Being the first of anything should be an accomplishment in itself. Being the first Big Piney wrestler to make it into the Big Piney Athletic Hall of Fame is a feat that was many years in the making.
Without a true wrestling program in Big Piney, Max depended on USA wrestling to get his skill developed. As Max entered the high school level, he found that he could wrestle for Kemmerer High School through a cooperation school agreement. During that freshman year, Max excelled for the Rangers and finished the season with a third place at the Wyoming State Wrestling meet enabling Kemmerer to a fourth-place finish in the meet.
For the next three years, Max wrestled on the first of Big Piney High School teams. Not only did he wrestle but he brought home state championships in his weight class each of those seasons.
Needless to say, Max Vichi won numerous of prestigious individual championships throughout his career as he ended with a record of 108 wins to a mere 17 defeats as a Piuncher.
Wrestling was not the only spot in which Vichi excelled. As a member of the Puncher track team, Max placed as high as third in the Wyoming State meet in the 300m hurdles and the 4X100 relays. He added to that a fifth-place finish in the 110 hurdles.