St. Charles Superstar

Junior defensive tackle Marquis Gracial has a plethora of D1 offers for football throughout the country that proves anybody from anywhere can be seen by the eyes of the recruiters

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Courtesy of St. Dominic Photographer

Defensive Tackle Marquis Gracial gets ready to get rough against St. Dominic

by Grant Peters, Sports Editor

The saying “once in a blue moon” can be applied to many different events. However it seems as though the SCHS football team might be having one of those moments, with Marquis Gracial. Marquis is a defensive tackle that has drawn attention all across the country for his effort on the football field. Offers have come in from Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Mizzou just to name a few. With these offers, Marquis is not letting it affect his mindset. 

“I find it more humbling than intimidating. I have another year of high school so I’m focused on getting better and being the best teammate and player I can be,” Gracial said. 

Teams are made up of players, however those players are guided by their coach. Coach Robert Leonard has been the head football coach at SCHS for three years, however before that he was the St. Dominic head coach for 10 years. Throughout his time as a head coach, Coach Leonard recognizes Marquis’ stardom as a rare sight. 

“I’ve had one other highly recruited player when I was at St. Dominic however he wasn’t recruited as heavily as Marquis is,” Leonard explained. “Marquis is obviously extremely talented on the football field and he’s got a tremendous work ethic. I think some people overlook that part of the puzzle.”

Senior defensive end Justin Blair is extremely close with Gracial, calling him one of his closest teammates on the SCHS football roster. As a result of their tight bond, both Blair and Gracial have been able to offer guidance to one another in different ways. 

“Me and Marquis have helped each other in different ways. Marquis is the reason I am the player I am now,” Blair said. “He helped improve my work ethic extremely, and I think I’m helping him realize how big of an opportunity he has and to take advantage of it.”

There isn’t a date or estimated time that Marquis’ decision will be made. However, a way to keep up with the offers that Marquis gets is through his Twitter page, where he announces the offers he receives (https://twitter.com/gracial_marquis). No matter what decision comes from Gracial, there’s no doubt that it will be a proud moment for the junior Pirate, as well as the community that surrounds him.