Bench press, leg workouts, and 5:30 a.m. practices are just some of the things that make James Sharkey, arguably, the most feared athlete in Lynnfield.
That is – if you’re going against him. But if you’re on his team, Sharkey is as good as it gets in football and lacrosse.
The senior made 80 tackles alongside seven interceptions at linebacker this past fall, while running for nearly 400 yards and nine touchdowns as a running back.
“James is a heart-and-soul guy,” Lynnfield football and lacrosse coach Pat Lamusta said.
In lacrosse, despite the season just kicking off, he’s played a major role in Lynnfield’s 3-0 start. Against Masco, in the season-opener, he sent two players to the turf in about 30 seconds.
“And super physical,” Lamusta said.
That said, what goes into the making of a linebacker/defender that physical?
Well, it starts with his “hit or be hit” mindset, which started in fourth grade when he picked up football.
“I was a bigger kid, so it kind of came easy to me,” Sharkey, who also plays basketball, said. “I found some success [and] found some confidence… It’s a mindset. You’ve got to be willing to put your body out there.”
Nine years later, that confidence hasn’t gone anywhere for Sharkey, who said his favorite part of football is how every play comes with, well, some sort of contact.
And, it’s safe to say – he brought some of that mindset into lacrosse.
“I don’t know any other sport, or any other situation, where you get to beat someone up for two hours with a six-foot pole,” Sharkey said.
He also credited his parents, Tim and Bridget, for showing him what hard work looks like.
“They’ve taught me how important it is to work hard, and how it’s the only way to succeed in anything,” Sharkey said.
Then there’s the work the fans don’t see, aka, strength and conditioning. With Lamusta coaching both programs, summer workouts often overlap between football and lacrosse.
“The workouts in the summer – they’re open to football kids and lacrosse kids,” Sharkey said. “It’s geared towards both a little bit.”
And ask any great athlete – they don’t skip leg day.
“A lot of it starts in the gym,” Sharkey said. “A lot of power comes from the legs, and from bench press [and] lateral movements to get the agility up.”
On top of his mindset and behind-the-scenes work, he said he wouldn’t be the same player without his fellow Pioneers – especially at a school where several athletes pick up both sports.
“When it’s 90 degrees, going up and down, lifting weights – it sucks,” Sharkey said. “But going through it with people, it builds a bond you don’t really break… you see your friends and you’re like, oh, okay.”
This fall, Sharkey begins his freshman year of college at UMass Amherst, where he said one of his goals is to remain active.
“Walking onto the football team – it will be tough [and] I’m considering that as an option,” Sharkey said. “If that doesn’t happen, I’m going to try and play for a club lacrosse team.”
