Senior football player Brock Marler has been out of play for the wolves due to a leg injury. Although some may become unmotivated with an injury, especially with it happening his senior year, Marler never fails to obtain a smile and good attitude.

Marler started playing football a very long time ago, dating back to elementary school. With this amount of experience with the sport, the coaching role comes as a second nature to him.

“My dad played and coached football, so I always went to his games,” Marler said, “It was probably the sport I watched the most as a kid growing up.”

Marler has been on the football team during all his four years of high school. His hard work and leadership through this time has not gone unnoticed by his teammates and coaches.

“I can’t really put into words what Brock has meant to our program as a player, as a leader, and as a person,” Head Coach Sam Stanley said, “When we started this thing four years ago, we were very lucky to have a leader and person of his caliber part of our program.”

Marler has been a vital piece of the football team since the school opened, playing the Center position along with being part of the D-line at defensive end. But perhaps one of his biggest contributions to the team can’t be seen in his play on the field.

“His positive, relentless energy is definitely something that’s been unmatched and something that I think is unique to him,” Assistant football and head baseball coach Anthony Dunn said. “He has a big smile, always positive and energetic. Obviously, he’s an ultimate competitor, gritty, but his energy level and positive enthusiasm is what has made us successful.”

Marler’s attitude and experiences show when he is coaching. His teammates have been making noticeable leaps due to Brock’s help.

“He’s been helping us out a lot, on the sideline with problems we’re having on the field. He’s been great in his coaching role,” Senior Sam Thomas said.

Marler and the team have very high expectations for themselves heading down the road. Their hard work and dedication in the off-season has been paying off, and they are still working to achieve their goals.

“This team has worked harder than any team I’ve ever been a part of. Every morning in the winter we get up and work,” Marler said. “When things get tough towards the end of the season and in the playoffs, we’ll have that to lean on and help dig a little deeper.”

Marler’s contributions to the football and baseball programs go far beyond just showing up to practice and putting in the work. He makes sure that the teams are unified and are comfortable around each other.

“He’s got a smile that lights the room up and people want to be around that,” Dunn said,“It’s probably the biggest part of that senior leadership, is his ability to bring everybody together,”

Marler has definitely been missed on the football field by his teammates and coaches. Although he’s been out with injury, he’s never let it bring him down and always saw the positives of the situation.

“He’s just incredibly mentally tough,” Stanley said. “He’s experienced some disappointments here and there, but he does a great job of having a positive mindset and continuing to push forward no matter the circumstances.”

The football team played district rival Elkhorn High School on Friday, Sep. 29th. In a dominant victory over the Antlers by a score of 35-17, Marler made his long-awaited full return to the field.

“It was awesome. We didn’t want to send me out too early and possibly get hurt again, so there was definitely a lot of anticipation built up to come back,” Marler said. “It felt really good to get back out there with the team.”