Smiling as he recounts his past memories, Maddux Carlisle (12) recalls the surreal experience of playing football during senior night, his last game with the team he played with for the past four years. Scoring his final touchdown of the season and hearing the crowd cheering reminds Maddux of how far he’s truly come.

Maddux’s parents first introduced him to football, encouraging him to both watch and play the sport from a young age. Over time, his love for football grew, leading him to join both the middle school and high school teams.

“Throughout middle school, [football] was just a hobby,” Maddux said. “But as I got to high school, I realized how many things I’ve learned through the game, through the sport itself, and the amount of connections that I’ve made with my teammates.”

During his freshman year, Maddux was too young to play in any varsity games on the football team. Despite this initial obstacle, he gradually rose to the top of his team throughout his sophomore and senior years by drawing motivation from his peers.

“I came into the team in my freshman year not really the strongest or fastest kid,” Maddux said. “When I saw the older guys, the upperclassmen, working out, trying to get as strong and fast as they could, it influenced me to follow in their footsteps, so that motivated me to get stronger and faster so that I could play at a higher level.”

On the field, Maddux is quiet but determined, always eager to perform well and win. High school football coach Juston Glass notes his first impression of Maddux and how he’s grown over time.

“When I met Maddux he was pretty reserved; [he] has a quiet sense of humor but also cares deeply about how he can help others and how he can contribute to a greater cause,” Glass said. “He is still pretty reserved, but he now has leadership capabilities that make people follow his example.”

In addition to improving his physical abilities and opening up to his team during his time playing high school football, Maddux also notes the many life lessons he learned alongside his coach and teammates.

“During my sophomore year, we had a new coach come in, and the three key values that he taught us to have were character, grit and integrity,” Maddux said. “My will and determination is something that makes me stand out, because I always try to put the team in a position where we have a chance of winning the game, no matter what the score is.”

Close friend Pranav Varmaraja (12) values Maddux’s companionship, commenting on his constant optimism and kindness even in times of stress.

“Maddux is very light-hearted and jovial all the time,” Pranav said. “He tends to be very optimistic about everything, and it’s really great having him around. Things can get stressful sometimes, but during office hours, during lunch, or after school, Maddux is there to lighten the mood and have everyone laugh.”

Although humorous and friendly outside of football, Maddux transforms into a focused and competitive player after entering the field, according to close friend Adheet Ganesh (12), who notes Maddux’s focus and grit when playing competitively.

“[Maddux] is like a totally different guy on and off the field,” Adheet said. “He’s usually a really light-hearted guy who would joke around a lot, but on the field, he makes some pretty aggressive plays with an aggressiveness that you don’t really expect from him.”

Glass comments on Maddux’s focus and determination during senior night, his last football game on the team. Although Maddux was still recovering from a calf injury he received during his fourth game of the season, his eagerness to play allowed him to still perform well and get a touchdown reception.

“It was really nice to see him out in the pack, in the full football pads running routes,” Glass said. “Although you could tell that his injury was bothering him, his mind was dead set on the end zone, and that was really fun to see. His excitement and tenacity for [football] really epitomize who he is deep down, with grit and integrity as how he operates.”

For Maddux, the most valuable takeaways from playing football were the friendships he made with his teammates. By practicing and competing together, Maddux was able to develop numerous close friendships with his peers that would not have existed without their mutual passion for football.

“I’ve met some of my closest friends playing football throughout the past four years, and I feel that football is much more than just a hobby for me, in the sense that each person has each other’s back no matter what, both on and off the field,” Maddux said. “I can’t keep on playing football forever, so I need to cherish every moment I have together with my teammates.”