By Dan Guttenplan
Sports editor
—
Newburyport native Max Ricci always felt playing for the Boston College football team in maroon and gold would be a natural fit.
After all, he started his football career as a fifth-grader for the Newburyport Clippers in the Cape Ann Youth Football League.
Ricci's Newburyport experience may seem like a distance memory. He is now a 6-foot-5, 350-pound lineman for the Lawrence Academy football team. Heading into his senior season, he recently accepted an athletic scholarship offer from Boston College to play football starting in the fall of 2011.
"The coaching staff at BC has a plan to do some big things," Ricci said. "The new coach (Frank Spaziani) has had two recruiting classes to make his mark, and he feels like we're going to be in position to compete for a national title when I get there."
Ricci, who remembers competing against players such as Newburyport High senior Andrew Sokol in the Cape Ann Youth League, attended Nock Middle School before switching to private school in seventh grade. His family moved to Dorchester four years ago, and he has boarded at Lawrence Academy in Groton ever since.
"My main memories from playing in Newburyport are that we always wanted to beat Masconomet," Ricci said. "That was the biggest game every year."
Ricci had to take a couple of years off from football prior to entering high school after he surpassed the weight limits for Pop Warner football. When he enrolled at Lawrence Academy, the football team's line coach, Rick Arena, said Ricci did not have the look of a future Division 1 football player.
"He was very green when he came in," Arena said. "Going from where he was as a freshman to where he is now took a lot of hard work. It took a commitment over the summers to get where he is. He's leaps and bounds above where he was physically."
Ricci plays both offensive and defensive line for Lawrence Academy, a team that went undefeated in the Independent School League last fall. He and the BC coaches envision he'll play defensive tackle at the college level.
"I like defensive line a lot better," Ricci said. "On offense, you know the play, and you know where the ball is going. On defense, you rely on your instincts more, and you can just try to be an animal after the snap."
Arena said Ricci's footwork and size create mismatches at the high school level. He believes Ricci can get even stronger and more agile playing at the Heights.
"He's just getting the hang of how to play football and condition himself," Arena said. "Any time a school like BC recruits a kid locally, it's great to see them get rewarded in that way. In Max, they saw a big kid who's agile, which is rare for a kid his size."
Ricci said he plans to get down to about 315 pounds before he enrolls at BC.
"It's just a matter of keeping on the good weight and getting rid of the bad weight," Ricci said.
Ricci is not shy in sharing his goal of becoming a professional football player. He should have every opportunity at BC. The Eagles typically play on a large national stage in the Atlantic Coastal Conference to begin with, but in the fall of 2011 and 2012, they will open with perennial national championship contender University of Southern California.
Boston College also has a history of sending defensive lineman to the NFL. Current NFL players include BJ Raji, Ron Brace and Mathias Kiwanuka.
"It's too early to project whether or not he can get to that level," Arena said. "A lot of things can happen to a 17- or 18-year-old kid in the next four years. But I'll say his work ethic and athleticism give him a chance."
