When one thinks of noteworthy stories on a football team, people often forget the kicker. 

In the case of Mesa High School football, there are a few stories this season that have made news, including an eight touchdown game, breaking a state record, a quarterback thats leading a team as a sophomore, and finally Max Montes de Oca, a story that goes deeper than football.

Max’s mother, Ana Fleitas, originally lived in Uruguay before moving to Florida, where Max was born.  At birth, Max was born premature.  Born at two pounds, Max fought for the first month of his life in intensive care, not knowing whether or not he was going to live.  Fortunately,  the United States had more to offer medically.

Fleitas talked about the decision to move from Uruguay to the United States.

“We moved here for a better life for our family,” Fleitas said.  “Especially for him, when he was born, it gave him many more opportunities.”

Max, 17, and a junior at Mesa High, grew up playing soccer --a sport he played for seven years before switching to football this spring and kicking for the first time.

“His last season of soccer, he started taking all the kicks,” Max’s stepfather, Cris Garcia, said.  “He was putting balls from beyond half field in front of the goal, and thats when we knew.”

One day, Mesa football coach Kap Sikahema came to soccer practice asking if anyone on the team wanted to try kicking. Max said why not, and in his first year kicking, led the state in touchbacks.

“After the first practice I realized I was kicking really well,” Montes de Oca said.  “After that I started to make my field goals, and it just felt right. This is the position I should be playing.”

Mesa kicking coach Scotty Baker has been working at Mesa for quite a few years  and had very high praise for Max and the future he could have.

“I have coached kids that were all-state and all-region, but Max is a magician with that rabbit foot,” Baker said.  “He’s been the best kicker to come out of Mesa High, and I feel as if his potential is unlimited.”

In 10 games this season, Max was 29 for 29 on PATs, and he made three of six field-goal attempts. His longest made kick was a 57-yarder.

Over his first year kicking Max was named a finalist at the Arizona Cardinals kicking camp.  He then went on to work on his craft with former Arizona State and Dallas Cowboys great Luis Zendejas.

Working with someone with as quality of a reputation as Zendejas is no joke.  He doesn’t work with just anybody, speaking to the potential Max has.

“He (Zendejas) would show me the little things,” Montes de Oca said.  “He’s been a big supporter of mine. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am at today.”

Although he has what it takes on the field, Max also possesses the qualities you want as a student and as a person off the field.

“We have never told him you need to do this and need to do that,” Garcia said.  “We're making sure his academics are OK, and the sports come second.”

Although Max has the hard work and dedication off the field, the skill on the field is inevitable.

In his last game against Skyline he attempted a 56-yard field goal off the ground with no tee, an NFL-like field goal.  This is out of the ordinary because high schools allow their kickers to use tees on their attempts, but according to Baker, Max likes the drive he gets in the ball with no tee.

Max’s senior season will be one to watch as he only expects his skills, and his chemistry with his holder, sophomore quarterback Gabby Mendoza, to grow.

“It's all about timing, so me and him would stay after practice and get some kicks in and just talk to him, knowing we can trust each other,” Mendoza said.  “He improved from his first game to his last because he got so comfortable. It just felt like practice for him”

Although Montes de Oca does not have any college offers, his name is still unfamiliar and would expect to see his name be brought up a lot more in the future.

Fleitas thinks that no matter what Max will succeed on or off the field, with whatever he does.

“He's a very good kid,” Fleitas said.  “No mater what, we are all proud of him.”