When the 2009 football season came to a close, Max Tuerk was the leading receiver for the Santa Margarita Eagles. They had just finished the year with a disappointing 3-7 record, and at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Tuerk was a sophomore tight end on the path toward possibly contributing to a Division II college football team.

A little more than one month later, in early January 2010, Tuerk's football career was altered for good. Harry Welch, a high school coaching legend who has amassed a career record of 231-52-2, had taken over the Eagles program and immediately began to question what the team's best pass catcher would look like bulked up and consistently poised in a three-point stance.

Tuerk took a cue from Welch, and by the time the 2010 season began he weighed in at 255 pounds and had completely embraced a position switch to offensive tackle.

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Erik McKinney | email

Reporter, RecruitingNation

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