Guzman follows family legacy with MVP

GRANDPA

He was a mean guy and got a lot of tackles and he has a patch. It’s like a lion - it’s sick. He had the record for the tackles for one game.”

Marcus Guzman, FMHS senior MVP on his grandfather's playing days

FORT MADISON – Fort Madison Bloodhound senior Marcus Guzman was hoping to be part of the next undefeated Hound football team. He got the opposite, but the season will always carry a special meaning for him.
Guzman was given the John “Pete” Peters Award for the team's most valuable player award, the same award that was given to his grandfather Monte Butler 56 years ago.
Peters was a coach and a history teacher at Fort Madison High School.
“It’s pretty awesome. Going into the season it’s kind of ironic, I wanted to be the last football team to be undefeated, but we went defeated, so this is good to keep the legacy going,” Guzman said.
Butler played tackle on the 1967 team as a senior. It was his third year on the team, but back then the high school was just three years. He was on the last team to ever go undefeated at FMHS. He was also 1st team all-conference in the Southeast Six along with Dale Tannahill and Ted Archibald.
“He was a mean guy and got a lot of tackles and he has a patch. It’s like a lion - it’s sick. He had the record for the tackles for one game," Guzman said.
Guzman played four years varsity for the Hounds, playing defense early on and then offense his junior and senior year. He threw for 869 yards and three touchdowns in the Hounds' 0-9 campaign this fall. But he rushed for another 12 touchdowns.  He threw for just over 2,400 yards for his high school career. He scored a combined 37 touchdowns in his four years, 26 were rushing, which was a new school record.
He said it all started with some backyard football with Butler after school in elementary.
Butler said his son Nick Butler won the Jeff Peters award for most outstanding defensive player award so Guzman getting on the field was in the cards.
“I don’t want this to sound like bragging, but it just makes the story complete,” Butler said.
After some knee issues and surgeries, Butler got disenfranchised with playing football in college and went to work for the railroad and miscellaneous businesses.
“I loved football. Don‘t get me wrong, but I like to work,” he said.
Butler said the football season this year was rough, but said he couldn’t be prouder of the Hounds.
“It’s a lot tougher to be on the losing side than it is on the winning side. But that kid never lost his drive. He never lost his motivation. I don’t know how he did it,” Butler said.
Marcus' parents are Devlin and Abbey Guzman. Abbey is Butler’s daughter.
Butler said he would pick up all his grandkids from school when Marcus was about six and they would go to his house and play football.
“It didn’t matter if it was 100 degrees or 0, we were playing football. He would write up these plays in school. He couldn’t even hardly print, but he would draw up these plays and say, ‘Here grandpa, I wrote these in school today.'.”
Butler said he taught Guzman the Statue of Liberty, and the Flea-flicker and how to drop kick.
“He would just a get a big kick out of those,” Butler said.
Guzman said that is where his love for the game started.
“That’s where it all started, honestly. We would draw up plays and run them and that’s where the love of the sport started. Those were the best times of my life. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it affected me in a good way in football.”
Guzman said his grandfather was either at the games or watching them online.
“He tried to make it in person, but he always watched either online or at the game.”
Guzman said he’s keeping the door open to play at a college somewhere, but Butler said he’s a good worker and wants to go into iron working.
“I really don’t think my time’s done playing football,” Guzman said.
Butler played under Fort Madison legacy names such as Jim Youel, Tom Walljasper, and Mick Pickford. He said Youel was a great coach, but didn’t seem to like him.
“He liked the backs and quarterbacks and one time everybody got a kick out of it. I didn’t think it was funny at the time, but now I laugh about it – He told me in a team meeting one time, 'Butler you’re so damn slow the ants are crawling on ya',” Butler said with a laugh.
Other post-season awards for the Hounds that were bestowed at the annual banquet included:
Henry Graham – Stephen B. Saunders Scholar-Athlete Award
Tateum Schelich – Tom Walljasper Leadership Award
Jeff Pieper – Top Defensive Lineman Award
Liam Prier, Marshall Heitmann, and Triston Marshall – Culture Driver Athlete Awards
The IHSAA Football Class 3A District 4 honors went to Brody Cashman, Henry Graham, and Guzman all first team All-District. Hunter Cook, Aaron Warner, Justin Maitner, and Noah Swigart were all named second-team all-district.
Mount Vernon dominated the player of the year awards getting the Offensive Player of the Year - Jase Jaspers, Defensive Player of the Year - Jaxon Anderson, Offensive Lineman of the Year - Josef Briesmeister, and Defensive Lineman of the Year - Kael Rinker.