Since Sam Marksberry grew up playing sports in Seymour, he said he looked forward to going out for athletics teams at Trinity Lutheran.
He is beginning his third season as a member of the track team after playing football and basketball each for four years.
“I’ve always been a three-sport athlete, and I wanted to continue,” Marksberry said.
The senior said he played youth baseball before going out for track his freshman year at Trinity.
He began his football career in the Police Athletic League (PAL) in Columbus and started playing basketball at Immanuel Lutheran School.
Marksberry was a starting guard on the basketball team this winter and averaged 5 points a game with highs of 11 against Hauser and 10 against Southwestern (Shelby) and Indianapolis Lutheran.
“It just depended on the situation” he said as to whether he shot from the perimeter or drove to the basket. “On defense I liked playing man, and on offense I liked to play (against a) zone. Against a zone you don’t have to move; you just pass the ball around.
“I was a defensive guy. I tried to get steals and make their best player mad. Pressing was my favorite thing. I was guarding the ball.”
One of Marksberry’s finest memories from this past season was playing in the Hoosier Gym at Knightstown against Greenwood Christian.
“It was definitely different; it was unique,” Marksberry said. “The court was smaller, tighter. I like bigger gyms, actually, but it was definitely cool because of the movie (“Hoosiers”).”
He said the biggest win of his career was beating Borden last season.
This spring, Marksberry is looking for a successful season in track, where he will run the 400 for the first time, be a member of the 1,600 relay and do long jump.
He said his highlight race in track was helping the relay team set the school record at the Salem Invitational.
“The relay is about getting a good handoff from your teammate,” Marksberry said. “There’s no lanes; you just run wherever so you want to get to the inside first.”
Marskberry said his best long jump last spring was 18-6, and his goal is to get past 19 feet.
He was a wide receiver and safety on the Crimson Knights football team that placed third in the Homeschool National Tournament in Florida last fall.
“It was awesome playing in the nationals,” Marksberry said. “I think we lost two games (one during the season and one in the playoffs). At Trinity I liked being able to play for a sectional, but we couldn’t do that when we played with the club team.
“We got to meet new people, and it was just a different experience.”
For Marksberry, practicing and having a positive attitude is important for all sports.
“You’ve got to train really hard and you can’t give up; you’ve just got to keep pushing through,” Marksberry said. “You’ve just got to have trust between each other. If there’s any doubt it’s not going work.”
Marksberry said he is glad he chose to attend Trinity.
“I like the close-knit thing that you have with all the kids, and the Christian education,” Marksberry said. “I’ll remember all the connections I’ve made, and the balance between all three sports, not just one.”
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Name: Sam Marskberry
School: Trinity Lutheran
Parents: Brent and Cindy Marksberry
Sibling: Jack
Sports: Football, four years; basketball, four years; track and field, three years
Athletics highlights: Track-school record 4×400 relay; football-placing third in 2016 National Homeschool Tournament
Organizations: National Honor Society, band, backstage, chess club
Plans after high school: Attend Wabash College
Favorite food: Spaghetti and meatballs
Favorite TV show: “The 100”
Favorite musicians: Zac Brown Band
Favorite movie: “Billy Madison”
Favorite team: Indianapolis Colts
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