Nick Marshall doesn’t say much, even when he’s around folks he has known most of his life. Whether at school, on the football field, or on the basketball court, Marshall just doesn’t have a lot to say.
“I took Nick and one of our best receivers to a camp (recently), and they didn’t say 50 words to each other the whole trip,” Wilcox County coach Mark Ledford said. “They just didn’t talk. Nick is like that. About the most you ever get out of him is ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘No, sir.’ ”
Nick Marshall threw for 27 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 2008.
Marshall’s quiet demeanor has translated into resounding results in the Patriots’ explosive offense.
He threw for 2,300 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions as a sophomore last season as Wilcox County went 12-1, losing to Lincoln County in Class A quarterfinals. It was his first year as the starting quarterback, but that didn’t stop Marshall from throwing five touchdown passes to five different receivers one week and coming back the next week with six touchdown passes to six different receivers.
Marshall is one of eight starters returning from the top-scoring offense (36.7 points) in Class A last year.
“We’re really blessed right now with athletes,” Ledford said. “It started about five or six years ago. We had a bunch of young and athletic kids who were 2-8 in (2003 and ’04), but by their senior year, they were 13-2 and playing for a state championship (in ’07). We lost 17 seniors off that team, but we went 12-1 last year, and hopefully that will continue this year.”
Ledford is searching for a replacement for running back Antonio Marshall, who rushed for 1,500 yards last year, and will rely on Nick Marshall and a group of “eight or 10” talented and fast receivers ranging in size from about 5-foot-6 to 6-7. Ledford said one of his five-receiver sets includes players between 6-3 and 6-7.
The tallest is Lonnie Outlaw, who scored 10 touchdowns on only 22 catches last year and is drawing praise from opposing coaches.
“I was unfortunate enough as an assistant coach at Coffee to go up against (former Georgia receiver) Fred Gibson,” Perry coach Andy Scott told the Macon Telegraph. “Lonnie Outlaw makes Fred Gibson look like a girl. He’s the most demoralizing player I have ever coached against. We triple-covered him, and he still caught everything.”
Outlaw certainly isn’t the only receiving threat.
Wilcox County coach Mark Ledford has led the Patriots to the state playoffs in each of the past three seasons. Photo by Jon Page.
“Our tight end, Marcus Griffin, probably has the best hands,” Ledford said. “We have another fast kid we put in the slot against linebackers, and Tay Porter, he’s only 5-6, caught a 60-yard bomb (in Friday night’s scrimmage).”
Marshall, who also is being recruited by Division I-A schools in basketball, runs the show with silent efficiency. Ledford said his QB rarely shows emotion, doesn’t argue and never places the blame on his teammates.
“I’m just a quiet guy,” Marshall said. “I just try to go out and execute plays and do what I’m best at. I’m laid back, calm. That’s how I play.”
Marshall appears ready for the regular season after connecting with eight different receivers in going 10 of 17 for 265 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-0 victory over Schley County in Friday night’s scrimmage. Ledford said the varsity played only three quarters to prepare for this week’s opener against Seminole County, which twice lost to Wilcox County last year.
“We’re in a great situation right now,” Ledford said. “We’re having a lot of success. There’s no other place I’d rather be right now. We have a lot of great athletes, and they are great kids, too.”
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