RACELAND About halfway through the third quarter of Friday’s state playoff game between Raceland and Paris, Shannon Marushi made a statement.
The Rams’ standout was given the ball on a second down-and-1 situation from his own 29-yard line.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe took it to the house.
“That run was the backbreaker,” Raceland coach Mike Salmons said. “It was the run that kind of broke their soul. That’s what Shannon is. He’s a guy who finishes runs, finishes tackles, plays extremely physical, and plays with an edge. He’s extremely intense on the field. He’s not a huge talker; that’s not his game. His game is talking with his pads and setting an example.”
The run was a tremendous showing for Marushi. He wouldn’t be denied as he broke free from multiple Greyhound defenders, unwilling to stop short of the goal line.
But Marushi didn’t do it for himself; he did it for the guys around him. He did it for his Rams family.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It’s not that I scored. It’s the team that scored,” Marushi said. “We’ve all bought into each other. We’re all brothers. We knew they were going to try to stop the outside run because that has worked all year. So, having somebody still there to be able to set up the inside run is awesome. If you watch those plays, we send (Landon Stiltner) in motion, and the whole defense shifts. Then we just give it to me, and our line does the rest of the work.”
Family roots run deep at Raceland for many of the players, and it’s no different for Marushi. Both his dad, James Marushi, and brother, Noah Carey, wore the uniform for the Rams.
So as the team readies for another Black Friday game, the scenario has become part of a holiday tradition for Shannon and his family.
“It’s kind of a tradition now to meet Thursday morning for breakfast with all of us,” Shannon Marushi said. “That’s super fun to see everybody come out there. and [Noah] played two years ago, so he knows how it is. It’s amazing.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCarey said the special holiday atmosphere extends to all the Raceland faithful who come out to the game as well.
“It’s kind of awesome, being able to see who all shows up and how many people support you,” Carey said. “And when you’re working so hard, and you’ve got pretty much the whole town supporting you, it really makes you want it even more.”
Their dad agrees and said it’s a welcome addition to their holiday slate.
“It means the world to me that I’ve got to watch these boys,” James Marushi said. “It’s kind of just what we know. We’re going to be playing football on Friday. We look forward to it. and as he said, it’s this community. ... It’ll be a packed house.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth his dad and brother watched Marushi’s march to paydirt last Friday. For James Marushi, the play not only showed his son’s abilities but also highlighted how the team worked as a whole to get it done.
“Oh, it was a super-great run,” James Marushi said. “But what I was impressed with also was so many linemen downfield blocking. That was very impressive.”
Just like any good family, the Rams are better when they’re working as a collective unit. As Salmons puts it, it’s not about the individual talent on the team, but how they come together on game day.
“You can see our football team really being a selfless football team and everybody trying to pull the rope in the same direction for one common goal,” Salmons said. “That’s what makes it special. It’s very much team-first and all about the whole versus the sum of the parts. That goes through our community.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor Shannon, working together with his team to achieve success is second nature now, and it started with an early fascination with the sport of football.
“It was really my dad who got me into football,” Shannon Marushi said. “I’ve played football since I was 6 years old, and Noah and I played together for a long time. It’s kind of what it’s always been.”
“I don’t know, there’s just something about football,” James Marushi added. “I just love it. It’s the best time of the year, even weatherwise. I mean, you got to love it.”
For Carey, his time in a Raceland uniform helped start the tradition of the Rams’ busy Thanksgiving week, and it was fueled by the desire to win for the Raceland family.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“At Raceland, you pretty much eat and breathe football,” Carey said. “That’s the sport around here. and I think everybody could agree that we have a lot of pride and you really just want to win for the whole community because everybody wins when you win.”
Shannon said watching his brother play gave him the motivation to do great things as well.
“Watching him definitely helped me a lot,” Shannon Marushi said. “His work ethic definitely influenced a lot of mine. I went and lifted with him. He helped me learn how to lift and learn how to work hard.
“And watching him definitely gave me a chip on my shoulder to be a little bit better than him,” Shannon added with a laugh.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSalmons said the foundation laid by former players like Carey built a family atmosphere that current-day players don’t want to see slip away.
“The standard is the standard, and nobody wants to be the group that lets that go,” Salmons said. “That’s been instilled, and they learn that over time. and credit to these guys for being able to live up to that expectation and responsibility with that tradition.”
The desire to keep the program at a top level is a factor in why Marushi plays the way he does.
Marushi isn’t one to shy away from contact or getting physical, so long as it helps his team. He’s played a number of roles for the Rams in addition to running back. He’s an outside linebacker and long snapper.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I’ve worked really hard for a couple of years now,” Shannon Marushi said. “I know that as a Class A football team, you’re going to have to do a lot of jobs. You have to have the best people on the field. I’ve known that going in and had enough preparation for that.”
Salmons said Marushi serves his team through that versatility.
“It’s whatever the team needs,” Salmons said. “He went through a body transformation from last year, and 100% credit to him for the work he put into his body. It just shows his willingness to serve the team. He was our backup long snapper most of the year, then our starter got sick. He was back by Friday, but we told Shannon, ‘You’re the guy. You practiced all week.’ and he did it. It’s all part of how he’s mature in his approach.”
James Marushi is proud to see Shannon willing to take on the responsibilities needed to have team success.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He’s worked his tail end off,” James Marushi said. “It’s running in the summer, night after night, running, wintertime, running. He just works his tail off and he deserves it. It makes me proud to know that they trust him to do anything they need.”
As Raceland prepares for its date with Pikeville (10-3) this Friday, with a chance to go to Kroger Field and compete for a state title for the fourth consecutive year, Salmons said the team needs to stick to the basics.
“You’ve got to be able to block and tackle, and value the football,” Salmons said. “It’s going to come down to who can stop the run and who can run the football more effectively.”
For Shannon Marushi, the goal is simple: get his family back to the state finals.
“Just play our best and take care of business.” Shannon Marushi said.
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