The South Hadley football team became the first in school history to play in the state tournament this past fall.
Last week, senior Max Garvin made history when he was named the 58th Archie Roberts Award winner as the top high school scholar athlete.
“I feel very honored to win such a prestigious award,” Garvin said. “It means a lot to be the first from South Hadley to get this honor.”
The Western Mass Chapter of National Football Foundation names a 13-member All-Academic team. According to Bo Reardon, president of the Western Mass Chapter, a committee of high school coaches, college coaches, guidance counselors and college admission people reviews the nominations and selects the top candidates for the team. The criteria are based on football (40 percent), academics (40 percent) and community service (20 percent).
“Max checked all three of those boxes,” South Hadley coach Scott Taylor said. “Having missed all of last year due to a knee injury in the first game, he came back ready to have a great senior season. The dedication and work he put in during the offseason really shined through this year.”
Garvin was a captain this past season. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds he played offensive tackle and defensive end for the Tigers, who went 6-2 during the regular season to claim the top seed in the Western Massachusetts Division 7 Tournament.
South Hadley beat Wahconah then Chicopee to advance to the state semifinals, where the Tigers lost 28-21 to Leicester.
“It feels very fitting on that type of season,” Garvin said. “It was a historic season for us and to do something that hasn’t been done before during a season just adds to it. It really just caps off a great senior year.”
Two seasons ago, Garvin tore his meniscus during the first half of the season opener against East Longmeadow. He missed the rest of the junior year.
“I had to work very hard to get back on the field and even be effective in any way for the season,” Garvin said. “It will be something that sticks with me going forward, like beyond football, because it just shows me how hard work and perseverance can get you good things.”
Garvin carries a 4.28 GPA and had a near perfect combined score (1530) on the SATs. The National Honor Society member is an active member of his church and is involved in various community service projects like “Bag the Community,” an event that brings students from South Hadley and Mount Holyoke together with the community to help fill the food pantry at Neighbors Helping Neighbors Inc.
“It’s a testament to his parents, his upbringing and the importance they put on” academics, Taylor said.
Garvin had opportunities to play football at the collegiate level, including a preferred walk-on offer from UMass. However, Garvin chose to attend Virginia.
“I prioritized my academics over my football career, even though I would have liked to continue playing,” he said.
Amherst Regional’s Jack Nagy and South Hadley’s Ryan Levrault were also named to the All-Academic team by The Western Mass Chapter of National Football Foundation.
The remaining members of the team are: Clark Butcher and Anthony Izzo of Minnechaug; Mahari Miller and Isaac Boston of Central; Jack Purcell and Taggart Rousa of Lee; Sean Tashjian and Maurice Powe of Longmeadow; Todd Chaisson of Mahar and Shea Mcllquhan of Wahconah.