Many of you who have followed professional sports over the years are most likely familiar with the name Royster. Growing up I became familiar with the last name through football and baseball and for good reason. As we embark on the 2012 season a kid that everyone should get familiar with is junior standout Marqueese Royster (6-1 255 DE), who will be one of the leaders on the Lakeridge D. We currently have him ranked as one of the top junior athletes in Oregon, and he is just getting started.
Professional athletes within the family start with his father Marcus who played at Pitt and Portland St before moving on to the Oakland Raiders as a free agent. Marcus also played in the world and arena league’s. His twin brother Mazio Royster played at USC as many people know, before moving on to a career with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Some may be familiar with Marqueese’s cousin Titus Teague who was a very talented cornerback at Louisvile, and baseball fans will know the name of his uncle Jerry Royster who spent 20+ years in the MLB. All of this said as one can’t help but appreciate the overwhelming athletic ability within the family. It’s one thing to have a pro athlete as part of your family tree, but its another thing to have to use multiple hands when counting them.
Anyone recruiting a high level athlete to play D1 ball loves to hear about a kid with this type of genetic makeup, and we are excited to see what Marqueese brings to the table this season. He made the transfer from Lake O after last years state title, and has nothing but positive things to say about his former Laker teammates.
Royster says, ” everyday I wake up and set a new goal for myself, I want to surpass the sack and tackles for loss record at Lakeridge and also want to break the all time bench press record of 335″. The bench press record is something he will shatter, as he already is close to eclipsing that mark right now.
Marqueese is very team and goal oriented kid that never missed a single elite event in the winter. The last thing he is ever going to do is sit back on the family name, as he wants to make his own mark. This past summer he was selected to try out for the Team USA 17 and under squad who partners with the NFL. He says, ” I was notified in March that I had made the team during the first set of selections, and participated in July down in Austin, Texas”.
Both Royster and our other top junior lineman in the State of Oregon, Connor Humphreys (6-4 250 Jr. DE/OL) of Central Catholic, made the team and did very well on a national level. Both kids made the northwest proud with some of the top players in the country in attendance.
The Pacers could be one off the state’s surprise teams with the likes of Royster, and a solid group of younger athletes that will team with a veteran offensive line. We have recently been reporting on the Pacers and all of the quality work that legendary Head Coach Tom Smythe has been able to do with the team. To make things even more exciting NEI will be covering the Pacers first game against Eastlake, Washington. This will be part of the 4 contests from both states that we will be broadcasting with Bob Akamian and Comcast/Xfinity on TV and the Web.
Even crazier is the fact that Royster’s cousin Massen Newton (5-10 230 Fr. DL) , who will only be a freshman should also be a contributor on this years Varsity squad. Most 9th graders are never thought of when talking Varsity football, but this isn’t most freshman. Last season he lead the very talented Lake Oswego 8th grade team in sacks and tackles for loss after making the move from California, and was also named an underclassmen MVP at the ” Trench Camp” this past summer. If history is any indication he to will end up being one of the better lineman in the state with continued growth and hard work. Massen says, ” I really want to be a part of bringing Lakeridge back to the highest level and take advantage of the opportunity the Royster’s have given me”
The best thing about all of this is the fact that the Royster’s are just good people. The kids are extremely respectful and thoughtful in everything that they do, and they don’t expect anything to be handed to them. Both kids are willing to work for everything that they achieve and expect to prove that they are the best at what they do. In closing Marqueese says, ” I want to lead by example and I know as a team we have the heart of champion”. He continued, ” I think we could take some teams by surprise as kind of the underdog within Lake Oswego, with our coaching staff being our greatest weapon.. I expect our team to rise to a high level and hush our harshest critics”.
Its going to be an exciting year down on the Lake with the defending state champions always making a run, and a Pacer program that looks to be making its way back to greatness on a state wide level.
