Legacy of success at North Cross School 

“Family Ties.” “Family Feud.” “All in the Family.”

Forget those television programs. The longest-running family show is taking place on the corner of Colonial Avenue and Electric Road in southwest Roanoke County.

That’s where the latest Revercomb rerun is airing at North Cross School.

North Cross junior quarterback Max Revercomb is the 10th member of his family to perform as an athlete for the Raiders.

He’s had a tough act to follow.

Previous Revercombs who have worn red and white at North Cross include Max’s father Jim (class of 1976); uncles Randy (1977) and Stuart (1980), aunt Anne (1982); brothers James (2006), Joe (2007) and Wes (2007); and cousins George (2012) and Gussie (2013).

Five Revercombs made a Virginia Independent Schools all-state team, while four played on at least one state championship team and three were North Cross nominees for the B’nai B’rith Award.

It is quite a legacy, but don’t think Max Revercomb simply inherited his spot as a two-way starter for the Raiders.

Revercomb was playing lacrosse for North Cross as an eighth-grader when Stephen Alexander arrived on campus as the school’s head football coach and noticed something about the kid.

“I coached him that year in lacrosse,” Alexander said. “He was my best lacrosse player. He’s just an athlete. He’s good at everything he does.

“It’s his mental toughness and competitiveness. He’s always trying to compete. Practice, off the field, he’s always competitive. It always shows up. He’s a football player. He’s got it.”

Revercomb played behind Thomas Weaver on North Cross’ VIS Division III championship team two years ago as a freshman and had a breakout sophomore season in 2012, passing for 1,754 yards and 23 touchdowns.

This year, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound Revercomb ranks fifth in Timesland with 396 passing yards heading into Saturday’s Old Dominion Football Conference game against Christchurch in Charlottesville.

“He knows the offense,” Alexander said. “He’s a quick study. I can install plays week by week and he understands it. He’s a bright kid with a good GPA. He’s a leader. He never misses a weight workout.”

Revercomb also starts at inside linebacker for the Raiders (1-1, 0-1). He rarely gets a break.

“Last year, what we were asking him to do as a 165-pound starting quarterback and starting inside linebacker, he did an incredible job,” Alexander said. “But he’s got to do the same thing this year. He’s our most physical linebacker.

“I’d like to see what he could do if he didn’t have to go out and play defense every snap. But we’re a small school and that’s the way it goes.”

Revercomb said he enjoys the double duty, particularly after committing a mistake.

“I can hear them [coaches] yelling from the sidelines too. It’s kind of nice being able to go out on defense and shake it off,” Revercomb said.

Revercomb threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in last week’s game at Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot, but he responded with two TD passes in a 34-21 victory.

North Cross’ game Saturday will be its third straight away from home to open the season. The Raiders finally return to Thomas Field on Sept. 21 against Blue Ridge.

“We’re road warriors right now,” he said. “When we come back, Blue Ridge is a big game. They were the [VIS] D-II champs last year.”

Revercomb saw backup duty at linebacker and got one snap at quarterback in North Cross’ 26-13 victory in the Division III state final over a Norfolk Christian team that included four Virginia signees.

Revercomb said Alexander and defensive coordinator Shannon Taylor — a former UVa star and ex-NFL player — simply had the Raiders better prepared than their opponent.

“Coach Taylor’s defensive scheme is NFL caliber. Coach Alexander’s scheme is pretty complex, too,” he said. “I think we outschemed them and outworked them that year, too.

“We work pretty hard out here. Our coaching staff is awesome. We’re pretty lucky to have them at a small school like this.”

Revercomb said he has vague memories of North Cross’ loss at home to Blessed Sacrament in the 2004 state final. His brother, James, was the quarterback on that team.

He also recalled another game that year when North Cross played a St. Anne’s-Belfield squad whose star was current NFL defensive lineman Chris Long.

“My brother was a freshman. He got just nailed by Chris Long in one of their games. ... I don’t know if I was really paying attention to the games,” Revercomb said. “Sometimes I was the ballboy or the waterboy.”

Revercomb’s older brothers, two of whom graduated from UVa, don’t get much chance to see him play in person.

They live in Jackson, Wyo.

“Two of them are fishing guides and one is a chef,” Revercomb said. “They kind of ventured out there and stayed. I stay in touch with them a lot. They follow the team pretty well.”

Revercomb has attended North Cross since kindergarten. Two of his brothers began in the first grade, while the third enrolled in fifth grade.

At a school where the tuition runs into five figures, that’s a considerable expense.

However, don’t buy into any negative stereotype about the North Cross QB.

“We do get a lot of white-collar, upper-class kids, but we’ve got some tough guys, too,” Alexander said. “He is mentally and physically tough. He’s probably the toughest kid in the program.”

But has the Revercomb line Maxed out?

“My cousin, Rob, is in middle school,” he said. “Coach Taylor is trying to get him to play. I don’t know. I could be the last one.”

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