Dual Sport Max Mcenelly of Waconia High School will wrestle for Gophers - Most Accomplished Running Back in Waconia History

[Bfan]

Dual sport athlete the pride of Waconia High School, will wrestle for Gophers
BY REN CLAYTON -- JANUARY 20, 2023 / 10:41 PM / CBS MINNESOTA


WACONIA, Minn. -- Raw talent is raw at any age. Max McEnelly has gone from kindergarten free for alls, to wrestling freestyle on the US U17 World Team. This summer, he went to Rome and came back with a bronze medal.

"It's just cool a experience that not everyone gets to take and I'm grateful for it. But this isn't the end. I hope to make many more world teams after this. That's the goal," said McEnelly.

McEnelly is the top-ranked 195-pound high school wrestler in America. But he's also the most accomplished running back in Waconia history.

"I'm just excited I got to play my last year. A lot of people didn't know if I'd play because people didn't think I wanted to get hurt for wrestling. But I've been playing with them since I was a freshman in high school so felt like I'd let a lot of people down if I didn't come out and help my team win some football games," said McEnelly.

He did that. The Wildcats went 7-3 behind McEnelly's 31 rushing touchdowns -- top ten in the state in scores and yards....

Dual sport athlete the pride of Waconia High School, will wrestle for Gophers

McEnelly is the top-ranked 195-pound high school wrestler in America. But he's also the most accomplished running back in Waconia history.

www.cbsnews.com

Max Mcenelly is a two-time Minnesota AAA state champion from Waconia High School. He won his first title as a freshman in 2020 at 170 pounds, and his second in 2021 at 182 pounds.

Max Mcenelly | FloWrestling | Wrestling

Max Mcenelly is a two-time Minnesota AAA state champion from Waconia High School. He won his first title as a freshman in 2020 at 170 pounds, and his second in 2021 at 182 pounds. The then 16-year-old and rising high school junior became a national freestyle champion in 2021 when he went to...

www.flowrestling.org

 

[goldengophers]

Perfect for: https://gopherhole.com/boards/forums/other-gopher-sports.4/

 

[Bfan]

Perfect for: https://gopherhole.com/boards/forums/other-gopher-sports.4/

Respectdully, he previously had been mentioned in this football forum as a running back to watch.

My post specifically said in both the title and text that he is a running back.

A fair discussion is if it's possible he plays football for Minnesota. He is the best running back in his school's history.

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Mark Sindlinger and Josh Hokit, two guys who both played football and wrestled while in college, offer clues and hints to what awaits Ben Kueter.

www.hawkcentral.com

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Will he be on scholarship for wrestling? I believe it would count against the 85 limit if he plays football and that likely wouldn't make PJ too happy!

 

[Catechol]

Will he be on scholarship for wrestling? I believe it would count against the 85 limit if he plays football and that likely wouldn't make PJ too happy!

That’s why he probably won’t be playing football. He steps on the football field, then his wrestling scholarship automatically gets counted against football’s 85.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

That’s why he probably won’t be playing football. He steps on the football field, then his wrestling scholarship automatically gets counted against football’s 85.

He’s to be invited to walk on and then subsequently make the team.

 

[Bfan]

"He's a coach's dream. He's a leader. Guys follow him. He's everything you want an athlete to be. He's the most humble kid on the team. He's the hardest working kid on the team. Everybody looks up to him. He's always pushing everybody to be the best they can be."

- Coach Corey Shea

Are they football players who wrestle? Or wrestlers who play football?

This fall illustrates clearly the complementary nature of those two sports. "Wresting and football are like peanut butter and jelly," one two-sport standout said.

www.startribune.com

I can't find much on him but this weekly honors poll said:

"Max McEnelly, Waconia. The senior running back has been giving opposing defenses trouble all season and that didn’t stop in the Wildcats’ 64-14 win at Holy Angels on Oct. 19. McEnelly made the most of his 12 carries, scoring touchdowns on six of them and accumulating 230 rushing yards. He recorded five first-half TDs, all between 10 and 34 yards, and scored his final one on a 60-yard run 18 seconds into the second half. McEnelly is tied for most rushing TDs this season (27) and is third most in rushing yards with 1,639."

https://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/1244853



"In Rome, McEnelly helped Team USA win its first ever U17 Freestyle championship, earning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cadets Wrestling Championships. The Waconia wrestler was one of the nine Americans that medalled at the championships (out of 10), skyrocketing them to first place with 190 points."

