Personally, I think "senior leadership" is more of a figurehead and honour given to longevity of service, so to speak, than actual leadership.
Yeah, they get to do the coin toss and be recognized and sometimes wear a nifty little cuff, but the true leadership I've always found is in leading by action and that can be done whether you're a 7th grader on a SCISA varsity team or a senior four year letterer on a 4A SCHSL team.
Those people rarely get the recognition of being 'captain,' but they were always the ones with the most impact when they gave 150% on the field no matter what and when they encouraged their teammates.