The St. John’s Prep football team wouldn’t be the nationally-regarded powerhouse it is without its strong defense. That said, the unit relies on its engine and fearless leader, Marquese Avery of Lynn.
Avery is a senior outside linebacker who transferred from Lynn Classical after his sophomore season, seeking to play against the best talent in Massachusetts.
His competitive nature was apparent right away, according to Prep coach Brian St. Pierre.
“He’s very, very competitive, which helps because you’ve got to be competitive to play here,” St. Pierre said. “He wanted to compete against the best.”
And for Avery, he knew he made the right choice the moment he stepped foot on campus.
“Once I came in, it just felt like home… like a brotherhood,” Avery said. “I love the atmosphere.”
Once Avery transferred into one of the best – if not, the best – football programs in the state, he understood the adjustments he had to make in order to compete at the highest level.
“When I first came here, I knew what I had to get done… I knew it was going to be a different competition and I just had to adjust to it,” Avery said. “I had to make better habits and work hard in the offseason.”
Just ask Prep’s coaching staff: his adjustments translated in no time.
“He had the athletic ability and football acumen to play right away for us,” St. Pierre said. “He has a good blend of athleticism, size, speed, and we put him in a prominent role within our defense because he’s really thrived here at St. John’s.”
Whether it’s dropping back to cover a receiver in space, or setting the edge as a power rusher, St. Pierre praises Avery’s versatility as a player, and loves how his coaching staff can “do a lot of different things” with his skillset.
Avery also means just as much to the team off the field as he does on it, according to St. Pierre.
“He’s been a pleasure to coach. There’s not a coach on my staff that doesn’t love being around him,” St. Pierre said. “The players love being around him and it’s just been a win-win for both of us. I’m just appreciative that I was able to spend time with him and coach him, because he’s a special kid.”
The respect goes both ways between St. Pierre and the defensive star, as Avery looks up to his coach in more ways than one.
“He’s definitely a big mentor to me. [He has] just shown me so much… he made sure I’m on the right path and wants me to succeed in life,” Avery said. “He means a lot to me.”
St. Pierre isn’t his only mentor, however. Marvin Avery, Marquese’s father and Lynn Classical basketball coach, has played a big role, too.
“He always motivated me and my brother (Marvin Jr.) and made sure we had good work ethic, and pushed us even harder. Even the days when we didn’t want to work, he’d still tell us to work hard,” Marquese said. ”If I didn’t have him, I don’t think I would be here right now. I mean, I can’t ask for a better father than that.”
Marvin said that although he used his coaching experience to help Marquese, he knows it’s his son’s athletic ability that makes him successful.
“I kept him humble [and] made sure he did the right things in school, but everything else takes care of itself with his athletic ability,” Marvin said.
Similarly to St. Pierre, his father has noticed the progress Marquese has made since joining the Eagles, and couldn’t be happier.
“He’s playing for one of the best high school coaches in New England and a top program year in and year out. He’s just gotten better each year with the program. I’m just very proud of my son,” Marvin said.
Although Marquese has been exactly what any coach, or father, would want off the field, he can flip the switch and become a terror to opposing quarterbacks.
“He’s the sweetest kid in the world off the field, but he’s got a little bit of a mean streak. That’s a great balance to be able to strike,” St. Pierre said.
Marquese agrees.
“When I’m on the field, everything’s business. I just want to go out there and dominate,” he said. “I love making big plays for my team.”
Marquese is currently looking at Division I football programs such as UNH, Merrimack, and UConn among others, which comes as no surprise to St. Pierre.
“As long as he just keeps working hard and doing his thing, he’s gonna land somewhere and somebody’s gonna get a really good football player, and a great person, too,” St. Pierre said.
As for the rest of this season, both St. Pierre and Marquese are excited about the opportunity to win back-to-back state titles, but their mentality is to “worry about one thing at a time,” according to Marquese.
“Obviously, the goal is to make it back to the championship again, and that would be awesome. But, right now, we just [have to] stay patient. And once we get to the playoffs, that’s something to worry about,” Marquese said. “As a team, we’re just going to keep on going forward. As long as we put full effort out there on the field, I think that’s all that matters for us.”
Joe Casey
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