NEW GLARUS — In New Glarus-Monticello’s Week 10 plus-one game against Southwestern, junior Max Marty broke the school’s career passing record. The mark had previously been set in 2021 by his own quarterback coach.
Heading into this season, head coach DJ Schuett — Darris’ father — knew Max had the potential to break the record given the previous season’s stats.
“I got to coach last year as an assistant and watch him play, and he did a very good job as a sophomore making decisions,” DJ said. “He came back this year sharper yet. I knew that would play a role in him being able to break the record. I knew it was possible.”
Max, too, was aware of the record, but it wasn’t his main focus.
“I knew we didn’t have the best record last year (2-7, 2-5 SWC), so I had that chip on my shoulder,” Max said. “I put in a lot of work and lifted four to five times a week. I knew I was coming back and filling in a big role on the team, so I wanted to play my best and reach my full potential.”
With improvement as his goal, it was inevitable that Max would break the record in the process. After two weeks with less than 100 passing yards, Max went off for over 200 passing yards the next three weeks — 223 against Turner, 209 against Edgewood and 328 against Lakeside Lutheran. He had another 249 in the Knights’ win against Big Foot in Week 7.
During that time, Darris and Max grew closer, joking with each other about the record.
“We talked some trash during the season because he knew I was coming up on the record, but it’s all for fun,” Max said. “He knew I was going to break it. No hate. It’s been a lot of fun working with him.”
All of the offseason work and in-season practice set the stage for Max in Week 10. With 1,373 yards on the season and 2,803 in his two-year career as a starting QB, Max was just 139 yards short of Darris’ 2,942-yard record.
“I knew I was about 140 yards away before the game, and then we started off the game hot,” Max said of the team’s 26-point first half. “I figured I was getting close.”
With the record in sight, DJ joked that he would change his offensive strategy.
“There was some joking during the week that we would switch to just a straight veer run-offense for the next year and a half, so he wouldn’t have a chance,” DJ said.
The head coach stuck to the game plan, though, as Max broke the record mid-game. DJ called a timeout to let Max and the team soak up the moment.
“It felt good,” Max said. “I was still focused on the game at that point. It was a good feeling, all of my teammates cheering for me. It felt nice.”
Max’s dad and team offensive coordinator, Jance, experienced the moment from the sideline.
“As a coach, I was super proud because he executes the game plan the way we want him to,” Jance said. “He’s a good leader out there for us, and does everything we ask him to do. As a dad, you couldn’t be more proud of watching somebody work that hard for something and being able to achieve their goals, it’s really special.”
In the press box, Darris watched his record slip away with mixed emotions.
“Records are meant to be broken. I just have to take it how it is. It’s hard to explain,” Darris said. “It was fun breaking the record, but I felt more proud watching him break my own record.”
Little did Darris know, though, that Max had been looking up to him for years and incorporated Darris’ gameplay into his own.
“I was a freshman his senior year, so I was on the sidelines for those games watching him and seeing how he ran the offense,” Max said. “How he was a leader really inspired me. Throughout his career, he played receiver, running back and quarterback. He was good with the ball. Really, that senior season he was confident, and I tried to model my game after that — being confident and comfortable.”
Darris spent three years at the quarterback position, including the 2020 alternative regular season played in the spring of 2021. In that time, he completed 219 passes on 405 attempts for a total of 2,942 yards with 32 TDs. In his senior year alone, Darris totaled 1,387 passing yards with 14 TDs.
“For years, we were a run-dominant team,” DJ explained. “When Darris broke the record, it was a fairly long-standing record. He had a couple shortened years to do it in. I knew Max, having the opportunity to do it in three full years, was probably going to break the record.”
As a junior, Max has another full year to add on to his record.
“He’s been fortunate enough to start for two full seasons, which is great. Those are good numbers to put up in the two years,” DJ said. “I’m looking forward to what happens next year because I think he might be able to double what he’s got if we do things right.”
Just because Max broke the record, Darris said he wouldn’t go easy on Max. He’s going to push Max to another level and focus on the team, too.
“We’re just keep going and not take a step back,” Darris said. “It’s more about improving the team now, moving forward. We want to get NGM back in the playoffs.”
