A season of runner-up finishes - Marso sparked Lynx football, basketball teams

Chase Marso has a wealth of memories as a student-athlete at Brandon Valley. One may think competing for state titles in both football and basketball would rank among his best memories. 

And they surely do.

But one memory clearly sticks out in the BVHS 2013 grad’s memory bank: his first ever high school basketball game as a freshman. It was in the sophomore game that he scored 37 points, drilling the net for nine, 3-pointers. 

“It was the first basketball game in the new gym, and just to be able to play as well as I did and have that much fun was a really special memory,” he said. “I remember kind of celebrating just that little bit of success after the game with teammates, the coaches and my dad, and that was a lot of fun. That was one of those fun memories that not a lot of people know about. It’s not the regional game or state championship game, but on a lesser stage.”

And that’s the kind of student-athlete that Marso was at Brandon Valley. His determined efforts on the football field and the basketball court weren’t necessarily for the individual accolades, but more importantly, were for the greater good of the team. He continues to possess that same mindset as he joins the BVHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I think the first thing that comes to mind is excitement, and the second thing is just how humbling it is to be amongst the group of people that you know I looked up to certainly throughout my time in Brandon all those years. And so, to be recognized and honored with that group of people is a really humbling experience,” he said.

Marso’s accolades are many. As a quarterback on the football team, the three-year letter winner led the team to three ESD titles and a state runner-up in the 2012 championship game. He was named the Joe Robbie MVP for that same game, where he threw for the most yards ever in a title game with 454.

Marso was also a three-time All-Conference selection, as well as a 2012 All-State and Elite 45 selection. He continues to hold many school and state records as well as being in the top five in many categories.

On the basketball court, Marso was a three-year letter winner. He helped lead the boys’ basketball team to two state tournament appearances with a sixth-place finish in 2011 and a state runner-up in 2013. He was recognized by being named First Team All-State, All-Conference, and Argus Leader Top 10 All Classes.

Where it all started

Growing up with a dad, Randy, who coached and later transitioned into the activities director position at Brandon Valley, Marso said he was “pretty young” when a ball was put into his hands for the first time. Ironically so, soccer was the first formal sport that he played on a team in a formal league setting.

“That had a lot to do with that being my dad’s biggest and favorite sport,” he said, noting the elder Marso played on the club team at South Dakota State University.

While many of his friends played South Dakota Junior League Football in elementary school, Marso didn’t put on the pads and helmet until the sixth grade.

“That’s because my mom did not want me to start playing that young,” he said. 

He immediately stepped into the role of quarterback and defensive back. He credits his throwing arm to playing baseball from a very early age.

“I think that was second sport that I picked up after soccer, and it had a lot to do with transitioning into playing quarterback and football,” he said.

He relished in the role.

“I think the responsibility and the joys and burdens that come with it are on the practice field on any given day, and they’re certainly there on game days, but I think you carry that responsibility with you as the quarterback all year-round when it comes to football. You’re looked to for leadership, in off-season workouts, in team building, in everything,” he said.

As the recipient of the 2012 Joe Robbie MVP award, Marso said it’s a reflection of the teams that he played with and the opportunities he was given to succeed on those teams.

“Because of the teams I was on, because of the coaches that put us in a position to have success and the teammates that contributed to our team success, and by virtue of that, contributed to my individual success. 

In football, if nobody blocks or nobody catches the ball, there are no yards or touchdowns to throw for. And in basketball, if there are no assists and screens, there are no points to come by. Achieving those individual and team successes is a byproduct of a lot a lot of work in off-season and in practice, and I think that those aspects of the awards are what make me most proud of looking back on them,” he said.

The 2012 state championship against Sioux Falls Washington was surely a memorable one for the BV quarterback.

“Obviously, the state championship is the goal every year of varsity football, especially your senior year, that you’re working towards from the time that you start playing organized football. And so. to work towards and get to that game was the culmination of that goal that we all had, especially that senior class. It was an incredible game, a game with college football talents all over the field with fans packed from both communities, Brandon and Sioux Falls Washington,” he reflects. “The environment and the competitiveness of that game was something that I will never forget. We didn’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard that night, but I still look back at that game and know that I was so proud of how we played and how well my teammates played and the effort that we put forth. It’s a night that we’ll certainly always remember.”

He believes the team’s success also stems from the camaraderie that comes when you give your best effort.

“You have 11 guys on the field at once, but if one person isn’t doing their job, there isn’t success, and so, this is the ultimate team game in that way,” he said. 

Under the Friday night lights – or Saturday night in the case of BV’s Pigskin Classic – Marso describes the event as “something you’re involved in, especially when you’re in the Brandon community, from when you’re young playing 3-on-3 basketball and doing Punt, Pass and Kick. Growing up, you looked forward to that game or the homecoming game or the playoffs, just knowing what the nights mean to the student body, to the community in terms of bringing people together and having fun and celebrating athletic excellence is something that I certainly look back on fondly,” he said. “In the moment, there wasn’t much better as a high school kid than a Friday or Saturday night football or basketball game.”

Marso was known for his calm presence in both football and basketball. He said that came with the sense of responsibility he has a team captain.

“I need to make sure that we were focused on the things that we could control and doing our job well, and that was executing and playing well and having a lot of fun,” he said. “Those same lessons from being a quarterback certainly transitioned to being a ‘quarterback’ of the basketball team and leading on the court there as well. That was something that I tried to try to take pride in.”

He remains forever grateful for the excellence in both academics and athletics that was fostered at Brandon Valley.

“I’m forever grateful for all the teachers, many of them who you know were coaches as well, but for all the teachers that set me up for academic success. As much as the school and the community invests in academics, it’s also a community that invests in athletics and supporting athletes throughout elementary school to middle school, and certainly high school. I really think I was able to take advantage of all the best things that Brandon had to offer because of the opportunities that parents put into it. I think that Brandon set me up so well to succeed in all areas of life, and hope that I’ve been able to kind of pay that back in ways since high school as well,” he said.

Despite earning state runner-up in both football and basketball, Marso said it was ironic that the baseball team that he didn’t compete on that year also finished in second place. 

“In the same way that football game was the most memorable high school football game that I was ever a part of, that state championship basketball game competing in a sold-out Sioux Falls Arena against against that Pierre team that had unbelievable talent was maybe even more memorable,” he shares.

The coaches

Sadly, both head coaches of the two sports Marso competed in at Brandon Valley, Chad Garrow and Brent Deckert, have both passed away. He has great respect for both, and said their absence on Saturday “will undoubtedly be the most difficult part of the evening celebration.”

“Both Coach Deckert and Coach Garrow were such incredible leaders in my life in athletics, but also off the field, when it came to their community leadership, their faith leadership, and then they were so instrumental in my athletic development, but also my growth as a person. I continue to feel their impact in my life constantly, and I’m so grateful for what they did for me and for so many of my teammates. That’ll be a really tough part of the night, but at the same time, my teammates and I continue to carry on their legacy through things like celebrating as a family,” he said.

From Brandon Valley Marso took Deckert’s famed T.G.H.T. (The Game Honors Toughness) mantra with him. It’s something, he said, he’s incorporated into his studies and football career at Augustana College and then Harvard Medical School in Boston, and his years of residency.

Marso and his wife, Kristin, are expecting their first child in late May.