It’s no secret that the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School Districts breed great athletes. It can be witnessed through the numerous state championships that they produce year in and year out. Broomfield’s Marcus Von, however, has proven himself a step above even the most elite talent in the area.
Not that he’d ever admit it.
Last week, the now-graduated Eagles’ soccer star was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Colorado Boys Soccer Player of the Year, the fourth such player from Broomfield to receive the award. He joins Boulder’s Cameron Gerber, who won the honor during the 2022-23 season, as well as Broomfield’s Michael Mooney (2017-18), Porter Milner (2015-16), and Cole Chapleski (2009-10).
Von owed all of his success to his teammates and coaches, even as the awards kept piling on. He scored the only goal in the Eagles’ 2-1 state championship shootout victory over Denver East on a jaw-dropping bicycle kick.
“I don’t want to play myself down, but it was really the team,” Von said. “It was the band of brothers, that’s why we won. I scored 19 goals. I think it was super cool to win it and to get the accomplishments and everything, but even like Coach Zach (Hindman) texted me when I won it and I’m like, ‘If we didn’t win state, I’m not getting any of these awards.’”
Gatorade and other organizations clearly felt differently.
Following the conclusion of the fall season, Von was named the Daily Camera player of the year, the 5A CHSAA player of the year and a 2023 United Soccer Coaches High School All-American.
“The thing that I love about the Gatorade Player of the Year is that it looks at more than just what’s going on on the field,” Hindman said. “For him to get this, it’s just a good way to put a spotlight on some of his character stuff, some of the things that he does outside of the field. I’m really excited to see him get that honor.
“He doesn’t really keep the spotlight on him ever, and he’s always redirecting and doing things that good leaders do. He’s an exceptional athlete. There are things that he does on the field that haven’t been replicated in a long time. You see it in the final when he scores that bicycle kick, and you see it every time we play a set piece in. He’s really, really powerful and good in the air. He’s just got a nose for the goal, a sixth sense for where the ball is going to be, and he executes when it falls to him.”
Outside of the soccer pitch, Von excelled both academically and as an active member of his community. He recorded a 3.7 GPA by the time he graduated, and often volunteered at the Kingdom Building Foodbank, which his mother runs.
The three-year varsity starter, however, only wanted to do whatever was best for the team, both as a vocal leader and as a scoring leader. Hindman said the Eagles will certainly miss him next season.
“I like scoring goals, but most of them were tap-ins, if I’m being honest. It was never like, ‘Oh, I need to be the best player.’ It was like, however good the team can be, that’s the plan,” Von said. “It’s much better to give than receive. Getting these rewards, it’s like, yeah, it’s super cool, but my team, they’re the ones that really played a huge role. My coaches, everything.”
