Edison to retire Soviak's jersey

Supporting Maxton Soviak People can make donations, learn about affiliated events or inquire about the Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak Memorial Foundation by visiting maxtonsoviak.org. Several verified social media sites also provide updates on the above: • Facebook: @MaxtonSoviakMemorial • Twitter: @SoviakStrong • Instagram: @corpsman_maxton_w_memorial Want to go? What: Maxton Soviak football retirement jersey ceremony Where: Edison High School's football stadium, 2603 Ohio 113 E., Milan; It's located behind the high school. When: The ceremony is scheduled to start at 6:50 p.m. Who: Anyone can attend. MILAN — A special tribute to honor a former student and standout football player takes place Friday night before the Edison Chargers' home opener. Edison Schools will retire the late Maxton Soviak's football jersey, No. 27, during a pregame ceremony. While the game against Western Reserve starts at 7 p.m., fans are encouraged to get into their seats by 6:50 p.m. Those representing both the school district and the Soviak family spoke on this recognition. From the school district's perspective; answering the questions, Nick Wenzel, Edison's athletic director: Q: Why is the school district doing this? NW: Max Soviak gave his life helping others in Afghanistan. He paid the ultimate price. He epitomized what it means to be an Edison Charger on and off the football field. This is just one way we hope to continue to honor Max's legacy. Q: Has the district ever retired a number like this, in any sport, before? NW: No. The No. 27 is being retired only in football as this is his number from this sport. No other Edison Charger football player will ever wear his number again. Q: What type of tributes will take place Friday before the football game? NW: There will be a brief ceremony prior to the national anthem where we will thank all who have donated items to the school district. We will unveil a die cut of his jersey that will hang at the football field, and we will present his parents with his actual jersey on the field. There will also be a die cut of his jersey hanging in the fieldhouse and in the weight room. A die cut is a metal version of his jersey. Unveiling means revealing or presenting for people to see. If you think of it from the idea of a number being retired in MLB or someone being put in a ring of honor in the NFL, a sheet covers the dye cut and will be revealed during the brief ceremony. Q: When people see the No. 27, either at this game or anytime in the future, what do you hope their main takeaway is? NW: There are multiple things we hope people take away from seeing the No. 27 on the football field and his jersey at the stadium: • We hope people remember Max for the person he was, what he did during his time at Edison and all he did for others around the world during his time in the military. • We hope people remember the way this proud community came together and continues to come together to support each other. • We hope it also serves as a reminder that our freedom is not free. We need to honor and remember all who have served to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. From the family's perspective; answering the questions: Kip Soviak, Maxton's father: Q: What does it mean to have Maxton's jersey retired for you and your family? KS: It's a great honor for us that the Edison school district felt that this was the best way to honor and remember our son. The school district has gone out of their way to be there for us since the very first day we were told by the Navy that Max had passed. We can never thank them enough for the use of the fieldhouse and stadium for Max's Day in State and his funeral. We truly could not think of a more perfect place to have done that. Retiring a jersey to honor the player that wore it is an enormous gesture and, to us, it is being used to show respect to a player that wanted to stay in the game until the very end. Q: What is the significance of No. 27? Was there a reason Maxton picked this jersey for football? KS: Maxton picked 27 for several reasons: • It is the opposite of the number I wore in high school, which was 72, since Max was a running back and defensive back. He reversed 72 which was a lineman's number. • It is also our anniversary date (Oct. 27, 1996), and seven minus two equals five. Max is child No. 5 in the order from oldest to youngest. Q: What are some of your best memories of Maxton playing for Edison? KS: Two games come to mind that we remember the most are his sack in the snow bowl and his touchdown run against Clyde. Max played football since kindergarten, and it always gave us a huge rush of parental pride to watch him every time he stepped on the field. It was more than just the game. It was also the brotherhood that was made with his football family. His mom's and Mrs. O's (Elena Ostheimer's) parties, feed the teams, the pool party at the end of two-a-days, team bonding, the list can go on. That class of boys grew up together, and it was a tight group of boys that had each other's backs. Those same boys continue to hold us up even today sharing memories while including us in making new ones. Q: When people see the No. 27, either at this game or anytime in the future, what do you hope their main takeaway is? KS: Maxton was extremely proud to be a part of Edison football. He loved the game, and he loved his teammates. Last fall, coach Dan Frederick and his son, Nick, Max's teammate, brought the eighth-grade team over to the funeral home to pay their respects, and they asked if I wanted to say a few words. I told them to look around at who was standing beside them and to realize that even though you may have come from different backgrounds, have different thoughts and opinions, and different goals in life, if you can set all of that aside and then learn to trust and respect each other, you have a solid foundation to create a team that can go as far or farther than the 2016 and 2017 teams did. The most valuable takeaway from creating such a strong brotherhood is that you will have each other's backs long after your days of playing are over, that when life gets serious, you will always have a teammate willing to help pick you up off the ground. I hope people look at the No. 27 and think of how Max loved being a part of a brotherhood and that he was always willing to put in the hard work to make the team better, willing to make sacrifices to see the team succeed and willing to teach that philosophy to every new team that he became a part of in his life. Rest in honor While many fondly remember Soviak in their own individual ways — ranging from a loving son, a caring brother, a standout athlete an entertaining prankster, among many other titles — his military family knows him as a decorated service member who earned every accolade. The 2017 Edison High School graduate received many honors recognizing his bravery and selflessness no matter when providing medical care to uniformed personnel or saving the lives of innocent civilians. Soviak, 22, died a hero, helping evacuate Americans and Afghan citizens, including children, at risk of being killed by the Taliban. It occurred during an Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the Abbey Gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation Allies Refuge. Soviak, a U.S. Navy Corpsman, was among 13 U.S. service members who died Soviak died. Assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, Maxton earned the nickname "Doc" from Marines that he served with. He received the "Doc" title because of his relentless approach in caring for and saving people through his medical expertise. As a result of his brave actions in support of his fellow service members and mission, the Navy posthumously advanced Maxton to the rank of Hospital Corpsman Third Class on Sept. 2, 2021. He also received many honors, including the Purple Heart, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Fleet Marine Force warfare badge.