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09/23/2021 12:00 AMJames Marsden has proven to be an immensely talented athlete as a member of three Valley Regional squads. James has recently started his senior season with Warriors’ football team, and this year James is one of the key leaders as a team captain. James also plays for the Valley baseball and basketball squads.
James and the Warriors are happy to be on the field and have high hopes for the season after going nearly two years without a campaign. So far, James has been having a great time.
“I didn’t really know what to think coming into the year. It’s a whole new system,” says James. “This year has already been the most fun I’ve had playing football. These people I’m around now, I’ve been playing with my whole life. I love where we’re at. I have very high expectations for the rest of the year.”
James plays wide receiver and safety for the Warriors, though he’s most comfortable on the offense. James feels that he has a lot of freedom to make big plays along with quarterback and fellow senior captain James Beckman.
“I play safety and wide out. I also play quarterback for mostly running situations. For receiver, I’m usually backside, which looks at the defense and at how they line up,” James says. “I run an alert route. I give James a heads up, and we decide if we want to attack the defense in a certain way. It’s a sort of in the moment type of decision.”
James loves to use his speed at receiver. James can run a plethora of routes depending on how his opponents line up, but he prefers to get as deep as possible to beat the coverage.
“I like the fades. Those are my favorite routes. I really like to just run. I have a good amount of freedom. We have different things for each route, but if I see a gap in the defense we figure out how to attack it, says James. “If there’s a set play, I won’t run into someone else’s route, but I try to see where there’s a hole in the defense and get there. Sometimes James will shake me off because he sees something I don’t, but most of the time, we’re in agreement.”
Even though receiver is where James feels he makes the biggest impact of all, he feels that he has really upped his game on the defensive end of the gridiron.
“I would say I’m most comfortable at receiver, but I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable at safety this year. This is the first year where I’ve come into my own on defense,” James says. “I’ve always had a bigger impact on offense. This year on defense, I’ve gotten more aggressive and more comfortable, and it’s been a lot more fun.”
Not only is James coming into his own on defense, but he’s also a great role model for his teammates. James feels as though he’s following in the footsteps of the senior captains that came before him.
“I try to go off of people I look up to. I have been trying to emulate them and take bits and pieces and learn from them. I mostly try to lead by example. I’m not the most vocal of the three captains,” James says. “As far as a player someone who I always tried to be is Jason O’Brien. I always went up against him at practice. I always thought he was the greatest. He was around a lot of big personalities, but he was always quiet and did his job.”
James is fully in football mode right now, which seems to happen at the right time every year. James is committed to each of his sports and never plays favorites. While James loves all of his teams, the 2020 edition of the Warriors’ basketball squad stands out.
“It goes pretty seasonally. I get pretty into the sport I’m playing when I’m in that season. There’s a transition period, but it goes season by season,” says James, who lives in Ivoryton. “I would probably have to say my favorite memory is from our basketball season last year and making it to the Shoreline Championship. The reason I play is to win games so whenever we get the farthest as a team, that’s the most proud achievement.”
For most it would seem like being a part of three different teams in addition to academic responsibilities would seem quite overwhelming, but for James, he finds comfort in the need to manage his time wisely.
“I think playing all those sports keeps consistency for me throughout the year. There are only like two weeks out of the year where I’m not playing or practicing,” James says. “It also helps me focus with my school work. I have to build my schedule around all my sports. It gives me concrete times that I have to do things during the day.”
Warriors’ Head Coach Hill Gbunblee continues to be impressed by James’s outstanding work ethic and effective senior leadership. Coach Gbunblee believes the team’s identity mimics the way that James conducts himself during games and at practice.
“James has been great. He’s been an incredible bright spot for us. His senior leadership is incredibly valuable. His experience playing baseball also comes into play on the football field. He’s been every coach’s dream,” Gbunblee says. “I hear the kids saying the same things that James has been saying. You don’t always hear him because he’s relatively quiet, but his actions speak louder than his words. At practice or in a game, you always know where No. 2 is. Whether it’s fourth and two or first and 10, I know that James is going to give his all and make this team successful.”
Getting back out on the field has been rewarding for James this year. After missing out on the 2020 season due to COVID, James wants to help the Warriors achieve big things in 2021. James thanks his fellow captains James Beckman and Di’Angelo Jean-Pierre for being such great players and teammates. James also thanks his coaching staff for all of their support.
“It’s been great getting back on the field. I think there was a little bit with all the new faces. We only had two returning varsity players coming into this year. It was a bit of finding identities,” James says. “There wasn’t any rust though. We figured out how to get our work in during the offseason, so there wasn’t a ton of rust. I think we’re going to be exciting this year.”