Oct. 08--Brian Doll knew exactly what he was looking for, though he didn't yet know his name was Max Rosenthal.
It was the spring of 2014, Doll had just been named the head football coach at his alma mater after a successful three-year stint at Elk Grove, and he was roaming the hallways of New Trier looking for football bodies.
Even as a freshman, Rosenthal possessed one, but he didn't join the team because he was content using it to play baseball instead.
"I saw him and was like, 'Holy Cow, how is that kid not playing football?' " Doll said. "He looked like a varsity football player as a freshman."
"Coach Doll was really working me over," Rosenthal said. "At first I gave him these passive answers, 'I'll think about it. Let me talk to my parents.'
"Then my friends were really talking it up over the summer. Francis Fay, Clay Czyzynski and Scott Hammes put the most words into me. I saw the atmosphere Coach Doll was bringing to New Trier, and I wanted to be a part of it."
He had plenty of company.
At a time when concerns about head injuries has led to a decrease in participation almost everywhere else, the 19th-ranked Trevians' numbers are actually up under Doll.
A changing of the guard may or may not take place when Maine South puts its 72-game Central Suburban South win streak on the line on Friday night in Winnetka -- the Hawks overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the final 10 minutes against Glenbrook South last week for No. 71 -- but what's clear is that New Trier is here to stay for at least the foreseeable future.
The Trevians are 6-0 after going 10-2 in their best season since 1996 last fall, and over half the starters, including their 6-foot-3, 215-pound middle linebacker/fullback (Rosenthal), quarterback (Czyzynski) and two-way back (Fay), are juniors.
"Coach Doll does a great job recruiting," Rosenthal said. "He really does go around the halls looking for big guys. I just really liked how enthusiastic he was. It works."
Rosenthal wasn't new to football when he joined the team late in the summer prior to his sophomore year, but he hadn't played since seventh grade.
The sophomore team was the logical place for him to develop, but he didn't stay there long.
"I watched his first two games and he made every tackle," Doll said. "That was enough."
Rosenthal was actually brought up because of an injury to the Trevians' starting fullback, though he gained experience on both sides of the ball.
He got more varsity experience in the spring, winning the catcher job on the baseball team.
Both experiences proved invaluable.
Not only is he, in Doll's words, "running people over on both sides of the ball," the relative newcomer is responsible for calling New Trier's defensive signals.
"Without a doubt I think the catching position and middle linebacker position are similar as far as calling plays, seeing the whole field, getting the best view, moving guys around," Rosenthal said. "And as far as leadership I feel they go together. Physically and mentally you're in on every play."
Several programs in the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference are interested, and football has at least drawn even with baseball in Rosenthal's mind.
But he also knows he's impressionable.
"It's in-season so football is really on my mind right now," Rosenthal said. "We'll see how things go."
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
