Bronson Marsh remembers the night well.

It was Halloween last year. Marsh and his Millard South teammates weren't in costumes or in any mood for tricks or treats. Staring at the frightening possibility of seeing its season end in the first round of the playoffs can do that to a team.

That's when it happened.

The Patriots went to a no-huddle offense, and Marsh dazzled. He finished his unofficial coming-out party with a 36-26 comeback win over Elkhorn. Millard South rode the momentum — and the new offense — to the Class A state final, where it lost to Millard West.

“We kind of just threw it together,” Marsh said. “Everything started clicking. Everything started rolling. It was a weird feeling.”

Marsh brought up the idea on the final drive of the first half. He had noticed the Elkhorn defense walking around during the huddle.

If the Patriots got to the line of scrimmage quicker, he thought, the defense would be in disarray. A conversation at halftime sealed the deal, and the Patriots were off and running. And gunning.

“It was something that we thought we'd be pretty good at, but he just took off with it,” Patriots coach Andy Means said. “He kind of stepped it up a little bit, and that's something we knew he could do.”

Marsh enters his senior campaign for the No. 3 Patriots considered by many as the top quarterback prospect in the state. After two big seasons, he's looking at a possible record-breaking final year. He has thrown for more than 4,600 yards during the past two seasons, and he needs fewer than 1,000 yards for the Class A record. He also is within reach of Scott Frost's all-time 11-man state record of 6,793 passing yards.

That's the same Scott Frost who went to Stanford to play for legendary coach Bill Walsh before returning to Nebraska and winning a national championship. How would it feel to break Frost's high school record?

“I guess when you put it like that, it is kind of wild,” Marsh said. “I've heard people talk about it. I try not to think about it. I just want to go out and have the best year I can.”

Marsh's ability to hurt teams with his feet just as much as his arm, much as Frost did, showed up big time down the stretch for the Patriots. Just ask Elkhorn coach Mark Wortman.

“He's got a good arm,” Wortman said, “but he's blazing fast, too. If he gets out of the pocket, good luck. You'd almost rather see him pass than run. He's definitely one of the best players in the state.”

But the physical tools are just where you scratch the surface on the 6-foot, 200-pound Marsh, Means said. Marsh's maturity allowed him to become the first freshman on the varsity team in Means' first four years with the Patriots. Marsh has started 24 straight games.

“He takes what he does pretty seriously,” Means said. “As a coach, he's the kind of player you want to have on your team. Bronson is never satisfied with where he's at.

“He wants to be better. He's not just satisfied with being a starting quarterback. That's one of the reasons he's been so successful.”

Colleges are looking at him as a safety, where Means said Marsh will play more this season. He had good camp performances this summer, including one at Nebraska. NU and Iowa State have interest in him at safety. Others, including Colorado State where he went to a camp this summer, are still looking at him as a quarterback. He says that's where the comfort level is.

Although Means said the no-huddle, hurry-up offense came out of necessity against Elkhorn, it showed Marsh's strengths.

Leader.

Decision-maker.

Athlete.

“He's got that presence that leaders need to have,” Means said. “And he's run this offense more than anyone else ever has. So it's a good fit.”

The tempo of the no-huddle creates challenges for defenses, especially with the tuck-and-run dynamic Marsh adds.

“You have to be ready immediately,” Wortman said. “A lot of times teams will get in no-huddle and throw it every time. But (Millard South) can throw it, pass it, do just about anything with it. Trust me, we know.”

Means saw what he called an “outstanding effort” during the offseason after the disappointment of losing in the title game. He said they “weren't happy. And I'm not happy. They're champing at the bit to get going again.”

“A lot of guys were excited to get there,” Marsh added. “Our new goal, our new motto is to finish. Getting there isn't good enough anymore. We've got to win it.”

Contact the writer:

850-0781, nick.rubek@hotmail.com

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