News

Team Preview: Flower Mound Marcus Marauders

by
Adam Ogburn
August 6

Flower Mound Marcus Marauders

Head Coach: Mike Alexander (1^st Season)

Last Season: 6-5; 5-2 in district (Lost to Denton Guyer in bi-district)

Marcus Key Players and Storylines

The Marauders have achieved at a high level in recent years with three district titles and four-straight playoff appearances dating back to 2019.

They will be aiming to not miss a beat this year as Mike Alexander comes over from Grapevine to replace Kevin Atkinson, who retired after 21 seasons as a head coach.

The Marcus coaching staff said the strength of this year’s team will be on the defensive line. Their three leaders of that unit will all be getting ready to play football on Saturdays a year from now.

Jace Bardwell, an Incarnate Word commit, (45 tackles, 5 TFLs), Will Upshaw, a Tulsa commit, (36 tackles and 11 TFLs) and Matthew Bryant, a Louisiana Tech commit, (49 tackles and 8 TFLs) all return to anchor a defense that has six starters back overall.

@MarcusFootball with the defensive stand early. Matthew Bryant stuffs HP on 4th-1 and Marcus takes over at its 23. pic.twitter.com/e9ayFN9QWr

— Matt Welch (@MWelchSLM) August 27, 2022

Behind them, linebacker Brock Golwas (21 tackles, two INTs) is also back after an impressive sophomore season that saw him earn all-district honors.

On the other side of the ball, Marcus returns just four starters. However, the Marauders do boast another Division I lineman in Tulsa commit Jack Tanner.

At the skill positions, running back Ben Perlmutter (513 rushing yards and seven touchdowns) is back to lead the rushing attack, while wide receiver Karic Grennan (204 receiving yards and one touchdown) will need to take on a bigger role this year after Marcus’ top three receivers graduated.

Heading into district play, there is no doubt Marcus will be battle tested. The Marauders take on DFW powerhouses Highland Park, Southlake Carroll, and Euless Trinity in their first three games.

Although it may take some time for Marcus’ players to learn Alexander’s system, the Marauder coaching staff hopes their team’s toughness and experience gained from their non-district slate will help propel them to another season full of wins in District 6-6A action.