Two-way football star evolves as steady presence

By Tanner Smith

   While some high school athletes plateau during the course of their high school career, the gun slinging quarterback of the 3-2 Raiders, Max Revercomb (’15) continues to improve.
   “This will be my third year with Max and I have known him since he was a freshman. He has definitely gotten a lot better,” offensive and defensive lineman Brett Jones (’16) said. “He is making smarter plays, reading defenses a lot better and he has grown into a overall quarterback.”
   Each quarterback has his own style of playing the position, and Revercomb, who has thrown 20 touchdowns this year against seven interceptions, is no exception. While some quarterbacks prefer to play cautiously, Revercomb’s instincts have no such inhibitions. 
   “Max is a guy who wants to go for it all,” Jones said. “He always wants to try to make a big play. He expands the pocket and scrambles outside just to find the big play.”
   While in some cases this gung-ho attitude is a great attribute, Revercomb admits that at times he needs to try to make the shorter, safer plays. While he still does not like yielding in any way, he realizes that he has matured and needs to continue to mature in this way.
   “A lot of it is in-game experience and the mental part of the game,” he said. “The physical part comes pretty easy for me but now in my third year as a starter I definitely have a much better feel for the game.”
   This “feel for the game” has shown up in his completion percentages, as he has went from completing 49.8 percent of his passes his sophomore year to 59 percent through five games this year.
   Defensive coach Shannon Taylor, who played at UVA and then went on to play four years in the NFL, has nothing but praise for Revercomb.
   “Max is our best player hands down. He is a defensive guy, our quarterback and our captain,” he said. “I have been very impressed by Max and what he has done while I have been here. He has always been a kid who has stood out to me.”
   Along with being an incredible natural athlete Max takes his preparation very seriously.
   “Max didn’t miss a weight lifting all summer; he was always there,” Taylor said.
   As a result of his intense preparation both in the offseason and during the season, Revercomb’s durability has become one of his strengths. He has yet to miss a start since becoming the starting quarterback as a sophomore. Despite this ironman approach, it would be foolish to think his effort level ever drops in order to maintain.
   “Max plays hard every play and never quits,” Jones said. “Every single play on both offense and defense if you watch him, he is doing something to help the team.”
   Taylor agrees with Jones’ assessment.
   “Everything he does is 100 percent,” Taylor said. “He never takes any plays off.”
   One of the biggest challenges for the Raiders this year has been to jell with new dynamic players such as Maurice Garrison (’18). Taylor sees Revercomb as a pivotal part of that process.
   “Max’s football IQ is one of his strongest traits,” he said. “Max is a football guy who is always watching the game and always knows what is going on around him. His awareness has helped the team and he has been able to get all the young guys lined up.”
   Revercomb rarely talks about himself within interviews, preferring to use “we” to “I.” In terms of “we,” Revercomb is trying not to look too far ahead.
 “We are taking it game by game, but our ultimate goal is to definitely get into the state championship,” he said.
   Taylor sees no lack of effort in these Raiders in their drive to a championship.
   “We are very young and very talented,” he said. “I think our youth has actually been our strength. Even with the inexperience, the guys are playing really hard and fast.”
   While Revercomb is one of the main focuses of the offense, Taylor knows that the offense is far from one-dimensional.
   “A lot of people might think we just want to pass the ball, but we have a run first kind of offense with Ryan Dent, Isaiah Harris, Maurice Garrison and Lucas Arnold,” he said. “From time to time though we have to stretch the defense using the width of the field and our speed in order to take advantage of all of our skills.”
   These Raiders will have a chance to display those skills in their Homecoming game vs. St. Anne’s Belfield on Oct. 3.

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