By: Soul Koen
Marcus Correia, ’22, an up and coming linebacker on Redwood’s Varsity football team, has become quite the star this year. Growing up in a sports centered family, Corriea has been motivated to be the best athlete his family has seen. He has always had “a lot of dedication” for football, especially since his father played college ball at the University of Oklahoma. His career started young, and he has continued to grow as an exceptional athlete.
At the age of 4, Correia’s father started him Pop Warner tackle football. Being the youngest on the team yet one of the biggest, Correia thrived in the sports atmosphere, “[Pop Warner] taught me dedication and how to keep up the good work” which helped to build his growing love for football. His father pushed him everyday and taught him new and improved skills to keep on his toes at all times. Correia quickly began to rise to the top being one of the best on his team, and continuing his rise until his short break in middle school.
After excelling in football all throughout elementary school, Correia took a break in middle school to pursue a career in baseball. Correia explained that his dad “believed [he] was ready for high school” and deserved a chance to try something else. Although the aspiring player was a great baseball player, the game never amounted to football. Correia stated that he “missed the physicality of football” and wanted to get back into it.
At the beginning of his high school football career, Correia faced challenges adjusting to the new atmosphere. He talks about difficulties he had connecting with coaches that led him to look into transferring to a different school prior to the 2017-2018 season.
With all of these challenges, however, he rose above the obstacles and became the first freshman on 2018-19 team to be moved up to Redwood Varsity. Correia also explains how the new coach this season brought a new perspective on the game and helped the team grow closer. Coach Scharton describes Correia as “one of the best defensive players who brings great strength and mobility to the team’s defense.”
Scharton also discusses how he is excited have Correia for another 2 years. He leads the team with 20 solo tackles, getting an average of 4.8 total takes a game. In the end everything just took time and a lot of dedication to the game and he still has room for growth and learning to lead this team to success.