There isn’t much that can slow down former Rochelle Township High School football player Max Basler.

Neither a sciatic nerve injury nor a torn labrum have held the 5-foot-11-inch, 245-pound defensive lineman back since he began his career at Aurora University two years ago. While he admitted that pushing through the pain has been his biggest challenge since joining the Spartans, his passion for football and his determination to be great are fueling his drive as he prepares for his third season with the team.

“I told myself that I could tough it out,” Basler said. “The next kid probably would’ve given up but I wanted to set the bar higher. I wanted to be the best… I’ve given it all I have and I’m happy that I didn’t have surgery because I wouldn’t be where I am right now strength-wise and ability-wise.”

Basler patrolled the trenches as a two-way lineman for the Hubs varsity football team prior to suiting up for the Spartans. A four-sport athlete at the high school level, Basler spent four years with the RTHS football program. He also played baseball for two years, and he recorded one season with both the wrestling team and the track and field team.

But football has been Basler’s greatest joy since he was in fourth grade. A boy who idolized former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher growing up, Basler played one year of flag football before rising through the Rochelle Junior Tackle program.

“I wanted to be like him,” Basler said. “The tenacity he had and everything he gave on every single play, that’s what made me love it.”

Basler’s love for football was also inspired by some friendly competition. The youngest of three boys, Basler often competed in 1-on-1 battles in his backyard against his older brother Marshall, who played two seasons at Aurora University before suffering an ACL injury. Basler’s oldest brother Kirk was a standout athlete in his own right, and while Basler may have been too young to remember everything his oldest brother achieved, he still serves as a role model for him today.

“[Marshall] and I would try to get from one side of the yard to the other,” Basler said. “It was a nice, fun feeling to be able to win or outrun him or make the game-winning tackle… I always wanted to be better than him. [Kirk] wasn’t really around because our age difference was so much, but I heard a lot of stories about what he did.”

Aurora University pieced together a 1-9 record prior to Basler’s arrival, but the Spartans improved to 3-7 during his freshman season before going 6-4 and earning a conference co-championship his sophomore year. While he said the speed of the game has increased since his time in high school, Basler’s speed has risen as well, and the former Hub defensive tackle and offensive guard has found his role as a defensive end.

“I love the entire experience,” Basler said. “Four plays of a college game feel like a halftime of high school football because you’re giving it all you have every single second against people who are up to par or better than you. You’re gassed but you have to give it everything you’ve got.”

Basler is studying physical education, and he said his goal after graduation is to pursue a career as a physical education teacher while angling to become a high school coach. He said his desire to enter the physical education field stems from his interest in helping kids, and he aims to help kids take care of their bodies and learn from the mistakes he made as a young athlete.

“I was one of those kids who didn’t care about nutrition, and I paid for it because I was very overweight,” Basler said. “I love to help out students and teach them how to stay active and understand core concepts… If you give that one kid who really pays attention that knowledge, he or she will prosper and thank you in the long run because that kid will understand what to put in his or her body and what not to.”