The name alone is enough to catch eyes in the halls at Arrowhead High School. Now, Max Bredeson wants his play to do the same.
When Bredeson takes the field Friday night at Taraska Stadium as the Warhawks starting quarterback for the first time, he will be following the footsteps of older brothers Jack and Ben. Both became widely known for their standout careers at Arrowhead and beyond.
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Jack graduated in 2015 and was an eight-time varsity letter winner, going 9-0 with a 0.13 earned run average as a senior in baseball before going on to pitch at Michigan. Ben, a 2016 graduate, was a four-star recruit as an offensive lineman who piled up accolades such as Gatorade state player of the year and first team all-American at Arrowhead.
Both were a part of the program’s back-to-back state football titles in 2012 and 2013.
“I got to be around my brothers’ teams a lot growing up,” Max said. “I was a ball boy in middle school, was at every game and really just looked up to them. Being around Arrowhead football was a big deal.”
Transferring to Arrowhead
Bredeson is a senior but has yet to play a snap at Arrowhead, having attended Oconomowoc his first two years and sitting out due to WIAA rules after transferring last year.
It can be tough having your name precede you before your first day of class, but that wasn’t why Bredeson chose to go to school nine miles west of Arrowhead on Highway 16.
He attended Oconomowoc beginning his freshman year because that’s where Greg Malling, who coached both Ben and Jack at Arrowhead, was the head coach.
“He left Arrowhead, went to Minnesota for a year and then came back to Oconomowoc,” Bredeson said. “I talked to him, visited the school and my brothers told me how big of an impact he made on their lives.”
But Bredeson grew up going to school in Hartland, played in the Warhawks youth program and some of his best friends went to Arrowhead. He was already contemplating transferring when he broke his collarbone in the second quarter of his first game as the Oconomowoc starting quarterback as a junior.
“After I got injured, I knew I would have to sit out most of the season anyway, so I figured this is the opportunity if I do want to transfer back,” Bredeson said. “For me, it was just going back to what you’re comfortable with, what you grew up with.”
It was at Oconomowoc that Bredeson began to grasp the amount of work he would have to put in to succeed on the field.
“Once I started high school and got to be around Malling and see what high school football is all about, that’s when I realized it was time to really start going,” Bredeson said. “I’d hear stories about what Ben was like from Malling and when I would talk to (Ben), he broke it down as this being when I really had to start working. That all rubbed off on me.”
Becoming a D-I prospect
Max spent much of the last four years driving around the region with his parents, Michael and Deb, to watch his brothers’ games. They were all big Michigan fans growing up, so being able to see Ben play in packed stadiums and Jack in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, was like a dream come true.
“That’s honestly the coolest thing I’ve gotten to do,” Max said. “When they were in high school, I took for granted all the accomplishments they had. You just think that’s normal. But watching them at Michigan those four years was really cool.”
Ben received All-American honors his senior season in college and was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ben spent much of his pre- and post-draft time at home, giving Max the chance to work out with him.
“You can definitely see he’s got that same work ethic as his brother,” Arrowhead head coach Matt Harris said. “He’s a machine when he works out. He does everything right. You can tell he’s very refined and that usually comes from being around high-level athletes.”
Up until this summer, Max figured he would follow Jack’s path and play baseball in college. Then he got a call “out of the blue” from Mississippi.
“One of their coaches called me and was interested, so I gave him the rundown,” Bredeson said. “I said, I only have two quarters of varsity film, so I sent him that and some workouts I did.”
The coach called back a couple of days later with a preferred walk-on offer.
“It definitely surprised me,” Bredeson said. “I was always working hard at it hoping that this year I would get some sort of offers. I just wanted to play at a high level for my team and thought something would happen if I did that. I didn’t expect it to come this early.”
Not too long after Ole Miss offered, Bredeson was contacted by Michigan director of recruiting Matt Dudek. The Wolverines also were interested, but couldn’t find any film of him, so Bredeson sent it over and received a walk-on offer soon after.
“That was an amazing call,” Bredeson said. “I knew coach (Jim) Harbaugh and the staff because of Ben, so talking to him again as a recruit was special. Michigan is a special place to me because of Ben and Jack and being a fan growing up.”
Even with an offer to play for his dream school, Bredeson says he’s going to wait it out to make a decision. He’s only thrown one pass at the varsity level, and a big senior year will almost certainly bring along more college interest.
High hopes
While all three Bredesons are big, strong athletes, Max is the most mobile, and his ability to scramble makes him a dual threat at quarterback.
“I’ve had a lot of good passing quarterbacks and he’s right there with them. His arm is so strong,” Harris said. “I haven’t had a dynamic runner like him in a long time. He’s really a playmaker with his legs.”
Bredeson is part of a group that hopes to bring Arrowhead back its winning ways from years past after having failed to advance past Level 2 of the playoffs since 2015.
“I remember my first day at Arrowhead and seeing what they’re all about here and we want to get back to that history of success,” Bredeson. “Seeing (former Arrowhead quarterback) Johnny Duranso as a coach and other past guys like that being around the program, all guys I always looked up to, it’s cool.”
Bredeson also understands the flip side of the coin and what comes along with being the quarterback at Arrowhead.
“There’s just more attention on you when you play here,” he said. “People aren’t going to like Arrowhead, and you’ve just got to not let that put pressure on you.”
If things go according to plan, Bredeson’s arrival could be looked at as a turning point.
“He’s all about establishing a legacy, and what better time to get us back on track than now?” Harris said. “I have no doubt that he will do that. Five years down the road, he’ll be one of the kids that you point to and he helped turn the program to where we want it to be.”
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Max Bredeson is looking to follow in his brothers' footsteps and lead Arrowhead football to the top - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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