But that first winter season was the last time Hershman had a real big impact in a game for Mansfield basketball. He played through an injury through the 2012 football season before missing nearly all of hoops season dealing with that injury. After not finding out until August in 2013 exactly what the true problem was, Hershman again battled through football season and shined in the State Championship.
But that meant surgery at the end of the season and that meant he would most likely miss hoops season again. It wasn't until mid February with the regular season coming to an end that Hershman was starting to get back anywhere near close to being basketball ready. He couldn't play a full game, but coach Mike Vaughan made sure Hershman got his moment on senior night.
Ryan Lanigan took in the moment for HockomockSports.com:
Mansfield High basketball honored five seniors before their game against Lawrence on Monday night, four of which have seen minutes on the court this season.
Michael Hershman, however, hadn't - not until the fourth quarter at least. After helping to lead the Hornets to a perfect 13-0 season and a Super Bowl championship in football, Hershman underwent surgery after battling through a sports hernia for months.
It all started back in 2012 - September 14th, 2012 to be exact - when Hershman initially hurt his heel in a football game against Needham.
That heel injury changed the way he ran, which slowly but surely transferred the pain from his heel to his groin and the pain progressively got worse and worse. He battled through the 2012 football season before sitting out a large portion of last year's basketball season, only playing minutes here and there down the stretch as the Hornets reached the D1 State Finals.
But as the spring and summer passed, the pain didn't. Then about two weeks before the 2013 football season, Hershman was diagnosed with a sports hernia, leaving his senior season in doubt.
"It was tough to find out all the time I took off was pretty much for nothing and it wasn't going to heal on its own and it needed surgery," Hershman said in December at Gillette Stadium, minutes after winning the Super Bowl. "It was tough hearing that especially since it was like two weeks before the season."
But there was no way the senior would miss his final season.
"I talked it over briefly with my family but there was no way I could quit on these guys," he said, noting that once he committed to the season, he was going to play the entire thing.
Then came the surgery in mid-December, putting him on the shelf for an estimated eight weeks. Though he's still not 100%, Hershman was subbed in for one play on Senior Night, and he made the best of it.
With an inbounds underneath the basket, Hershman broke off to his left, took the pass, and calmly sank a three, just like he had done in warmups before the game.
"I can't believe it went in," joked Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan.
"I'm almost speechless. When I asked him last week, I asked him without telling anyone else because I didn't know how he would respond. Some kids are like 'Coach, don't put me on the spot' but I might as well asked him if he wanted a million dollars, he lit up. He's been happy about it all week and he's asked me about it a couple times like I was kidding."
Vaughan wasn't kidding, noting that as long as the score permitted the opportunity, then Hershman would get his shot. With the game well in hand, Hershman entered to a huge reaction from the home gym and exited with a huge smile and the crowd chanting his last name.
"This is what you coach for," Vaughan added. "You coach for the kid who spent this whole year being apart of this team even though he didn't have to. He knew it was going to be a long road to come back and he could have easily packed it in and just become a kid. What a better feeling when he walks off the floor with that smile on his face. That's what you coach for."
It's still unclear whether Hershman will be able to get up to game speed in time to contribute to the Hornets this season, but if this proves to be his last shot, you can't finish shooting any better than 100%.
"Wins and losses are great and they come often in some years and struggles in others," Vaughan added. "But at the end of the day its about a kid walking off the floor who just did something great."
#9: Repeat Sectional Champs
#10: The Rivalry Rematch
#11: Vaulting To The Top
#12: Triple Overtime Thriller
#13: The Brick Wall
#14: Making A Big Splash
#15: The Buzzer Beater
Honorable Mention: The Finalists
2012-2013: The Complete Countdown