Superstitious Cuts

Playoff haircuts have been an ongoing tradition for Sutton High School for many years. For many athletes, it’s the reason our sports are so successful.

Some go all out with their haircuts, and others just do a light trim with maybe their number shaved in on the side. Varsity soccer player Andrew Lukas sacrificed his hair for his team’s success. Going from a glorious head of hair to shaving a nearly bald fauxhawk is what Andrew believes is guiding the team so deep into the playoffs. You may argue that he is the very reason they have made it to the state championship game.

Justin Cao, another dedicated Sammie who also sacrificed his hair for the game, scored the winning goal in double overtime to advance the Sammies to the final round. In the earlier games against Douglas they had a tie, and then lost by one on our senior night. That was before the team got their haircut. Now all of the sudden they all get their haircut and can’t seem to be taken down. It seems to me like it is no longer a superstition, but more of a fact.

The cuts are a great way to spread school spirit and joy. Not only is it a soccer team tradition, but it used to be an ongoing tradition for the Sammies baseball team. In 2017 the team made a record run and made it deeper then any Sutton Baseball team ever has. That was the same year that the whole team got mohawks, and some even went to the extent of bleaching their hair.

Last year our baseball team tied the record and made it to the district championship, but we lost in a very close game to end our season. Maybe if we participated in the team cuts we would have won the district championship, and advanced into the state finals.

Everybody knows that it is tradition for hockey players to have long hair. Rumor has it that the team will be participating in team mullets once the season begins. If we follow in the trend of the other Sutton sports teams then maybe they will lead us to the state championship like they did back in 2019, when the team miraculously won the state championship.

It doesn’t always have to be a haircut either. Back in 2021 when the girls field hockey team won the CMASS championship, they all either braided their hair, or put a green tint into their hair, and as the trend continues, it led them to a championship, just like every other team.

I hope that the tradition carries on for many years to come in Sutton sports, long after we are all graduate. As you walk down the hallway past the trophy case, looking at all the trophies, just think to yourself how many of these teams got playoffs haircuts, and how many of them lead these teams to state championships.