Lyle, Vernon Hills bravely embrace new challenges

It's ironic that Max Lyle used to fear football.

It's why he was a big soccer player all the way to the fourth grade.

"I was kind of scared to play football so I played soccer instead," Lyle said. "I was afraid of being hit in football, afraid of getting hurt."

Now, Lyle, a senior saftey and the heart of a Vernon Hills defense that helped the Cougars get all the way to the Class 5A state championship game last season, strikes fear into opponents with his big hits and big plays.

"Once I joined football in fourth grade, I liked it so much because I was with my friends and I was having fun," the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lyle said. "I even kind of liked the contact. That fear went away."

And it was football, believe it or not, that relieved another of Lyle's fears.

The fear of fitting in.

Lyle and his family moved from the Grand Rapids area of Michigan to Vernon Hills just before his freshman year.

It's a tender time for any young teen. Being up-rooted and starting over at that age isn't easy.

Lyle's father Todd, who worked for Walgreens in Michigan, got a transfer to the corporate headquarters in Deerfield.

"It was so tough to leave the kids that I had known since preschool," Lyle said. "I had built such strong relationships with them. They were such good friends. And this was happening right before we were all going to go to high school together.

"I was upset because I also knew that we'd have some really good football teams in high school, and I wouldn't be a part of that."

Little did Lyle know the kind of teams he would be a part of at Vernon Hills. Or that football at Vernon Hills would help him fit right in, before he could even get all of his bags from Michigan unpacked.

"Football helped so much when I first got here," Lyle said. "I made a lot of friends. Being around guys who share the same interests as me made me feel comfortable right away. And football is such a team sport. You really do have to get to know each other so well."

Everyone got to know Lyle quickly, that's for sure, espeically the coaches.

"I was kind of worried about that," Lyle said. "It had always been my goal to get to varsity as soon as possible. And back at my old school, everyone knew me and knew what kind of player I am. My neighbor was actually the varsity football coach. He knew me very well.

"At Vernon Hills, no one knew anything about me."

But Lyle made one positive impression after another and eventually made the varsity as a sophomore. The coaches at Vernon Hills liked him so much that they made him a two-way player, having him play some running back and wide receiver, too.

By last year, Lyle was making one big play after another, some of which were game-changers in the playoffs.

"Max really got us there (to the state championship game) with his big-time plays," Vernon Hills coach Bill Bellecomo said. "He got the game-winning strip (and 2 forced fumbles) in the Nazareth game (second round). He set up our first score with a big run when we were deadlocked 0-0 with Marian Central (quarterfinals), he scored on the third play of the Sycamore game (semifinals) with a 57-yard touchdown reception. And in the state championship game, he had our first score on a 50-yard reception. He made some huge plays."

Lyle's former teammates from Byron Center High School in Michigan, which has had its own football success and has won 15 regular season games over the last two seasons, were some of the first people to reach out with a congratulatory text or phone call.

"I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends from Michigan. They're some of my best friends," Lyle said. "We still text and when I go to visit family there, I'll hang out with some of them, even stay at their houses. A few of them have even come to visit me here.

"It was nice to know that they were keeping track of me through the playoffs last year."

Lyle would love to keep the texts and phone calls from his friends coming this year. He is beyond motivated to finish the job from last year.

"I think about it every day, losing the state championship (62-48 to Peoria)," Lyle said. "It was still an amazing experience to get there and walk out in that stadium in my uniform. Those are memories that I'll never forget. And it's still my favorite game ever, even though we lost.

"But it also puts a huge motivation on me. It puts a motivation on all of us as seniors. It was surreal to get to state last year. We were the first team in school history to do it. But now we know how to get there and I think that gives us a certain confidence that we can do it (again).

"I know that I want to do everything I can for the team and to help our team win."

Lyle would love to help a team win at the next level, too. It was a tradition in his family when he was growing up to go to every University of Michigan football home opener. With that as inspiration, he's been dreaming of playing college football for years.

"I have some Division III schools e-mailing me all the time, but no offers yet," Lyle said. "My size might be an issue, but I see small guys playing college football and pro football all the time. Look at (New England Patriots wide receiver) Julian Edelman (5-10, 198 pounds). If he can do it, why can't I?"

Good question.

Looks like football has made Lyle truly fearless.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

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