Fox 40 Prospect Challenge (Central): Thordarson weighing his university options

Marshall Thordarson was introduced to football in Grade 8 with the local minor club, TBMFA.

He was initially an outside linebacker, but later developed as a defensive back. “I was very lucky to have an exceptional head coach in Rob Thompson, who developed my minimal knowledge to the athlete that I am today,” said Marshall, whose team won the championship in his first season.

With the TBMFA, Marshall was able to participate in tournaments in Minneapolis where they played second overall. He also played for U16 Team Manitoba Black in a summer, and U18 Team Northwestern Ontario in the Canada Cup.

Currently, he plays Hammarskjold Vikings in the North Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (NWOSSAA) on the senior team as a safety and special teams, where he got 34 tackles in six games, the third highest overall for regular season in SSSAA.

Last year, the Viking tried out for the Fox 40 Prospect Challenge and made the West sophomore team.

“This was a great learning experience for me as we are somewhat limited to who attends our games in Thunder Bay,” commented Marshall. “The opportunities that the OPC gives with coaches and scouts are tremendous, playing on the stage that the OPC sets for young players like myself.”

“I will be trying out for the varsity team in February and hope to be scouted by a university.”

Ultimately, his goal is to attend a university in 2018 and enter into a nursing program and play on a football team. “It is still quite early for me to tell what schools I am looking at, but I have talked to the University of Manitoba about the football program and the academics they offer,” added the Viking. He has also spoke with the University of Waterloo and several other schools at the Canada Cup university session.

As a 2018 graduate, Marshall says it would be an honour to be listed on the CFC 100 list. “To be ranked as one of the best football players in Canada would be a true accomplishment,” said the Viking. “I feel that to be ranked in the top 100 my opportunities as a football player would open up so much more to other universities that watch the list for scouting purposes.”

During the offseason, Marshall does Crossfit and weight training, focusing on skills and strengths needed for football like speed. He sets goals for himself comparing where he is at the beginning of the off-season to where he wants to be at the end. When he was younger, he attended courses and training sessions run by experience coaches and training sessions run by experienced coaches that can help him better his form and give him pointers on things he can improve.

One of his biggest role models is his first coach, Rob Thompson. He taught Marshall that football is more than just a game and that the skills he learns in football will help him in life.

“He taught me that the most important thing in football is respecting yourself, your teammates, your coaches and your opponents,” continued Marshall. On the field, his idol is NFL player, Cam Chancellor, a hard hitting, run stuffing safety who plays for the Seattle Seahawks. “I try to somewhat model my game after him,” Marshall says.

The Viking loves football so much because of the relationships you build on the field with your teammates and the coaches. All of Marshall’s best friends play football and before he played, he did not know any of them. He also likes that the coaches treat him like family.

“Football can relate to your life in so many different ways,” commented Marshall. “From football you learn so much about yourself as a person, you learn leadership skills and the skills necessary to follow directions.”

“That is why I love it so much.”

 

Marshall Thordarson
Positions: Defensive back, outside linebacker, punt and kick returner, punt gunner, kickoff gunner and slotback
Height/Weight: 5’9”, 165lbs
Teams: Hammarskjold Vikings (NWOSSAA)
Considerations: University of Manitoba and Waterloo
Class: 2018

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