Football runs deep in some families and in some programs and the both ring true for the Oxendine family despite the fact that one member went to a rival. Tyquan Oxendine was a member of the class of 2007 nearly ten years ago. Ken Oxendine of course played for the Knights from 1991 to 1994 before going on to play at Virginia Tech and then the Atlanta Falcons. The latest Oxendine to come through Thomas Dale is Max who is the brother of Tyquan, nephew of Ken and son of Maurice who once played for LC Bird.

     With a family that has a history of success in football, you might think there might be pressure but Max doesn’t feel it, he knows what he can do and he goes out there and he gets it done. With family that has experience in the game and running the ball themselves, Max takes advantage of the benefits of this whether it’s older brother Tyquan helping him with speed training or going down to Atlanta to work with his uncle.

     Max was brought up to the varsity level his freshman year at Thomas Dale but it wasn’t until his sophomore year that he actually started. Max still recalls his first game as a Knight, “first time I ran out on the field on a Friday night, I was awe struck”. While he might have been awe struck at first, he didn’t play like a deer caught in headlights. In that first game he recorded 12 tackles. He’s been making plays ever since, be it defense or offense.

     Just this past season, Max had 34 tackles, 1 sack, 2 broken passes and a fumble recovery. That was on defense, on offense he had 567 yards on the ground and 7 touchdowns. Keep in mind all that came in a season that saw an injury towards the end of the season. A high ankle sprain against Matoaca really limited what he could do. And while Max had big games on defense it was his offensive game against Varina in 2015 that Coach Tucker really came away impressed. Max had to sit out the first half of the game due to a broken team rule but in the second half, Max carried the ball 17 times, at one point 13 times in a row and amassed 150 yards in that half alone! The Varina D had no answer for Max.

     A two-way starter, it should come as no surprise that Max made All-Conference Offense and Defense, albeit second team. Where Max is in his game however is not enough, he is hungry just like every athlete. He’s doing what we all do, not just in sports but with anything we are passionate about and that is getting better. He is a hundred percent healthy for anyone who has concerns after his injury last year. Immediately after the state semifinal loss, he began working out. He wants to be faster, wants to add on a little more muscle. The team is all in, all committed to winning it all after getting so close last year. Make no mistake about it, that loss against Oscar Smith hurt for Max, knowing he wasn’t a hundred percent. No one can say for certain the outcome would have been different but Max is a difference maker on both sides of the ball and the Knights would have benefited greatly with him at a hundred percent.   

     While Max might not have been a hundred percent at the end of last season, he was making an impact whether he was actually on the field or not. Max who has become one of the leaders on the team did just what you would expect from a leader, he rallied the team both by example and vocally. He was not selfish or throwing a pity party because he couldn’t always be on the field, he instead tutored his placement. That is just the kind of player he has become, a confident, vocal leader and a mature player from when he first stepped on the field. Of course he has benefited not just from his coaches and the aforementioned family members but also his teammates. Max had the luxury of playing with such players as CJ Reavis, Eric Finney, Darvin Taylor II and Trent Williams; these players mentored Max showing him what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a Thomas Dale Knight.

     Now Max embarks on his senior confident and ready for the next challenge in his football story. Challenges await in his senior season… Challenges such as being one of two starters to return to the defense. Can he and the Knights end the losing skid to rival LC Bird? Can he and the Knights accomplish what they are setting out to do and add another state title to Thomas Dale’s football story? Finally, can Max find his way to the next level of football?

    The next level of football being college. Speed, power, a nose for football and overall athleticism… Max is a very attractive prospect. Already he has drawn the interest of Marshall, Virginia, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, Army, Richmond, JMU, William & Mary and Virginia Tech. For Max it’s about finding a school with great facilities and that family atmosphere that he has come to love at Thomas Dale. At this early stage in the process, Richmond has shown the most interest and has made him feel welcomed and loved and they love to talk to him. However Max also likes the campus and facilities at JMU as well. Then there is Virginia Tech, where his uncle played and where he would love to play himself. Just as there is uncertainty as to where he will play after Thomas Dale there is uncertainty as to what position he will play.

     He is being looked at an athlete which is a no brainer given his athleticism and he admits that he will “play wherever he is needed” but he does not shy away from his love offense. In fact, Coach Tucker believes if Max can maintain two-hundred pounds he could play tailback in college.

     The dream for him like so many is to reach the NFL just as his uncle did but Max hasn’t lost sight of the here and now. That here and now is Thomas Dale football and we might have a little over four months to go but Max is ready to get his senior season started and make it a memorable one.