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Markenzy Pierre 2017 RB as a UM Prospect?

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Link to article about Pierre's team playing iron man football and his background.
Official community newspaper of Kissimmee, Osceola County including Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Celebration, Poinciana, Harmony and surrounding areas

Markenzy Pierre is the catalyst of Liberty’s offense
By J. Daniel Pearson.
For the News-Gazette
December 30, 2015

It’s not too often a player from a football team that went 2-8 would receive serious consideration for player of the year honors.

But, sometimes, an individual performance just demands recognition, and that is why Liberty High School’s Markenzy Pierre is the Osceola News Gazette Offensive Player of the Year.

It is an honor he shares with Osceola High School running back Laderrien Wilson.

Pierre had an out*standing season. Playing in just 10 games, he led the county in regular season rushing with 1,677 yards – averaging more than 9 yards per carry and scoring 19 touchdowns on the ground.

He was also effective as a pass catcher, grabbing 17 passes for 325 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards per reception and scored four touchdowns.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Pierre also played practically every snap on defense and special teams, where he recorded two interceptions.

Pierre’s offensive numbers were staggering. Although the Chargers did not qualify for the playoffs, Pierre still finished second in the county in rushing (1,677); third in yards per carry (9.1); second in rushing touchdowns (19); seventh in receiving yards (325); tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (4) and second in points scored (142).

Pierre, in fact, scored more than half of Liberty’s 235 points this season.

Perhaps the best tributes come from the county’s opposing coaches.

“He is the real deal,” Harmony Coach Jerrad Butler said after Pierre rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns on just 22 carries in a 35-34 loss to the Longhorns. “We simply could not bring him down.”

Butler was not alone in that assessment.

“Outstanding football player, it’s hard to believe he is just a junior,” St. Cloud Coach Bryan Smart said after Pierre piled up some big numbers in a 54-34 Liberty loss.

Pierre said it was easy to stay focused this year, even as the losses piled up.

“Coach Cory (Cory Johns) told us from the first day of practice that we were not going to have benefit of depth. He told us that we were going to have a chance to win some games but we were going to have to play hard on every play,” Pierre said.

“He asked us to buy in to the idea that the odds were going to be stacked against us every week but if we played hard, played smart and played with our heart, no one would embarrass us. We bought into that and I think we surprised some people.”

Although the team won only twice, the Chargers led in the fourth quarter of seven games. Among the heartbreaking results, Liberty lost a bizarre 2-0 game to George Jenkins, a 35-34 loss to a 9-1 Harmony team and a 14-10 last-minute loss to 7-4 Celebration, which played in the Honor Bowl.

During most the season, Johns would play just 18 or 19 players – using most both ways. The fact that they remained in most games well into the fourth quarter is a testament to the hard play of Pierre and his teammates.

The 6-0, 210-pound Pierre possesses both size and speed. Pierre has been clocked at 4.4 in cleats.

He said that he tries to pattern his running style after former Georgia Bulldog and current St. Louis Ram Todd Gurley.

“That guy has the power to run over most guys, but he also has the speed and moves to elude tacklers and that is what makes him dangerous,” Pierre said.

Although he is just a junior, major colleges have already started paying attention to Pierre.

“I have been getting some letters and phones calls. South Carolina seems to be showing a lot of interest and Boston College has also contacted me,” he said. “Obviously, a good senior season would help in the recruiting process.”

Pierre credits his family and his older brother, Patrice, a former Charger standout who recently graduated with honors from the University of South Florida and is now enrolled in graduate school at North Carolina, for inspiring him.

“My older brother is my hero but not just because of football,” Pierre said. “He is the one that hammered into me the importance of academics. He made me understand that I could not play sports without making the grades first.”

It is that lesson that Markenzy shares with his fellow students at Liberty.

“We have a lot of great athletes at Liberty who are not able to participate in sports because of their grades. I try to encourage those kids to keep their grades up because I know it would help them and help us if they could participate in football,” he said.

It is also a lesson that Markenzy has taken to heart. Holding a 3.3 grade point average, he hopes to get a medical degree.
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Paranos said:
Link to article about Pierre's team playing iron man football and his background.
Official community newspaper of Kissimmee, Osceola County including Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Celebration, Poinciana, Harmony and surrounding areas

Markenzy Pierre is the catalyst of Liberty’s offense
By J. Daniel Pearson.
For the News-Gazette
December 30, 2015

It’s not too often a player from a football team that went 2-8 would receive serious consideration for player of the year honors.

But, sometimes, an individual performance just demands recognition, and that is why Liberty High School’s Markenzy Pierre is the Osceola News Gazette Offensive Player of the Year.

It is an honor he shares with Osceola High School running back Laderrien Wilson.

Pierre had an out*standing season. Playing in just 10 games, he led the county in regular season rushing with 1,677 yards – averaging more than 9 yards per carry and scoring 19 touchdowns on the ground.

He was also effective as a pass catcher, grabbing 17 passes for 325 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards per reception and scored four touchdowns.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Pierre also played practically every snap on defense and special teams, where he recorded two interceptions.

