What are the 10 toughest positions to play in all of high school sports?

There are plenty of options, of course, but here are my selections, in order, based primarily on my observations through the years:

No. 10: Forward or defender in lacrosse. Those folks run and run and run — then run some more. There's a bit of physicality involved as well.

No. 9: Volleyball back-row defensive specialist. Hitting the floor to dig out an overpowering serve or a potential kill is a brutal, yet vital, job.

No. 8: Soccer forward. The pressure is on you to score goals in a sport where goals are a rarity. This gets particularly tough when your team is trailing by a goal late in the second half.

No. 7: Quarterback. Offenses are pretty versatile in high school football and some don't put too much responsibility on the QB. But it's a position of leadership and the player is the center of attention in front of thousands of people on a Friday night.

No. 6: Pole vaulter. Track and field is all about running, jumping and throwing, but pole vaulters are a different breed. It takes guts to run at full speed with a pole in your hand, then plant that pole and thrust yourself high in the air.There's a soft landing area on the other side, but, still — no, thanks.

No. 5: Softball pitcher. The bulk of the fast-pitch game depends on the skills of the player standing in the middle of the circle.Get your share of strikeouts or, at the very least, throw strikes consistently, and the victories will come. A great softball pitcher is hard to find, yet invaluable to teams that find one.

No. 4: Point guard in basketball. Another position that's the center of attention, this time in a noisy gym with the crowd right on top of you. Play this position and you have to handle full-court pressure, read the entire floor and make the other four guys on the court with you better.

No. 3: Baseball catcher. At any level, this position puts plenty of physical strain on the body. The constant crouching and foul tips is tough enough.Throw in the handling of pitchers and necessary defensive skills to prevent runners from taking extra bases, and it's worthy of this ranking, if not higher.

No. 2: Hockey goaltender. The last line of defense, indeed. Your lone job is to keep the puck from getting past you. If a game goes into overtime, the win or loss depends on your performance.Shots change direction right in front of you, players can barrel into you and you're sweating under that gear constantly.

No. 1: A wrestler. It's you and only you, one-on-one with an opponent, and the best man wins. Some mats are spotlighted and there's no one else to blame if you lose.From a team perspective, you're counted on to fill an opening at a particular weight class. That means maintaining weight, which necessitates living a certain lifestyle and following a particular diet.Any athlete will tell you: The reward is well worth the effort.