Farmersville senior Marquis Oshodi (6) has 10 rushing touchdowns through five games. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
When Kingsley Akinwole was hired as Farmersville head boys basketball coach on June 7, his son, Marquis Oshodi, was planning on staying at Allen and playing out his senior season there.
Oshodi was a back-up safety at Allen and wanted to continue to work his way up the team’s depth chart.
He also played running back for Allen. Oshodi was on the Eagles’ JV team starting from spring football his sophomore season before being promoted to varsity for Allen’s area-round playoff game against Richardson High. He had one carry for 10 yards in Allen’s 59-6 blowout win.
“It was really enjoyable to play in the playoffs because even in our first game against Lewisville, we got to play at home,” he said. “That was our last home game.”
But after Akinwole observed his first practice for Farmersville’s football team, he told Oshodi about how good the team culture was. Akinwole also told Oshodi how much more film that he could get on Hudl for college coaches to watch.
Oshodi was quickly elevated to the No. 1 running back on Farmersville’s depth chart and he has been a scoring machine for the Farmers. He has 10 rushing touchdowns with 486 yards rushing – both team highs – and is a big reason why Farmersville is 4-1.
“I scored a lot last year when I was on JV at Allen,” he said. “But it really can’t compare to the varsity feeling of scoring in a game. Varsity is a whole different level of football.”
Oshodi credited Farmersville offensive coordinator Andrew Navaja for stressing the fundamentals and being patient with him while he learned the Farmers’ offensive playbook.
Farmersville already had several returners coming back for an offense that averaged 458.9 yards and 33.9 points per game, including senior running back Gordon Swartz. Swartz was the workhorse in Farmersville’s backfield during an 8-3 season last year when the Farmers won their first playoff game since 2016. He finished with 1,287 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
Swartz has a team-high 48 carries this season with 261 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns. Perhaps his greatest attribute is his selfless attitude. He’s thrived as the backup running back and also at a new position on defense.
Swartz was recently moved from the secondary to linebacker because Farmersville head coach Zac Quinlan needed more speed up front. Swartz finished with a team-high 11 tackles, five tackles for loss and one forced fumble in his first game at his new position, a 48-0 road victory over Wills Point on Sept. 19.
“My teammates are really helpful, especially Gordon,” Oshodi said. “Gordon, despite going from a starter to a backup, doesn’t let it change his thought process of how he approaches football. He’s definitely a great back. Our H-back, Noah (Weidman), I feel so comfortable with him because he does such a great job of blocking the edge. And our offensive line is great. They’re the whole reason why I score touchdowns, especially when we go jumbo. Our quarterback (Levi McAbee) is so smooth. He gets the ball in the right spot.”
Oshodi brings a physical running style to Farmersville and used a stiff-arm move to knock a North Lamar defender to the ground as he ran into the end zone for a touchdown in a Week 2 home game against the Panthers.
“That comes from my mom,” he said. “My mom played basketball and got a lot of foul calls. She’s really aggressive.”
Coach Akinwole has meant just as much to Oshodi’s football career. Akinwole played football at Allen before graduating in 2006 and in college for Texas Southern University and Trinity Valley Community College.
“A lot of our conversations are about his experiences playing football and the experience that I’m going to have with football because he’s lived through football and I’m going through football right now,” Oshodi said. “He’s helped me a lot with my football journey. He helps me to get to where I want to.”
Oshodi has had conversations with college coaches at Kent State and Midwestern State University.
Before he heads off to college, Oshodi will look to help Farmersville build on last year’s run to the area round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs.
“I’ve never really been part of a winning team where I’ve been a factor,” Oshodi said. “Coming to a school that has been winning, it’s been great and I’m pretty sure that we will win again this year. We’re definitely going to try to win district this year.”
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