Football:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

There are a number of athletes in the San Gabriel Valley that fit the definition of ‘elite’ and ‘game changer.’

But no player did more to help a program win games in more ways than did Glendora senior Cade Marshman.

The two-way starter (receiver-defensive back) also returned punts and kickoffs.

In 2019, he scored touchdowns on both sides of the ball, as well as TD’s on both kickoff and punt returns.

Marshman, the two-time Palomares League MVP, finished out his magnificent prep career having rewritten Glendora’s record book for a number of career receiving marks.

In 2019, Marshman caught 71 passes for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns.

His stats look great, but they don’t tell the whole story.

It was just as much when he racked up those yards and TD’s that made him who he is, especially considering that 13 opponents in 2019 made Marshman their defensive focus when it came to disrupting the Tartans’ air game.

And there’s also the fact that in seven of the Tartans’ 11 victories this season, GHS won by 25 points or more and Marshman and the majority of the starters saw little to no second-half action in at least five if not six of those games.

On defense, Marshman led GHS with three interceptions, which gives him eight over the past two years.

He’s also the guy his coaches and teammates looked to when a game-changing play needed to be made, and far more times than not, Marshman did his part and then some in Glendora winning 22 of its 26 games played over the past two years, and that includes back-to-back trips to the CIF-SS semifinals.

The difference between a good and great player also includes those contributions you might not see on a stat sheet.

For Marshman, that included doing every little thing well, such as blocking and acting as a decoy to get other teammates open looks.

At six-feet all (maybe) and 160 pounds, he wasn’t going to put fear in the hearts of an opponent, but he was certainly going to out-work and play more fundamentally sound football than anyone that attempted to stand in his or the Tartans’ way.

It is for all those reasons and more that Cade Marshman has been named the first ever 210 Prep Sports Football Player of the Year.

Marshman’s senior year will also consist of playing center field and batting leadoff in CIF championship coach Dan Henley’s program in the spring, and then he’ll compete for the Azusa Pacific University baseball program in 2021.

But back to football for a moment.

The only thing more admired in an athlete than greatness is when that excellence is sustained, and that’s something that Marshman clearly achieved.

And talk about consistency.

In 2018, Marshman caught 71 passes. In 2019, he tallied exactly 71 receptions.

Over the past two years, he has 27 receiving TD’s and 2,222 yards to go along with those 142 receptions.

His 168 career receptions, 29 career receiving TD’s and 2,624 career receiving yards are all new (career) records that he set this year.

And that doesn’t even take into account a 96-yard kickoff return, 53-yard interception return and a 40-yard punt return for TD’s in 2019.

In all, Marshman led GHS in nine offensive categories.

They included total yards for catches, yards receiving, TD receptions, longest TD catch, receiving yards per game, kickoff returns, punt returns, interception returns and total all-purpose yards.

And he was less than one all-purpose yard per game behind star running back Xzavier Ford.

Ford averaged 135.3 all-purpose yards per game, and Marshman finished with an average of 134.5 all-purpose yards every Friday night.

As mentioned earlier, it was also when he made plays that make Marshman one of the SGV’s truly great and clutch athletes.

The final catch of his prep career was a 46-yard scoring strike from Glendora quarterback Jacob Gonzalez late in the semifinal game to even the score with Aquinas at 21-21 apiece.

As we all know, that story didn’t have a happy ending, but his career has been nothing short of historic.

And even in the rare down moments this season, the two losses, Glendora had realistic chances to win both games.

GHS fell to Ayala (13-7), on October 11, against a Bulldogs’ team that won their first 11 games of the season, and the second setback being the semifinal heartbreaker to Aquinas (24-21), in which they carried a lead for much of that game.

Aside from being a great player, Marshman also excels in the classroom, but what makes him so special is his selflessness, leadership skills and his desire to be the best son, little brother, grandson, teammate, friend, student and person that he can be.

