Riverside Brookfield High School senior Max Strong returned to middle linebacker this past football season with a new scheme and a more experienced and determined mindset. Strong’s leadership as the Bulldogs’ leading tackler was rewarded by being named to the Class 6A all-state team by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.
“It was pretty exciting, just overcome with joy. I couldn’t stop smiling,” Strong said.
He is the first all-state RBHS football player since Ryan Swift in 2015. Strong found out soon after the season ended when RBHS head coach Sam Styler took him out of Spanish class to deliver the news.
“The first thing I asked [coach] Styler was, ‘Will I be on the Wall of Fame?’ That was a goal when I first came to RB,” Strong said. “I don’t think it would be possible without other people. You have the D-line taking down the block in front and there’s the guys around me. It’s everybody, and the commitment. If they don’t do their jobs, then I can’t do mine. I want to thank all of my coaches and teammates for making it possible.”
Strong was named the Upstate Eight Conference East Division Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 100 tackles, the last on his penultimate play.
That included 41 solos, four tackles for loss, five sacks, one fumble recovery and a pick-six interception touchdown in the season-opening victory over Niles West. The Bulldogs finished 4-5 and 2-4 in the UEC East.
The outstanding student also hopes to find football a fit with an Ivy League or prominent Division III program while pursuing pre-med.
“Those stats obviously jump off the page,” Styler said. “What really stands apart is what he’s able to do off the field as well. He has a 4.5 GPA and truly is a special kid. We’re truly excited for him. His performance warranted [all-state].”
Strong returned to middle linebacker, where he played as a sophomore before moving to outside linebacker junior year. He credited the dedication and philosophies of defensive coordinator and outside linebackers/safeties coach Joe Urbanski, middle linebackers coaches Keith Miller and David Wackrow, and defensive line coach John Evans for making the transition to a more traditional 3-4 defense a successful one.
“A lot more blitzing and a much more structured,” Strong said. “[At inside linebacker] you’ve got to deal with bigger bodies because you’re in the middle of the field and you see more because you have to key on the inside instead of one side of the field.”
Class 8A quarterfinalist Lyons Township had senior receiver/cornerback Travis Stamm and senior receiver/safety Mack Long on the 8A all-state team. LTHS senior two-way lineman and Northern Illinois recruit Tyler Chambers was honorable mention all-state.
Stamm, an Illinois State recruit, finishes with 10 school records, including career receptions (145), receiving yards (2,047) and receiving TDs (28) and a single-season record eight interceptions this past season with a record three in the playoff victory over Downers Grove South. Stamm caught 41 passes for 601 yards with seven TDs this fall.
The two-time All-West Suburban Conference selection was named the WSC Silver co-MVP this past season after being co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
“It means everything. It’s been a goal I wanted to achieve but it means nothing without what my teammates did, my coaches,” Stamm said.
“It’s really just a plaque on the wall if it wasn’t for all of the hard work that they put into it. The things that I learned, not just about the game, about family, are lessons that I’ll never forget.”
In his breakthrough season as a prominent two-way starter, Long was named WSC Silver co-Defensive Player of the Year after collecting three defensive or special teams TDs, five interceptions and 33 tackles (2 for loss). Long also was a huge asset offensively with 30 receptions for 648 yards and six touchdowns.
“I think that played a big role because I had stats going both ways,” said Long, who hopes to play collegiately.
“It really was an honor. I didn’t really expect to get it at first. It kind of showed me the success of our season. I kind of look at it as a team award.”
Class 5A state champion Nazareth Academy had senior linebacker and Stanford recruit Gabe Kaminski of Riverside and senior quarterback Logan Malachuk named to the 5A all-state team. Senior lineman Sam Stec was honorable mention all-state.
Kaminski and Malachuk were named the respective Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Green Division Defensive and Offensive Players of the Year.
According to documented totals at IHSA.org, Kaminski also established an IHSA record for any class with his 42 career sacks and Nazareth records for career solo tackles (405, No. 2 IHSA) and sacks in a season (19 in 2023).
Malachuk set IHSA career records for passing yards (11,190), total offense (11,991 with 801 rushing yards) and pass completions (758) and a school-record 113 career TD passes (No. 3 IHSA) after a single-season school-record 46 as a senior.
Kaminski now looks forward to his next challenges at Stanford. He plans to pursue computer science
“All of the coaches from the Division I programs that I visited would tell me I would get this feeling when I visited somewhere and I knew it was home,” Kaminski said.
“I never really got that feeling until I visited Stanford. It’s kind of an indescribable feeling but you kind of know it’s your home. Obviously, another part of it is to pursue both academics and athletics at the highest degree.”