With three years of varsity soccer under his belt, center-back senior Captain Max Sams will be continuing his soccer career in college as he has recently committed to play at Gettysburg College.
In his years playing for KO, Sams has been a versatile player, able to play both center-back and center midfield. For his senior season, Sams has a set of goals that he wants to accomplish – some personal goals, and some team-wide goals. “My personal goal is to be All-NEPSAC,” he said. “For the team, I hope that individually all of the players can develop and come together as a team.”
Sams also highlighted the overall youth of the team. “We have a younger team, so I hope that the underclassmen will step up and perform at a high level,” Sams said. “I also want our team to compete and never give up in any game.”
All of Sams’ teammates had something positive to say about his skill, but more importantly, his leadership. Senior Andres Rollan spoke on his reliability. “Max is a very reliable teammate and a great leader,” Rollan said. “He always brings up his teammates and is always there for everyone.” Fellow teammate senior Aidan Ladewig had similar thoughts about Sams’ leadership. “He’s constantly pushing his teammates to work their hardest, no matter what,” Ladewig said. “He sets a great example on and off the field for the younger players.”
Clearly, Sams has a passion for the game of soccer and enjoys the competition. “I like soccer because it is an extremely competitive sport that has individual battles in every game,” he said. “During the games, I make it my goal to win every little battle or 50/50 ball. The more of those I win, the better I play.”
Making the decision to play a sport in college is a major one. Sams committed to playing in college to better himself as a person and hone his soccer skills. “I want to play in college because it will provide me the opportunity to learn, compete, and succeed,” he said. “It will also allow me to develop as a player and also as a person.”
Sams is an excellent soccer player and, without a doubt, when he graduates, a hole will be left in the varsity soccer team. We wish the varsity soccer team success for the season and Sams luck as he plays his final soccer season as a Wyvern and moves onto the next level.
