‘More than an athlete’: Jackson Hart leaves high school with no regrets

Before the late night crowds, before the broken records, before the Division I offer — Jackson Hart was just a kid running drills on youth fields across Dartmouth. From soccer and baseball to lacrosse and flag football, he moved from sport to sport like it was second nature.

Those early years shaped the athlete he became, but even more, they shaped how he carried himself.

“I always experienced new teammates, different years, not knowing what team I was going to be on,” Hart said. “I had to make a lot of friends, which helped going into high school — being able to talk to more people and play with more people.”

That foundation led him to an all-around athletic career at Dartmouth High School. Hart played football and lacrosse all four years, tried basketball, broke a track record in his only season, and still found time to mentor younger students. He recently completed an internship at Quinn Elementary, helping lead physical education classes alongside their coach.

“They’re elementary kids, so that’s their only chance to get out their energy,” he said. “I’d just go there, play a bunch of games with the kids, get their energy out, have fun, and enjoy spending time with them before I had to go to practice.”

Off the field, Hart found another surprising place to grow — on stage. As a sophomore, he took a small role in “Mamma Mia” to push himself out of his comfort zone. By junior year, he landed a lead in “Grease,” performing alongside teammates like Ray Gramlich. 

His senior year, more football players joined the cast of “High School Musical,” a full-circle moment that reflected the show's message of breaking down stereotypes. 

“It kind of showed the difference between jocks and brainiacs and how they can all be together,” Hart said. “We all have differences, but we’re all the same at the same time.”

Though lacrosse was his first love, and the sport he hoped to play in college for the first two years, football eventually won him over.

“I’ve always been a lacrosse guy,” Hart said. “It wasn’t really until junior year that football took over as what I really wanted to do in college. I just enjoyed football a lot more. I had a lot better time playing it.”

That shift paid off. Hart will head to the University of New Hampshire this fall to play Division I football and study sports management.

His success, he says, wasn’t the result of talent alone. It came from teammates who pushed him, coaches who challenged him and a family that kept him grounded.

“My dad was my coach in a lot of sports growing up. It wasn’t as sweet as it sounds — it’d be a lot of bickering,” he said. “But after the game, we could sit down, talk.”

“He's always pushed me to work harder to be the best player I can be, better than I was yesterday,” Hart added, “And I couldn't ask for a better father than that.”

Mentorship, for Hart, came from all sides. He credits teammates for keeping him focused, and coaches for building him up in the weight room and on the field.

As a leader, Hart emphasized respect and communication.

“You need to be able to lead without disrespecting,” he said, pointing out how some may communicate through yelling at their teammates. “You just got to calm them down and talk to them correctly, not yell at them, not be disrespectful, because at the end of the day, you guys are teammates, you guys are working for the same goal.”

In between practices and late-night homework, Hart made time for everything he could. That choice, he said, was intentional.

“You’re only in high school once,” he said, noting he knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but “I wanted to leave high school with no regrets.”

As he prepares to move on, Hart hopes his legacy at Dartmouth High isn’t defined solely by his stats or performances.

“I know most people know me as an athlete,” he said. “But I want to be remembered as someone who was involved, who talked to everybody, who was a good person.”