Max Esque, from Almost Walking Away to Clearing the Way to Play for Otterbein
Photography by Kimarie Martin Photography
When Max first started playing lacrosse at age 9, signing to play at Otterbein would have been a far-fetched idea. “That first year,” Max says of the Bexley Youth Lacrosse program coached by Pete Klingelhofer, “I kept hiding in the back of the line to go in the game, and Pete would spend time trying to convince me to go in every weekend. I wanted to quit, but my mom and dad said I had to finish the season.”
Now, Max plays for Bexley High School, was the second team all-region and preseason Captain. This spring season, his hopes have been to continue to build. “We lost some talented players on defense the last two years, Tyler Owens-Terwillger and Elliot Goldman, but we have a lot of talented guys coming up on offense, so this season will look a lot different. For me personally, I want to leave it all out there. It’s a last chance to play with my friends that I’ve played with since elementary school.”
Since 6th grade, he’s played for several clubs, including True Lacrosse, Resolute Lacrosse, Haymakers, Warrior National, UNRL Minnesota, UNRL National and Team Eighteen.
Max says, “Club lacrosse is half the program and half what you put into it. It’s competitive, the best teams don’t have egos, and to enjoy it you have to put yourself out there to meet and get to know your teammates even if it’s for just a tournament. I met coaches and players from all over the United States and Canada. You learn from them, they learn from you - I had some great experiences.”
What he loves about lacrosse is that “I get to be myself when I play lacrosse, it’s a creative game, there is game strategy, and it’s physical. Aside from that I love being with my friends. For my family it’s part of our identity. My mom was the lacrosse mom for years, on boys and girls committees, my dad was my coach in eighth grade, my sister Molly was a four year starter, captain and a great goalie at Bexley and holds most of the goalie records for girls programs. When she comes home we grab sticks and throw.”
His advice for aspiring competitive players is: “If you want to play at the next level, work hard. Be honest with yourself about the experience, if it’s not for you, or a program isn’t for you. If you’re talking with coaches – be responsive – they are very busy and you want to respect them and their programs.”
And he does want to play at the next level. Max recently signed with Otterbein after getting more than a dozen offers from across the country. But the Otterbein coaches checked in with him regularly, encouraged him to take his time, and made the first in-person offer. “It was a tough decision; it came back to Otterbein University and Coach Hartnett and Coach Gossett,” Max says. “When I finally decided, it was a huge relief. No one tells you how hard it will be to tell programs no.”
He’s looking forward to college. “The lacrosse part but also college, meeting new people and new experiences,” he says.
Max would like to thank “my parents for supporting me. They spent a lot of time driving me around, sitting in bad weather. The coaches along the way-- I had the opportunity to meet a lot and I learned a lot. Thanks to my parents for not letting me quit.”