In that light, it’s only fair to mention that much of this would not have been possible without the guidance of his parents (Pat and Heidi), and the contributions of the entire GHS coaching staff and each of his teammates, who all did their part in this program winning at an 85 percent clip over the past two years.

And Marshman would be the first to tell you to ‘mention my guys’ when talking about the Tartans’ success.

Jacob Gonzalez (137 of 222 passes for 2,265 yards, 32 TD’s), Xzavier Ford (217 carries, 1,567 yards, 18 TD’s), Nick Acuna (533 yards on 87 carries, four TD’s), AJ Salgado (25 catches for 441 yards and 10 TD’s), Matt Gonzales (21 catches for 318 yards and six TD’s) and Logan Peterson (eight catches for 215 yards and a TD) all did their part.

And GHS would have finished far shy of 11 wins if not for the stingy defense led by Hunter Heflin, Jacob Guerrero, Braydon Brus, Bryce Overstreet, JT Greep and many others.

We asked the GHS captain to hit on a number of topics, including his experience at Glendora, what made his time so special and how he hopes to be remembered by his younger teammates.

And lastly, we asked the two-sport star to send a message to his brothers and coaches on the Tartans’ football team.

Said Marshman: “The Glendora football program has been the best place for me to play the game I love so much, because every coach and staff member cared so much more than I could have imagined. Not only did they care about the game of football, but they also cared about their players’ lives outside of football. The amount of time they invested, not only as football players, but also their guidance in helping us mature into grown men is something I appreciate so much.

What was special for me was going out on the field knowing my brother’s had my back. I will always remember being in that defensive huddle around angry and excited guys ready to dominate anyone that stood in our way. I am most proud that I had the ability to show people what Glendora football creates. The amount of time and effort I put into this game showed on the field on Friday night’s.

I hope the younger guys remember me for leaving everything on the field and that you don’t have to be the biggest or the strongest to make an impact.

I would just like to say thank you for everything you guys have done for me. If I had the option to do it all over again, I wouldn’t think twice. The guys that stood next to me every night gave everything they had and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

Quotable:

GHS coach Brandon Rohrer: “In terms of Cade, he is one of the best players I have ever coached. He is a genuine playmaker that can dodge defenders with ease and accelerate past defenses in a heartbeat. I am so impressed with his toughness. The past two years, he would play 130-150 plays a game and wouldn’t complain once on the toll it took on his body. He comes from a great family and I thought that contributed to what a great teammate he is. I know he wanted the ball all the time, but some nights it was Xzavier, or Matty, or AJ scoring touchdowns and he wouldn’t say one word about it. We will definitely miss watching #15 run up and down the field, but I am excited for his future.”

Former Glendora coach, current athletic director, Jerry Lewallen: “Cade is a great person. He’s a hard-working kid and a great teammate. He wanted and was determined to be the best and he put in the time and work to achieve that goal. It all starts at home, because he’s got a great family and that work ethic is in his DNA.”

Arthur Gracia, head coach of Palomares League champion Ayala: “Marshman has been phenomenal since his freshman year. He is a player that you need to account for in all three phases of the game. We had to put our best cover corner on him, because he catches everything. He is usually manned up with our best wide receiver (on defense) and then you must make sure not to kick to him in the return game. He is one of the smoothest players I’ve seen. He does things on the field that most players can’t do, but he makes it look easy.”

Glendora junior Matt Gonzales: “What Cade accomplished is ridiculous. He was always matched up against the other team’s best defender and then on the other side of the ball, he focused on shutting down their best receiver. He would never brag about himself or think or say that he’s the best, even though he really is. He’s a great leader and is very humble. The attention others paid to Cade helped AJ, Logan and myself get open looks. I was very proud to play alongside Cade and I look forward to doing that again in baseball season.”

Cade Marshman’s career receiving stats:

2017: 26 receptions, 402 yards, two TD’s

2018: 71 receptions, 1,086 yards, 12 TD’s

2019: 71 receptions, 1,136 yards, 15 TD’s

Career: 168 receptions, 2,624 yards, 29 TD’s