Plymouth’s Hornbacher a team-first ‘dude’ who loves contact

What makes Plymouth senior Max Hornbacher special isn’t simply his off-the-charts level of enthusiasm (and skill) for blocking from the tight end position, or the unselfish way he takes out opposing blockers while playing outside linebacker so that his teammates can make tackles.

Hornbacher is a coach’s dream because he plays football so his team can earn W’s, not so he can pile up gaudy stats.

“Max is a team-first guy who takes great pride in everything he does,” said Plymouth Head Coach Greg Souldourian. “Tight ends in our system are asked to run-block a lot — something not all receivers love, but something Max embraces. And our outside linebackers are asked to turn plays inside, so on a lot of plays he’ll take out a blocker just so one of his teammates can make a tackle.

The definition of grit

“He’s also extremely valuable because he can play multiple positions and he’s great on special teams. He’s the same way when he plays basketball. I’m not sure he’ll ever score 20 points in a game, but he’ll dive on the floor for loose balls and go in the paint to get those gritty rebounds that are so important.”

A three-year varsity player, Hornbacher’s passion for doing the things that don’t necessarily result in a statistic — and his love for contact — has caught the attention of several college football programs, including Grand Valley State University, Saginaw Valley State University and Yale University, which invited him to attend a weekend camp last month.

His 3.9 grade-point average has also been an attention-grabber for college football programs looking for an intelligent, not-afraid-of-contact performer.

“When he returned last week from his weekend visit to Yale, Max told me he may be a little late to our 7:30 a.m. Monday weightlifting session,” Souldourian revealed. “Some guys would have taken the day off after a whirlwind weekend like that, but not Max.”

Built to play linebacker

As a 6-foot-1 eighth-grader at Discovery Middle School, it appeared basketball may be Hornbacher’s next-level calling card.

“But I haven’t grown an inch since,” he revealed, smiling, prior to a Plymouth 7-on-7 football tournament in June. “Early growth spurt, I guess. I’ve gained about 50 or 60 pounds since I’ve been at Plymouth, though, so football is the sport I’m trying to play at the next level.

“I play basketball like a football player. I like the physicality and I love playing defense.”

Future Ivy Leaguer?

While his beyond-high school football future will no doubt depend on how he performs this fall, Hornbacher said it’s no secret he’d love to play in the Ivy League.

“I would 100% love to attend Yale,” he said. “Once you earn a degree from a school like Yale, the career opportunities that open up are endless.”

That said, if his post-high school football journey takes him somewhere other than the Ivy League, he’s cool with that, too.

Pumped for 2025 season

Hornbacher is amped about the Wildcats’ potential for success once the season kicks off Aug. 28 at Monroe.

“Honestly, I think we can go pretty far,” he said. “We have a lot of dogs — both on the line and at the skill positions — and our leadership is great. We’ve been building great team chemistry, too, during 7-on-7 games.”

While Hornbacher isn’t a stats-first player, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t piled up some pretty impressive numbers.

His most impressive effort on the defensive side of the ball last season came at Brighton, where he registered four tackles for loss.

“Ever since I started playing tackle football, I’ve loved to hit people,” he said. “I try to play as physical as possible.

“I love playing for Plymouth. The Park rivalry games against Salem and Canton are the best because the atmosphere for those games is unreal — and there are times I’ve played against some of my best friends.”

Some of whom may be on the receiving end of one of his lane-clearing blocks this fall.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.