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How many times have we heard this theme, this anthem about some Rocketeer - "a typical North Attleboro kid."

Maddie Hebert is one of them.

A freestyler with the swimming team, a defender with the lacrosse team, a midfielder with the field hockey team, one of the top 20 ranked students in the senior class.

And a decade, 20 years from now, folks around town might not recognize her as being one of the greatest female athletes of all time to don a red and white uniform, but what they will remember is her being the glue that held teams together, the motivator and the mentor.

And the captain of the North girls' swimming team which captured the very first Hockomock League championship. In truth, it was Hebert's first-place finishes and personal-best clockings in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events last week at the Hockomock YMCA that paved the way for the unbeaten Rocketeers to stave off previously unbeaten Mansfield.

But that was a few days ago and Hebert was already making sure that her teammates would be at practice on Saturday, be at the school by 6:30 Sunday morning (gasp!) to board a bus to Cape Cod to board a boat to Nantucket for a meet.

"I love team sports," said Hebert the other day, who, incidentally is the daughter of former Rocketeer football quarterback Carl Hebert. "Every sport that I compete in is different, but every one of them is fun. It just so happens that swimming is more of an individual sport."

But, what Hebert does for the team is produce placements and points. Like in winning the 200 freestyle , the second event of the meet against Mansfield, she not only was timed at 2:14.7 (bettering her previous best by some four seconds), she finished ahead of Mansfield's premier freestyler Colleen Cuneo.

Four events later, Hebert clocked a 1:01.6 career-best time to win the 100 freestyle, giving North (now 7-0 overall, 4-0 in the Hockomock League) an insurmountable margin over Mansfield.

"She's always been the kid behind the MacDonalds, the Rosens, the Carrs," said North coach Tim Kelley of Hebert's ascendancy from third to first places, from being one of the spokes in the wheel to becoming the drive shaft.

"She's the perfect example of the North Attleboro High kid," continued Kelley. "She represents what our program is about, she's part of the system. She's our toughest kid, it's all about character with her - she sets the tone."

Hebert might specialize in the freestyles as a senior, but she is versatile enough so that she can be entered into the individual medley, the butterfly, any of the relays, "the full spectrum, whatever we ask of her, she'll do," said Kelley.

North is now in its seventh season of putting swimmers into a pool to complete at the varsity level. During that time, the Rocketeers have won titles four of the past five seasons - including three Bay Colony League championships - and now the inaugural season for girls' teams among Hockomock League members.

"We're finally getting the recognition that we deserve," said Hebert, who has qualified for the South Sectional Meet already in both the 100 and 200 freestyles - as she did last year - and as a member of the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. Hebert began swimming when she was in the second grade and swam in the Tsunami and Red Tide programs out of the Hockomock YMCA. But she never ventured past the New England regional competitions, favoring to be more of an all-around athlete than a specialist.

Her elder sister Caitlin, now a sophomore at Merrimack College, was a North swimmer and her younger brother C.J., a sophomore at NAHS, is also a Rocketeer swimmer.

"Field hockey and lacrosse are completely different from swimming, but being a part of those team sports helps me (in swimming)," said Hebert. "You learn a lot of lessons playing a team sport, about dealing with people, having to and how to challenge yourself."

Hebert has a challenging academic workload, becoming a member of the National Honor Society, a class officer all four years at NAHS and with an eye upon Providence College, Holy Cross, Wesleyan, Quinnipiac and Stonehill for future enrichment.

"I love team sports, but swimming is my passion," said Hebert. "It was something about it, me and swimming just clicked. I got in a zone, you have to challenge yourself. In swimming, you have to push yourself harder, you're not relying on teammates. You really can't see who's in the lane next to you, where they are. You have to mentally motivate yourself."

Which is what Hebert did for North in lending a helping hand to beat the Hornets. "That 200 (freestyle) was the best race that I ever swam," said Hebert. "I was so determined."

The reason for the Rocketeers' success this season is because North is focused on family and teammate, not superstar individuals. "We're a big family, we all get along," said Hebert. "Everyone respects each other, we take it seriously.

"Everyone has an important role on the team and I like to think that I set high standards. I train hard, I try hard at every practice. I'm up for anything. Everyone needs a little push, I'm kind of like the stepmother."

One with a vision for today and tomorrow and as Kelley mentioned, "the thing about Maddie is that she's not our best swimmer, but she's our team leader - she represents what the program is about."

PETER GOBIS can be reached at 508-236-0375 or at pgobis@thesunchronicle.com.