Players and coaches let out whoops and shouts. One player said to no one in particular, “That’s another one of his amazing catches. It’s no big deal.”

 

Of course, catches in practice don’t count. But Marotz needs no statistical padding. His 41 receptions (for 585 yards and four touchdowns) are 11 shy of tying the school’s single-season record – and at least four games remain on the schedule.

 

Marotz (pronounced mah-WROTES) struck for 11 receptions and 132 yards in a loss to Blue Earth. Two weeks later he torched St. Paul Central for 12 catches, 233 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. Last week he added eight catches for 125 yards in a victory against St. Paul Harding.

 

What are defensive coordinators thinking? Are the Scots hording game film and denying opposing scouts admission to games?

 

“I’m just as surprised as you,” said Marotz, a junior. “I thought coming into the Harding game they were going to cover me. But then I got eight catches for 125 yards and I was like, ‘What happened?’ Honestly, I didn’t think this season would go as well as it’s going right now. I thought [defenses] would have caught on.”

 

Instead, it’s Marotz who is catching on and on and on. The Scots (2-3) play host to rival St. Paul Como Park (1-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday, a game Marotz hopes brings him several catches closer to the team record and nearer to his personal goal of 1,000 yards.

 

Marotz didn’t just write down those goals in August. He put in the sweat equity for eight months at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin. Long drives and tough workouts never swayed Marotz’s commitment. In fact, the ultra-focused Marotz missed a camp where he would have met his NFL idol, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, in order to work out. Marotz wears No. 11 in Fitzgerald’s honor.

 

The rigorous workouts with trainer Bill Welle improved Marotz’s speed, strength and agility and hardened his resolve to achieve greatness.

 

“It woke me up,” Marotz said. “I was like, ‘If this is what I need to do to get to how good I want to be, then I’m all for it. It’s changed the mindset of what I can do so much.”

 

The change is evident to teammates. Scots quarterback Joey Silversmith noticed something different about Marotz in summer passing drills and August workouts.

 

“Coming into this year you can tell he’s been working and that he wants to win and that he wants to play at a high level,” Silversmith said. “We he runs routes, he’s going 100 percent. I think that effort rubs off on other guys.”

 

Injury and illness threatened Marotz’s high hopes for himself and the Scots. Silversmith said a “slightly torn or sprained” ligament in his right (throwing) elbow sidelined him for the season opener. He missed the second game as he fought the last rounds of a bout with mononucleosis. The Scots lost both games.

 

“I’m like, ‘We’re never going to catch a break here,’” Marotz said. “Finally having Joey back against Humboldt it felt like everything fit together.”

 

The Scots defeated St. Paul Humboldt then lost 62-36 to Central. Assistant coach Ben Fuller pointed out Marotz’s 12 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns were not compiled in garbage time.

 

“Central got up on us 14-0 and his first touchdown made it 14-7,” Fuller said. “His second touchdown made it 24-21 Central, so he caught us up twice in that game.”

 

Marotz said the Central game “woke me up” to realization that “this is what I can do.”

 

Marotz’s awakening was offset by the nightmare of a teammate’s season-ending injury. Standout junior running back Tycell Page tore his meniscus on the final play of the Central game.

 

Marotz knows he must bring even more to the offense – and defense. He took snaps as a safety this week and expects to see his first action as a defender in three years. Playing wide reciver and then covering them? Marotz is unfazed.

 

“It feels good knowing that if they need something they’re going to go to me and I’m going to get the work done,” Marotz said. “They expect more but it’s nothing I haven’t trained for. I’m OK with it.”

 

Silversmith plans to target Marotz early and often, hoping to replicate mid-week highlights such as Wednesday’s 40-yard catch on game day.

 

“He’s our stud in the receiving corps,” Silversmith said. “We have some plays called especially for him and there’s some plays where I’m trying to find the open guy. But most of the time I’m keeping Ryan in the back of my mind, knowing he should be open.”