Vidalia High School’s Josh Marsaw may only have one year of organized football experience, yet adjusting to his environment is something he is used to.

The 6-foot-2 wide receiver was raised in California, where he said things were much different.

“I was always told that you can use your books or your feet to get where you want to go, so I always just used my feet,” Marsaw said. “The biggest adjustment has been school. In California, if you fail you still pass anyway. They don’t care.”

As a Viking, Marsaw struggled with his grades at first, causing him to be ineligible to play on the team last season.

It didn’t stop the rising senior from being involved in other ways, however.

“He showed up to every practice,” Vidalia coach Dee Faircloth said. “He ran every sprint knowing he wasn’t going to get to play. He is a good kid and a hard worker.”

Marsaw, who also plays as a safety and a corner, was also unfamiliar with being on a team since he wasn’t involved in any youth football leagues, either.

“When I was a kid, I only played backyard football,” he said. “When I got to high school, I saw what it was all about and I had to adapt to it. I just stuck with it, and now it is the motivation to keep my grades up.”

With the opportunity to be back on the field with his teammates, Marsaw looks forward to leading the Vikings as an upperclassman.

“I came to every practice because I felt like I was helping them,” he said. “I knew when it was my time to come I would know exactly what to do, and I wouldn’t have to learn everything new. I’m very excited because I know I have a great team to help me and I can help them, too.”

Although football has become one of his favorite things, Marsaw said he has now learned the importance of education. He hopes to go to college to study architecture.

“It feels like I’m home and I’m actually a part of something at Vidalia,” he said. “At the end of the day, I know that if football doesn’t take me anywhere I have my brain to fall back on.”

While he is still playing football, Marsaw doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. For motivation, he rotates between a few pairs of socks that feature Marvel characters including Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man and The Black Widow.

“I like to think I’m a super hero when I’m playing,” he said. “If I imagine myself doing something great, then it happens.”