TJ Marshall breaking up the final pass of the 2019 UIL 5A Division I State Championship.
Many say that the offense wins games and the defense wins championships. On Friday night, this statement was proven by senior outside linebacker/strong safety TJ Marshall. The Sharks' defense held the Denton Ryan Raiders, who came into Friday's matchup averaging 43 points per game, to 22 points in the 2019 UIL 5A Division I State Championship Game. The Sharks sealed the win, and their first state title, when TJ Marshall broke up a pass in the end zone that was intended for Denton Ryan's Drew Sanders as time expired.
After he had some time to get control of all of his emotions, I asked him a few questions about Friday's game.
VYPE: Going into the game, what was your biggest motivation to win?
TJ Marshall: "Completing what we couldn't finish last year and making my last game my best game."
VYPE: Throughout the game, the defense had times in which they slipped up. How did you contribute to keeping them focused on the main goal?
TJ Marshall: "We really all just kept our composure and kept pushing even through the bad times. We knew we had one goal in mind and that was to win, so we all stayed focused."
VYPE: It was two seconds left on the clock, you knew y'all were in a win or lose situation as you saw the ball flying through the air. What were you thinking?
TJ Marshall: "I thought if I make the play, we win. If I don't, we lose. so I had to give it my all."
VYPE: You said in one of your postgame interviews that "attack, compete, finish" was the team's motto. Looking back at the last four years, what does that truly mean to you?
TJ Marshall: "It means to attack everything you do with all you got and finish what you started, and that's what we went out there and did."
VYPE: Now that it's all over, how does it feel to be a state champion?
TJ Marshall: "It feels great that I get to celebrate with my brothers on what we worked so hard to accomplish."
VYPE: What is something that you have to say to the coaching staff, your teammates, and the Shadow Creek community after ending your high school career in such a great way?
TJ Marshall: "KEEP THE LEGACY GOING!"
TJ Marshall is certainly someone who will play at the next level. He is a playmaker. It's as simple as that. Whichever school decides to take their chance on him will not be disappointed.
