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Friday, October 3, 2008
The Binns Brothers
St. Paul, MN
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By: Bryan Horwath
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Photo(s) By: Chris Donahue
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“It was good to have Broderick around growing up,” Marcus said. “I always had someone to look up to and to kind of show me the ropes.”
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Cretin-Derham Hall has had no shortage of talented football players over the years.
From Steve Rosga and Carl McCullough in the 1990s to Joe Mauer and Michael Floyd this decade, the St. Paul school has made a habit of turning out big time football players.
The Binns brothers are two of the latest names to grace that list.
Marcus is a lightning-quick senior running back for the Raiders while Broderick – a former Cretin captain and 2006 graduate – is currently a member of the University of Iowa football team.
Broderick has been getting playing time this season as a redshirt freshman defensive end for the Hawkeyes and is expected to be a key component along the Iowa defensive.
Although Marcus was slowed by an injury during Cretin’s first game – he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Sept. 5 – he is expected to be back for the Raiders’ stretch run this season.
The 5-foot-8, 200-pound Binns was injured on a carry early in the season-opener against Forest Lake and had to miss Cretin’s homecoming game against Woodbury on Sept. 12.
“It was frustrating because I worked out really hard over the summer,” Marcus said. “Missing games during my senior year is a tough thing.”
Marcus shared time last year at the running back position with current University of Minnesota back Shady Salamon, but likely would have starred on just about any other team in the state.
Averaging a whopping 9.5 yards per carry, Marcus gained 553 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns to finish as the Suburban East Conference’s ninth-leading rusher in 2007.
“(Marcus) is the player we wanted to build our offense around this year,” Cretin coach Mike Scanlan said. “He’s a running back with good speed, cutting ability and vision.”
Like his older brother did a couple of years ago, Marcus is attracting attention from NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Marcus said Air Force has offered him a scholarship and other schools – including some Big Ten programs -- have been showing interest.
“Playing college football is something I definitely want to do,” the younger Binns said. “I talk to Broderick every day and I talk to Shady and Michael Floyd and (University of Minnesota football player) John Nance a lot. Watching what those guys are doing really motivates me.”
Broderick was an all-state defensive end at Cretin and also played some tight end in high school. A psychology major at Iowa, he said he has adjusted to college life off the field and the speed of the game on it.
“It was different last year just to be in a new environment where I wasn’t used to a lot of things,” Broderick said. “This year, I feel like I’ve adjusted. I know what’s going on and it’s a lot easier. The speed of the game is different from high school – you don’t have much time to think out there, you just react.”
Marcus also saw time on Cretin’s varsity as a sophomore during the 2006 season and the two brothers said it was fun being on the same field together in football and other sports.
“It was good to have Broderick around growing up,” Marcus said. “I always had someone to look up to and to kind of show me the ropes.”
The importance of family has always been stressed in the Binns household by Marcus and Broderick’s parents Gary and Ericka.
“To me, family is the most important thing,” Broderick said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help and support from my family. That’s always going to be number one for me.”
With a healthy Marcus back in the lineup, Cretin is expected to make a push to get back to the Prep Bowl this fall while Broderick plans on spending his autumn disrupting Big Ten offenses.
For this pair of brothers, success on the gridiron runs in the family.
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