By Rubin E. Grant
John Carroll Catholic football coach Will Mara said Carson McFadden’s leadership skills have always been on display.
But during the offseason, the Cavaliers’ senior quarterback/safety took it up a notch.
“When I would get to school at 5:30 in the morning, Carson was already here,” Mara said. “We didn’t have mandatory 5:30 workouts.
“He’s always been a leader by his actions, but he’s become more vocal, going above and beyond what’s asked of him and bringing his teammates along with him.”
The early morning weight room sessions were McFadden’s idea of making sure he and teammates stayed fit for football.
John Carroll’s Carson McFAdden (7) accounted for 309 yards total offense and three touchdowns as the Cavs stunned Homewood 36-31 in the “Battle of Lakeshore” at John Carroll’s Pat Sullivan Field. The Cavs played Marbury in a non-region game last week and travel to Fairfield Friday to begin Class 5A, Region 5 play. Journal photo by Jordan Wald“We’ve got a lot of guys on our team who play other sports in the winter and spring,” McFadden said. “I played golf last spring, but we didn’t have weight training for football. It was a big commitment from a group of football guys to come work out before school. It was a player-led thing because we wanted to have success this year.”
The Cavs finished the 2022 football season with a disappointing 3-7 record. They haven’t had a winning season since 2010, when they finished 6-4. They were 5-5 in Mara’s first two seasons, in 2020 and 2021.
McFadden had another reason for hitting the weight room. He wanted to add some muscle to his 6-foot frame. He weighed only 172 pounds as a junior.
“I never really had a consistent workout plan,” McFadden said. “I fell in love with lifting weights, and I put myself on an eating plan. I ate a ton, a lot of steak. I gained about 15 pounds. I weigh in the high 180s now.”
The added bulk and increased stamina paid immediate dividends for McFadden in John Carroll’s season-opener on Aug. 25. He accounted for 309 yards total offense and three touchdowns as the Cavs stunned Homewood 36-31 in the “Battle of Lakeshore” at John Carroll’s Pat Sullivan Field.
McFadden ran 21 times for 212 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 10, 30 and 13 yards. He also completed 8 of 16 passes for 97 yards and scored twice on two-point conversions.
Homewood had dominated the rivalry, bringing a 27-5-2 series edge into the game. But the Cavs were determined to not let the Patriots continue their dominance.
“Homewood is a good team and one of our goals this season was to beat Homewood,” McFadden said.
Mara praised McFadden’s performance.
“He willed us to victory,” Mara said. “He was playing through cramps. It’s nothing anybody could have done to prepare for because it was so hot. He was taking a beating, but he just kept moving around, making plays. He put the team on his back. He definitely was a game-changer.”
With starting safety Aubrey Walker sidelined with an ankle injury, McFadden played in the secondary more than expected in the hot, humid conditions.
“It gets tough playing both ways sometimes, but we don’t have a lot of depth, so you do what you have to do to help the team,” McFadden said.
On the morning after the game, McFadden was feeling the effects. His body was sore and hurting, but he said, “I’m really excited to open the season with such a big win.”
Destined for Quarterback
McFadden is in his third season as the Cavs’ starting quarterback, but that wasn’t his original position when he started playing football.
“In the seventh grade, I played receiver,” he said. “But going into my eighth-grade year, we didn’t have a quarterback and coach Mara, who was the middle school coach then, tested out several guys.
“I didn’t want to be the quarterback, but I told him if the team needed me to, I’d do it. I’m glad it worked out that way because now I wouldn’t want to play any other position.”
McFadden is a dual threat with his arm and legs and enjoys the Cavs’ offensive scheme that gives him the freedom to make plays, either running or passing.
“We have a lot of designed runs for me, but I also run sometimes when I’m scrambling,” McFadden said.
Unless something changes, this will be McFadden’s final season of football. He is not interested in playing in college.
“I think I’ll be done after this year,” he said. “I love the game, but I just want to be a student when I go to college.”
So, this season becomes even more meaningful for McFadden. It already has begun with a bang with the win over Homewood, but McFadden and the Cavs want more.
“That was a big win, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t help us get to the playoffs,” McFadden said. “We celebrated the win over Homewood, but we realize we’ve got to focus on our goals for the rest of the season, and getting to the playoffs is one of those goals.”
The Cavs played Marbury in a non-region game last week and travel to Fairfield Friday to begin Class 5A, Region 5 play.
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