumption, Adelphi, Merrimack, and Bentley. MacDonald concludes, “Pete and I will probably stress out the teaching staff, but it’s going to be a fun four years!”