Sudan High School senior, Marcello King, signed his letter of intent on Monday to continue his academic and football career for Sterling College in Kansas, where he will play running back for the Warriors.
“I just want to thank God, my family and my teammates, without all of you, this would not be possible,” King said in a brief speech.
He added, “I’m just excited and ready for the next part of this journey. I can’t wait to get started.”
King signed during a small ceremony in the Sudan High School Library, surrounded by family, friends and coaches.
“Marcello has been an outstanding athlete and leader for our program for six years now,” Head Coach John Cornelius stated. “He has had numerous first-team All-District awards on both sides of the ball as a defensive back and running back. He will represent our team one more time this summer at the ASCO All-Star game this summer.”
He added, “He has always been a great leader and has contributed to countless wins and district championships. Marcello has always represented our school with class and integrity, and I’m very proud of his accomplishments.”
During his senior football season, King was named the District’s Offensive MVP and was a 1st Team All-District defensive back. He was a Lone Star varsity Super Team 2nd Team Defensive Back and Honorable Mention running back and he was selected to play in the ASCO All-Star Game.
As a junior, King was a 1st team All-District running back and defensive back selection and he was the 2nd Team All-District punter.
During his sophomore campaign, King was selected to the All-District first team as a Utility player.
King also earned Academic All-District honors for three consecutive years.
King talked about when he knew he wanted to continue on to play college football, saying, “Freshman year. Freshman year, I just had this drive for it and wanted to build this program up and now I can’t wait to play at the next level and help build their program back up.”
The future Warrior talked about what it means to him to have earned this opportunity, saying, “I’m not taking it for granted. They lost a lot of guys last year, and I think them adding me to their program is just going to help build it back up.”
King talked about how Coach Cornelius and the Sudan coaching staff have helped him elevate his game over the past four years, saying, “teamwork-wise, being able to be a leader and helping guide my teammates throughout the years to becoming better football players and people.”
The senior talked about what his contact with the Sterling coaching staff has been like, saying, “I’ve talked to Coach Langford and a few other coaches. They are really good guys, they’re cool and funny and I just can’t wait to get over there and get to work.”
King talked about what the recruiting process was like for him, saying, “I was in contact with one school in San Antonio and that fell through, and then they contacted me on X and saw my highlights and liked how I played and it just all came together from there.”
He added, “When they made me an offer, I was excited. It meant a lot that I get to continue playing the game that I love and be able to show them what I’ve got.”
King talked about what the support from his family has been like, saying, “My family support has been great. They’ve always told me to work, work, work hard. They tell me to go outside, don’t be lazy go run, go lift weights; without them I wouldn’t be here.”
He talked about what it has meant to him to be able to represent Sudan ISD over the years, saying, “It has meant a lot to me to be able to represent Sudan High School. My father, Elliott King played here, his brothers played here, they were greats here and played throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I’m just glad I’ve gotten to lay my foundation as the last King to come through Sudan ISD.”
King talked about what his favorite memory was from his time as a Hornet, saying, “I would have to say my favorite memory was during the second game of senior year this year, against Tahoka, I had like four touchdowns, 200+ yards, I went crazy that game. I just want to be able to carry that kind of production into college.”
The senior talked about how he has seen himself grow over the years, saying, “I truly found myself through God throughout the years. I was never really close to God growing up, I never really went to Church, but as I got older I started getting to know him and over time that made me a better football player and better person.”
King’s father, Elliott talked about what it means to them to be able to see their son get to continue playing football at the college level, saying, “It’s a blessing. He works hard and he is a good kid. He does what needs to be done without being told. It’s a good Christian school and they believe in faith. Hopefully he gets over there and can do real well. I pray he does well and sees a bright future for himself. It means a lot to our family.
King intends to major in Finance at Sterling College.