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02/03/2023 08:09 AMFor Max Kyle, when it comes to any tale of the tape on the gridiron, it is a moot point for him. And that is because no matter the size of an obstacle or adversary, he has the right mindset and mental intangibles to outwork and overcome them–leading to him becoming a state champion.
The Notre Dame-West Haven (ND-WH) senior and Branford resident started with flag football in second grade before moving on to tackle the following year. After being on the reserves rank of the defensive end depth chart for the Green Knights as a junior, Max was called upon to switch sides this fall and become an offensive tackle.
The leap proved to be a successful one for NDWH and Max. The Green Knights reversed their 2021 fortunes by going from 3-7 to 7-3 in the regular season before dispatching Berlin 35-8 on Dec. 10 to give the program its first state title in 13 years.
“Winning the state title as a senior meant the world to me,” says Max, who also wrestles for the Green Knights. “Working towards the title started in the weight room the day after the Green Bowl against Hamden last season. We had people that said we would do worse this year than last year. So we knew we had to get in the weight room and prove everyone wrong, and we did. We started rolling, knew we had something special going, and kept on riding.”
At 185 pounds, Max is well aware that opponents may take him lightly on paper. Yet motivated Max showed it was all about the size of the bark in the dog, rather than the size of the dog itself.
“I have always been one of the smallest guys on the line,” Max says. “The more time went on; I wanted to keep playing tougher. I have always had something to prove because of my size, and I proved it. I did not care if I was lined up against a guy who was 300 pounds.”
When facing some of the bigger linemen in the trenches of the Southern Connecticut Conference, Max used his physical and mental durability to overpower his foes, as his fire has been fueled since he first stepped foot on ND-WH’s campus.
“Being able to take on guys bigger than me on the field comes back to my toughness,” says Max. “Those guys that I faced were not as tough as myself and the other guys on our team. I have been doubted since my freshman year because of my size, so I kept fighting for everything.”
In getting the proper conditioning and training to block for the Green Knights’ offense, Max made sure to utilize his swiftness by taking part in exercises that helped increase his speediness on the turf.
“My conditioning and training all goes back to the weight room and just pushing myself,” Max says. “I did a lot of agility drills because I needed to rely on my speed because of my size.”
ND-WH football Head Coach Joe DeCaprio sang Max’s praises for taking on such a new journey in his final foray with the squad. He additionally took pride in how Max rose to the occasion by never complaining and never relenting on or off the field.
“We originally thought Max would play defensive end for us this year, as he was a backup as a junior, but because of graduating some offensive linemen, we decided we needed him at offensive tackle,” says DeCaprio. “Max won the starting job at the end of camp and never looked back. Again, a move that I thought would make the team better, but not necessarily easy for Max. Max worked extremely hard. He played a position where he was undersized. It didn’t matter; he was very quick and very determined.”
DeCaprio adds, “every time I looked up, Max was getting the better of a player who was 50-75 pounds heavier than him. Max is as tough as they come; he has a tremendous amount of fight in him and isn’t scared to do the ‘dirty work’ so his teammates can thrive. Max was a quiet leader, one who led by example, whether it was coming in first for every sprint or being the first in every drill.”
In reflection of his tenure with ND-WH football, Max gained a familial feel with his fellow colleagues and coaches. He concludes that he gained some solid parental-esque connections with his mentors from along the sidelines.
“I always had a father-son type connection with Coach DeCaprio,” says Max. “Having that kind of connection is amazing in football. I have made so many connections the last four years; it has been mind-blowing. I have never been so close with so many amazing teachers and people.”