An unconventional approach: Waconia wrestler's unusual path to international success

Max McEnelly took a trip to Rome, Italy this past Summer, walking the streets and taking in sights such as the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. What

www.hometownsource.com

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

He’s to be invited to walk on and then subsequently make the team.

Doesn't matter! If he's on scholarship in a non revenue sport and is on the football team, it basically becomes a football scholarship!

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Doesn't matter! If he's on scholarship in a non revenue sport and is on the football team, it basically becomes a football scholarship!

Missed my point-

He has to be invited to walk on, he can’t just show up and walk out and say I’m on the team. It made it sound like Fleck doesn’t decide the player does.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Missed my point-

He has to be invited to walk on, he can’t just show up and walk out and say I’m on the team. It made it sound like Fleck doesn’t decide the player does.

And that's not likely knowing it would eat up a scholarship anyway.

 

[Bfan]

Max Mcenelly doesn't make any mainstream lists of top football prospects from Minnesota that I can find. Meaning a 2 star prospect in football.

Yet the running back was 1 of 32 players named to the 2022 Vikings All-State Team Roster as a running back / linebacker.

Max Mcenelly was 1 of 10 finalists for 2022 Mr. Football Award.

In 10 games this season he rushed 225 times for 1,846 yards, 8.2 yards per carry, 1 fumble, 31 touchdowns, and 5 2-point conversions. He also passed 1/1 for a touchdown. He had 3 receptions for 29 yards.

His rushing yards were 9th most in the state. His touchdowns were 4th most.



On defense this season he had 55 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 1 pass defensed, and 1 interception (for a touchdown).

An interesting player probably not getting many recruiting looks for football and yet one of the state's better performers.

​

 

[Catechol]

Doesn't matter! If he's on scholarship in a non revenue sport and is on the football team, it basically becomes a football scholarship!

NCAA Bylaws 15.5.9.1

“A counter who was not recruited (per Bylaw 15.02.9) and/or offered financial aid to participate in football and who competes in football and one or more sports (including basketball) shall be counted in football.”

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

If he’s good enough to he wrestling internationally, he may want to be the next Gordy Morgan and compete in the Olympics; that type of achievement doesn’t lend itself to being a multi-sport collegiate athlete.

He may not be getting any football recruiting attention, as it is well known that he wants to be a grappler only collegiatly.

 

[Bfan]

If he’s good enough to he wrestling internationally, he may want to be the next Gordy Morgan and compete in the Olympics; that type of achievement doesn’t lend itself to being a multi-sport collegiate athlete.

He may not be getting any football recruiting attention, as it is well known that he wants to be a grappler only collegiatly.

That's a great point I hadn't thought of. I was thinking he was a football running back to watch -- and yet maybe he is locked in to be the best "internationally" at wrestling where maybe getting hammered with hits on a football field isn't the best way to pursue that.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

That's a great point I hadn't thought of. I was thinking he was a football running back to watch -- and yet maybe he is locked in to be the best "internationally" at wrestling where maybe getting hammered with hits on a football field isn't the best way to pursue that.

Txs.

If you want to be an Olympian, that’s a year round gig; Marty, Gordy’s bro was a three time NCAA All American and finished second in his class at the Olympic trials, so he he didn’t make the team. If I was that good, I’d rather have a shot at being an NCAA champ and wrestling internationally and a contender/make an z Olympic team vs. playing an additional sport in college.

 

[Schnauzer]

I always remember Ron Goetz being a RB legend from Waconia. He went on to fame at the LB position with the Gophers and CFL.

It sounds as though this kid surpassed Goetz so certainly not a football afterthought.