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'Nothing is given, it's only earned': Max Thielbahr nears the end of his football journey at SHS

by DYLAN GREENE
Sports Editor | November 10, 2020 1:00 AM

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series dedicated to highlighting local senior athletes.

SANDPOINT — The Thielbahr family has a deep history at Sandpoint High School and Max is the latest to leave his mark as a Bulldog.

Max will be wrapping up his high school football career this week or the following one in the 4A state title game, but regardless of when the journey ends, it’s clear football will always be a part of who is.

Max’s uncle, Jeremy Thielbahr, graduated from SHS in 1997, played running back at Washington State University, and is now the offensive coordinator at Sandpoint. Max’s dad, Jason Thielbahr, graduated from SHS in ‘93 and went on to play baseball at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

Sports, and football in particular, have been a major part of Max’s life from the start and the roots go even deeper, including with his mom, Kelly Thielbahr, who is the sister of head football coach Ryan Knowles.

Jason was quick to point out his role in all these connections.

“There’s an argument that if Kelly and I didn’t get married, I don’t know if Ryan being the head coach and Jeremy as the offensive coordinator would have ever happened,” he joked. “I almost feel responsible.”

Clearly, the Thielbahrs are a football family, but surprisingly Max didn’t take up the sport until his family moved from Spokane to Sandpoint prior to his eighth grade year.

Max said his parents didn’t want him to play the sport at a young age, but once they got to Sandpoint it was the perfect time for him to hit the gridiron for the first time.

“I feel like moving up here kind of solidified the deal for me starting football,” he said.

Jason said Max has loved football from an early age and it was only a matter of time before he started playing it.

Despite the family history with the sport, his dad believes it was Max’s friends who drew him to football.

“Max, he’s just one of those guys,” he said. “He loves his friends and he would do anything for them and football really creates a level of camaraderie in relationships that is hard to find when you’re in high school.”

And for Max, those relationships are what make football so special to him.

“I’ve been with a lot of these guys since eighth grade,” he said, “and it’s really fun to have the same group for four years and see how much they’ve progressed.”

Max played quarterback through his sophomore year, then Jeremy, who coached Eastside Catholic in Washington to three state titles, joined the SHS coaching staff in 2019 and he made the switch to wide receiver.

There was a lot of competition at the quarterback spot for the Bulldogs, and Max said he and his uncle agreed that being a receiver would fit his frame and skillset best and give him a chance to start.

The decision certainly paid off for Max. As a junior, he caught 20 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns, and so far this season he has reeled in 24 catches for 287 yards and four touchdowns.

“I love catching touchdowns,” Max said. “That’s probably one of my favorite things is just celebrating with my guys.”

Jason said the transition to wide receiver came natural to Max.

“His whole life his favorite players haven’t been quarterbacks, they’ve always been wide receivers,” he said. “I feel Jeremy put [Max] in a situation to use his talent. Jeremy’s offense is also so dynamic and so creative and so attacking, that I knew that a wide receiver was going to be an active part of it.”

Jason said it’s been amazing to watch his younger brother coach his son and the knowledge Jeremy has shared with Max goes well beyond the X and O’s.

With a year in the new Sandpoint offense under his belt, Max has really embraced the opportunity to mentor the younger receivers coming up this season.

Max said starting 0-2 this season was tough, but he's proud of his teammates for sticking with the process and maturing as the fall has progressed.

“My favorite part is I feel like a lot of people doubted our ability because we lost so many seniors last year that like winning right now and making this playoff run makes it even more satisfying to me,” he said. “We’re proving everybody wrong. We’ve been putting in the work every single day and I’m just enjoying being part of it.”

Max also has a profound passion for baseball and he is hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a collegiate baseball career. He is leaving the door open to play college football as well if an opportunity presents itself.

Jason said Max has the ability to play either sport at the next level, he just has to put in the work.

“If Max has learned anything in his lifetime it is this — nothing is given, it’s only earned,” he said.

Being a member of the football team has been a transformative experience for Max, Jason said.

“I think it’s shaped him in a way that I never saw coming,” he said. “It’s shaped him in a way that’s going to prepare him to go to college, long ways away, It’s going to allow him to overcome the challenges of being a young adult on the run.”

Jason said it’s been incredible to watch Max grow and evolve through the ups and downs of his football journey and the best part is he always puts the team first.

Max said he looks up to his dad as a role model.

“Him and I both have a lot of the same passions,” Max said, “and the way he is about himself and carries himself, I look up to that a lot. He respects people, he’s humble and he’s confident. Those are the traits I want to have people see in me.”

Jason and his wife can’t wait to see what Max does next.

“Kelly and I could not be happier at the young man we see ready to take on the world,” he said. “He is going to use his voice to make a difference in this world and I can’t ask for anything more than that.”