After a full offseason of preparation and improvement, Independence High School senior Maddox Purvis is ready to help the Bulldogs take the next step.
Purvis enters the season with confidence after dedicating countless hours to improving his skills as a punter while also continuing to develop as a wide receiver and strong safety. With team success at the forefront of his mind, Purvis believes the Bulldogs have put in the work needed to compete at a high level.
“I’m really excited about this upcoming football season because our team has worked hard all offseason to improve,” Purvis said. “We’ve spent a lot of time building chemistry, getting stronger and learning from last year’s mistakes. I can’t wait to compete with my teammates, play in front of our fans and see how much we’ve grown.”
Purvis has made consistency a major focus during the offseason. As a punter, he has worked on improving his hang time, accuracy and technique while building more strength in his leg to help give Independence an advantage in the field position battle.
“This offseason, I’ve focused on improving my consistency, hang time and overall accuracy,” Purvis said. “I’ve spent a lot of time practicing my technique and working on my leg strength so I can help give our team better field position. I feel more confident than ever, and I’m excited to show how much I’ve improved this season.”
Purvis’ contributions are not limited to special teams. He has also spent time preparing for opportunities on both sides of the ball, working at wide receiver and strong safety in addition to his punting duties.
“I’ve worked a lot on my punting this offseason, but I’ve also been putting in extra work at wide receiver and strong safety,” Purvis said. “I just want to keep improving in every part of the game and be someone the coaches can count on wherever they need me.”
Purvis showed his versatility during his previous season. He averaged more than 33 yards per punt, not including the 13 yards behind the line of scrimmage, and also made an impact defensively with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
With another season ahead, Purvis has set individual goals of earning All-SEK honors as both a punter and potentially as a kicker. However, his biggest focus remains helping Independence achieve team success.
“Some goals I want to achieve this upcoming season is I want to make the All-SEK teams for my punting and possibly kicking this year,” Purvis said. “Some team goals we have is we want to win the SEK and host a playoff game at the end of the season.”
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