Maroun follows own path, hopes it helps lead Souhegan football to the top

Growing up, Mike Maroun always knew that football was a big deal for his family.

But rather than follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and uncle and cousins, Maroun immersed himself into a number of different hobbies as a young kid.

He played ice hockey and basketball and found an interest in art, particularly drawing, while also participating in football.

Now, as his senior year at Souhegan High School gets underway, Maroun is ready to put his own mark on the game, the same way so many of his relatives have before him.

"Football is something that is very important to my family and my extended family," Maroun said. "But it was never something my dad (George) forced upon me growing up. I am very lucky to have a dad who is so supportive of my other hobbies.

"I really learned to love it on my own and I feel like that's what makes me want to get better."

While Mike Maroun has been a three-year starter for the Sabers, his relatives made their surname synonymous with football in Salem.

In the 1980s, George Maroun was a standout two-way player for the Blue Devils, earning national All-American honors, while his brother, Doug - Mike's uncle - was a three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines.

More recently, Mike's cousins - Doug Jr., Adam and Josh - were all-conference performers for the Blue Devils, while their grandfather, George Sr., was a three-sport star in the 1950s at Lawrence (Mass.) High School.

"It's funny to hear my name from people I've never met before," the youngest Maroun said. "It's cool. I'm glad I can keep that tradition going."

With the start of practices getting underway Tuesday, Maroun is hoping he can help Souhegan return to its tradition of winning championships. The Sabers have reached the Division II playoffs in each of his first two high school seasons, but come up short of advancing to the title game.

Just a few months ago, no one was sure if Souhegan, or anyone else in the state, was going to get the chance to have a football season. But that didn't prevent Maroun from preparing for it, according to Sabers coach Robin Bowkett.

"He takes care of his business," Bowkett said of Maroun. "He loves the weight room, so I didn't worry about that with him."

That love began to form after Maroun reached high school. While freshmen don't typically get the opportunity to play much on varsity for Bowkett, he felt Maroun was able to handle it better than most and brought him up a couple of times during that season.

After that year, hearing from the Souhegan coaching staff about what his potential was, Maroun dedicated himself to improving his fitness.

"I was always a big kid," he said. "I put in a lot of work going into sophomore year. I lost weight and I focused on football. I found a passion for fitness and working out was never a hassle for me."

Despite losing some weight, Maroun still saw most of his time on the line on both sides of the ball for the Sabers as a sophomore and junior, but Bowkett expects that to change this year.

"He's always been a big skill guy who had to play with his hand in the dirt because that's where he's most disruptive," the coach said. "But also because we don't have a lot of big humans. He's done a great job getting stronger and faster. He's lean, he's committed to being the best athlete he can be."

This year, Bowkett plans to have Maroun move to inside linebacker on defense while filling the H-back role on offense, with the opportunity to get his hands on the ball at times.

"Exciting is an understatement, especially because my father and my cousins have all been running backs and had their hands on the ball," Maroun said. "I know I'm a good athlete and I'm ready to run the ball. I want to help the team out a lot."

While he's already talked to some college coaches about playing at the next level, Maroun knows that where he ends up will depend on how his senior year goes.

Right now, he's glad to have that opportunity to end it on the field.

"Lots of us have been playing together a long time," Maroun said of his Souhegan teammates. "It's our last ride and we weren't sure if we were going to have a season. We want to get a championship."