A Nova Scotian who was set to play football at an American powerhouse college is being remembered for his exceptional talent and desire to get better on the field, but his happy-go-lucky and teddy-bear nature off it.
Marcellus Young Casario, 18, a Grade 12 student at a Georgia prep school, died Friday after a medical emergency. His father, Devin Casario, said his son hadn’t been feeling well lately and had been experiencing some heart issues.
The six-foot-six, 275-pound defensive end who grew up in Halifax was set to graduate high school next month and begin attending the University of Georgia in January, a school that has produced many NFL stars.
“He lived and breathed it, and his work ethic was incredible,” said Devin Casario. “He had [a] relentless motor and he was very, very coachable.”
Former coaches say that while Casario’s size, speed and strength were exceptional, his desire to get better is what made him stand out.
Marcellus Young Casario is shown in a photo from his time playing with Rabun Gap in Georgia. (Submitted by Devin Casario)
Chanuen Flint, a former coach and family friend, said that even at the age of six when Casario started playing football, his passion was evident.
“You just knew right away when he showed up on the field, he was all business. [He] had fun doing it, but he was there to play football,” said Flint.
Colby Smith helped coach Casario when he played mites football, for kids who are seven and eight. He remembers the team playing in a halftime scrimmage at a Saint Mary’s University football game. The children formed a tunnel to give the giant university players high-fives as they came out onto the field.
“I think from that very moment he knew where he wanted to be when he got older … I can remember the look on his face when they came out and he wanted to be part of that,” said Smith.
Casario played minor football for teams in Halifax, Timberlea and the South Shore.
He left the province four years ago to attend a boarding school in Aurora, Ont., which played some of its games against American schools.
Marcellus Young Casario, shown wearing No. 50 in a 2019 photo, always stood out for his size playing minor football in Nova Scotia. (Susanna Baard)
Marcello Lio, the head coach at St. Andrew’s College, coached Casario for two years.
“Sometimes it’s easy for a young man, maybe not as passionate, to walk away from a loss, accept it and move on,” said Lio. “He had struggled with that, so he always had the will to want to be better individually and want the team to win.”
Casario attended Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a Georgia prep school, for the past two years. He had a hip labrum injury last year that required surgery and a six-month recovery.
It wasn’t clear whether he would return to full form.
In August, when training camp began, Devin Casario remembers getting a call from his son, who was in tears.
“I thought something had happened,” said Devin Casario. “But there were tears of joy because I really think his self-belief and faith were tested after that recovery process. And I think after that first night during the conditioning test down there, he knew that he was going to be OK.”
Marcellus Young Casario is shown in his senior class photo. (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School/Facebook)
The University of Georgia wasn’t Casario’s only suitor. There were visits to Michigan State and Georgia Tech, all of which are well known for their football programs.
Lio said he wasn’t surprised that Casario chose the University of Georgia. There were other schools where he might have been able to get on the field sooner, but the Bulldogs offered something else.
“He wanted to be pushed; there was some yearning inside him to be constantly pushed hard to be the best he can be,” said Lio.
During the past two summers, when Casario returned to Nova Scotia when school was not in session, he helped coach Flint’s younger son, who also plays defensive end.
Smith said Casario was always very respectful, continuing to call him “Coach” long after he was his coach.
“Even though he had these great accomplishments, he always remembered where he came from and always paid homage to all the people that helped him get where he is,” said Smith.
Devin Casario said his son planned to study criminology at the University of Georgia.
He said off the field, his son led a quiet life and his faith was very important to him.
“I hope something positive can come from this tragedy, and that he can serve as an inspiration to other athletes who have dreams, you know, coming out of Nova Scotia and the East Coast that through talent and hard work, perseverance, anything is possible,” said Devin Casario.
“And, you know, our family is destroyed right now and trying to make sense of this, but we’re so proud of him. And it’s just so unfortunate that his life was cut short.”
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