Senior basketball players Katherine Sinz and Griffin Jackson have been named Hershey High School’s (HHS) Student Athletes of the Month for December.

Sinz, point guard on the varsity basketball team, is also is involved in tennis, ice hockey, and softball. Sinz has been playing basketball since she was five.

Jackson, shooting guard for the varsity basketball team, also plays baseball. He has been playing basketball since he was four years old.

Both athletes are strong leaders on the court. “I don’t consider myself a natural leader,” said Sinz, “and because of that, I have had to come out of my comfort zone a lot this year. I think the most important part of being a leader is leading by example. It’s easy to tell someone to work harder or pick out something they’ve done wrong, but they won’t take it seriously from you as another player unless you’ve earned some respect by working hard.”

Sinz and Jackson are also both extremely proud and supportive of their teammates. “This team is a family. Everyone on this team wants to see the guy next to them succeed, and we take pride in wearing Hershey across our chests,” Jackson said.

Throughout the season, Sinz and Jackson have helped guide their team to success.

According to Sinz, one of her proudest moments was when the girls won against Palmyra this season. “I was so proud of the JV team and their effort and fight that they gave to win their game. I was proud of the students that came out to watch which gave us our first official student section that I’ve ever seen at a Hershey girls’ game. I was definitely proud of the varsity squad. We were really determined and we came together as a team to play a tough game,” Sinz said.

Jackson said, “Each year of my varsity career so far, I’ve been apart of something special. My sophomore year we beat the #1 seed (Penncrest) in the first round in the state tournament. My junior year we won the Keystone Division and cut down the nets. This year, I’m going to do everything I can to make something special happen for my teammates.”

Sinz said her basketball team this year has the best chemistry she has ever had on a team in her high school career. “I love every one of my teammates, and our record doesn’t reflect how much potential we have,” she said.

Jackson is also very appreciative of his teammates. He said, “I just want to people to know that I would never receive any personal success without my teammates. I’m thankful for the support I receive, but not enough credit goes to my teammates.”

No matter how much success the players have seen, they both also give credit to their coaches.

“[Coach Paul Blackburn] and his staff have created a culture that I’m humbled to be a part of and I credit my success to all the confidence, trust, and support that they have given me,” Jackson said.

“Tough coaches who create tough practices make tough players who create tough teams. They endure a lot from us throughout the season and it doesn’t go unnoticed even if they think it does,” said Sinz.