POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The combination of youth and depth has paid dividends for the Marist football team in the 2017 season.
 
An influx of promising young talent has made its presence felt across the board. Six Red Foxes have scored their first collegiate touchdown through six games this season. Of these six, three are true freshmen (Jeremiah Gholston, Mekhai Johnson, David Shannon III), and one is a true sophomore (Areg Nazarian).
 

These 6?? @Marist_Football players have found the end zone this year for the first time collegiately. Check out all six TDs!

????#GoRedFoxes pic.twitter.com/dzMh9JDsNj

— Marist Athletics (@MaristAthletics) October 11, 2017

 
In prior years, the program had frequently red-shirted freshmen in order to have them eligible for a fifth season. This season, the trend has shifted to giving playing time to freshmen if they have sufficient comprehension of the game's physical and mental aspects.
 
"The big part for them is they can handle it mentally," head coach Jim Parady said. "We knew physically they were able to do it, but mentally they were able to really understand what we're trying to do and become contributors."
 
Safety Jeremiah Gholston is one of seven true freshmen who will be part of the Red Foxes' 56-player travel roster to Valparaiso this weekend. Gholston has earned playing time in a talented Marist secondary as well as on special teams. At Davidson on Sept. 30, his 59-yard interception return for a touchdown helped shift momentum and propel the Red Foxes to a 31-9 triumph.
 
"For me, I feel like it's very mental," Gholston said. "You have to feel very confident in yourself. … Physically, you just have to work out. If you keep working out and work hard, you'll be fine."
 
A total of four Red Foxes saw action as true freshmen last year, and it prepared them for increased roles as sophomores. Dan Wittekind started all 11 games at right guard last year, and is now the team's starting center. Maliek Carr contributed as a freshman linebacker, and now leads the Red Foxes with five tackles for loss. Seth Thompson saw action at cornerback late last year, and had an interception in the season opener at Bucknell.
 
Running back Areg Nazarian saw his first on-field action in the second half of the year. Nazarian said the experience helped prepare him for an expanded role this season, which has seen him rush for two touchdowns and become the team's primary punt returner.
 
"Playing last year helped a lot because I got a feel of the speed of the game, how the offense runs," Nazarian said. "It really helped me on transitioning into spring and coming into this year."
 
Both Gholston and Nazarian spoke highly of the team's veteran leadership for easing the transition to college football on and off the field.
 
"They've helped me, not only in football, but outside of football they're always there for me," Gholston said. "They're my brothers."
 
Here's a closer look at some of the contributions made by Marist's freshman class this year.
 

Player	Position	Highlights
Dom Carey	Nose Tackle	In team's regular rotation at nose tackle.
Jeremiah Gholston	Safety	Interception return for TD at Davidson.
Mekhai Johnson	Running Back/Kick Returner	Two TDs (kick return, reception) vs. Jacksonville. Named PFL Special Teams Player of the Week & STATS FCS Honorable Mention Freshman of the Week.
David Shannon III	Wide Receiver	7 catches, 91 yards – ranks fourth on the team in both categories. Scored TD at Georgetown
Jamal Valentin	Cornerback	Has seen action at cornerback & on special teams.
Teddy Wright	Safety	Half-sack at Bucknell. Contributor at safety & on special teams.

 
About Saturday's Game
Marist (3-3 overall, 2-1 Pioneer Football League) will face Valparaiso (2-4, 1-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern in northwest Indiana. The Red Foxes are 6-0 all-time against the Crusaders, but the teams have not met since 2014.

"They've made tremendous progress," Parady said of Valparaiso. "We have not seen them in three years. So it'll be a new experience for us to see who they are on the field live, and see what types of athletes are running around. All indications are on film that they're much improved and they've really made themselves a contender in the PFL."
 
Geoff Brault and Ed Weir will have the call beginning at 1:45 p.m. Eastern on Z93 in the Hudson Valley. Audio can be streamed on the Red Fox Network and iHeartRadio. There will be no video stream for this game.
 
Up Next
Marist returns home to face PFL foe Drake on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff at Tenney Stadium is set for 1 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2014. For ticket information, please click here.