Pierre’s offensive numbers were staggering. Although the Chargers did not qualify for the playoffs, Pierre still finished second in the county in rushing (1,677); third in yards per carry (9.1); second in rushing touchdowns (19); seventh in receiving yards (325); tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (4) and second in points scored (142).

Pierre, in fact, scored more than half of Liberty’s 235 points this season.

Perhaps the best tributes come from the county’s opposing coaches.

“He is the real deal,” Harmony Coach Jerrad Butler said after Pierre rushed for 310 yards and four touchdowns on just 22 carries in a 35-34 loss to the Longhorns. “We simply could not bring him down.”

Butler was not alone in that assessment.

“Outstanding football player, it’s hard to believe he is just a junior,” St. Cloud Coach Bryan Smart said after Pierre piled up some big numbers in a 54-34 Liberty loss.

Pierre said it was easy to stay focused this year, even as the losses piled up.

“Coach Cory (Cory Johns) told us from the first day of practice that we were not going to have benefit of depth. He told us that we were going to have a chance to win some games but we were going to have to play hard on every play,” Pierre said.

“He asked us to buy in to the idea that the odds were going to be stacked against us every week but if we played hard, played smart and played with our heart, no one would embarrass us. We bought into that and I think we surprised some people.”

Although the team won only twice, the Chargers led in the fourth quarter of seven games. Among the heartbreaking results, Liberty lost a bizarre 2-0 game to George Jenkins, a 35-34 loss to a 9-1 Harmony team and a 14-10 last-minute loss to 7-4 Celebration, which played in the Honor Bowl.

During most the season, Johns would play just 18 or 19 players – using most both ways. The fact that they remained in most games well into the fourth quarter is a testament to the hard play of Pierre and his teammates.

The 6-0, 210-pound Pierre possesses both size and speed. Pierre has been clocked at 4.4 in cleats.

He said that he tries to pattern his running style after former Georgia Bulldog and current St. Louis Ram Todd Gurley.

“That guy has the power to run over most guys, but he also has the speed and moves to elude tacklers and that is what makes him dangerous,” Pierre said.

Although he is just a junior, major colleges have already started paying attention to Pierre.

“I have been getting some letters and phones calls. South Carolina seems to be showing a lot of interest and Boston College has also contacted me,” he said. “Obviously, a good senior season would help in the recruiting process.”

Pierre credits his family and his older brother, Patrice, a former Charger standout who recently graduated with honors from the University of South Florida and is now enrolled in graduate school at North Carolina, for inspiring him.

“My older brother is my hero but not just because of football,” Pierre said. “He is the one that hammered into me the importance of academics. He made me understand that I could not play sports without making the grades first.”

It is that lesson that Markenzy shares with his fellow students at Liberty.

“We have a lot of great athletes at Liberty who are not able to participate in sports because of their grades. I try to encourage those kids to keep their grades up because I know it would help them and help us if they could participate in football,” he said.

It is also a lesson that Markenzy has taken to heart. Holding a 3.3 grade point average, he hopes to get a medical degree.
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thank you for supporting community newspapers, Rapanos!
 
[MENTION=3831]ben[/MENTION] - Jamin Buttons please keep you 5cents comic attempts to yourself. If you have nothing constructive to add they just read the post and keep it moving.

Go Canes
 
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Paranos said:
[MENTION=3831]ben[/MENTION] - Jamin Buttons please keep you 5cents comic attempts to yourself. If you have nothing constructive to add they just read the post and keep it moving.

Go Canes
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hey i used to work at community newspapers. not a joke -- they are a big component of small-town society! sorry you thought i was making a joke, Parnaos but i wasn't!
 
Ran across this post and I can add some information regarding the speed issue. The guy has run track at his school for two years (10, 11).
He concentrated in 11th grade on the 300mH and has a best time there of 43.04. Not bad considering the weight and technique involved. The national HS elite mark is 39.50,

He ran the 100m more in 10th grade with a best of 11.73. He eventually ran 11.70 not too much improvement one would expect but that was in only a few meets in 11th grade.

At the Orlando Combine in February 2016 he had the following measurables-

Pierre, Markenzy.. 17.. RB.. Liberty.. FL...5-11(ht)...218(wt)... 4.75(40 laser)...4.36(short shuttle)... 37(power ball)...33.6(vertical jump) ...98.85(SPARQ score).

Big kid who was 218 lbs. almost a year ago.. The 4.75--40 at a Nike considering it was damp and chilly during morning testing. Remember 30% plus of guys will not run the 40 at these combines. Only 4 guys at this combine ran under 4.5 out of over 250 invitees.

The SPARQ score of almost 100 show a very athletic guy.
 
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CAS said:
Ask Bartow if he is willing to put his house on that bet.
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Not one of those "crystal balls" will do it. If they are wrong most people will not remember those erroneous prognostications only the ones they crow about being right. Besides have you noticed how they changed over the months, weeks, etc. before NSD?
 
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