Eighth grader Max Tucker is a clear standout when it comes to athletics, academics, and personality. He is a member of middle school cross country, boy’s basketball, track and field, and golf teams. In addition, he is a part of JV cross country, boy’s basketball, and track and field teams. 

Tucker is best known for his outstanding records in high jump. He began his track and field career in the fifth grade after his mom strongly suggested he run in a meet. He ended up taking first in both the 1600m (1 mile) and 3200m (2 mile). That first meet peaked his interest in the sport, which led to him joining a competitive track and field team that same year. Tucker looks forward to being challenged even more next year at the Varsity level.

“I’m mostly just excited to be able to compete at the highest level,” said Tucker.

He also has big plans to break the school’s high jump record, along with many others. 

However, Tucker’s athletic future is not limited to track and field. He also plans to play varsity basketball next year, and he was a huge asset to both the JV and middle school boy’s basketball teams this past season. 

Tucker’s 8th grade science teacher and middle school basketball coach Mark Felice said, “He is an exceptional athlete [and] he works exceptionally hard. He has an unbelievable set of God-given talents and abilities that he maximizes.”  

Tucker was captain of the middle school boy’s basketball team this year. He also made it a point to be involved with the boy’s varsity basketball team as well. He would always be in the locker room for team talks, and he always sat on the bench and cheered on the team during their games. 

Tucker’s older brother, sophomore Benji Tucker, is also on both the varsity and JV basketball teams. Max Tucker is looking forward to being on a team with his older brother. 

“We’re going to go at each other a lot during practices and try to make each other better,” said Tucker. 

Tucker is not just an accomplished middle school athlete, but also an impressive student.

“He’s just become kind of a perfect student-athlete and he’s got a quirky side to him that not everybody knows about him,” said Felice. 

Tucker is one of the top students in his grade. The determination that he shows on the field and court can also be seen in the classroom. In addition to his exceptional grades and athletic performances, he is also the middle school student government president. 

 “Yeah he’s kind of like one of those kids you’d love to hate but you can’t because he’s a really nice kid too,” said Felice. “So he’s everybody’s friend in a sort of way.”