"I put my all into this sport every day," explained the Kankakee Valley senior running back. "All the sacrifices I have made and the work I've put in everyday is finally paying off. I live, breathe, and sleep football. I'm obsessed with the grind and overall, just everything that comes with football."
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound standout has managed to maintain his balance both on and off the gridiron.
"Playing football has taught me many important lifelong lessons," said Castro, who maintains a 3.7 grade-point average. "I think the most important lesson football teaches you is how to handle adversity. Every practice and game involve adversity. There are going to be times things won't go your way, but you are going to have to find a way to get through it and find a way to make it work."
Dealing with highs and lows is something every athlete experiences at some point.
Castro has already met both circumstances head on this season.
After recording back-to-back 300-yard rushing performances and six total touchdowns in wins against Rensselaer Central and Wheeler, he was limited to just 92 yards in a 28-7 loss to Andrean on September 6.
However, don't look for him to pout and feel sorry for himself.
"Football also teaches self-discipline," Castro said. "There are times where you feel tired or don't feel like giving it 110 percent, but you still go out there and do it. Football has shaped me to become a better man. Football has given me so many opportunities and I'm just so blessed to play the game."
His passion for football started at an early age.
"I started playing American tackle football when I was five years old," recalled Castro. "My dad gave me an option to play football and I decided to try it out. When I was about eight (years old), I had a coach who decided to try me at running back. His name was Coach Bob and without him, I wouldn't be where I am today.
"I've had a lot of coaches that made me fall in love with football and I'm grateful for them. I'm blessed to have had coaches at a younger age that made football fun and made me fall in love with the game, so I could be where I am at today."
Now in his third campaign as a varsity performer, Castro has certainly proven to be a difference maker.
As a sophomore, he registered 165 carries for 809 yards with 11 touchdowns and then followed that up with 286 touches for 1,718 yards with 19 scores last fall.
"The key to success last season was living in the weight room and doing agility sessions all off-season," explained Castro. "My dad always preaches to me how important lifting is. You need to lift to be strong but also to stay healthy. Weight lifting is a must if you want to play at a high level and that's why I live in the weight room.
"I do agility sessions three times a week with my personal trainer, Jeremy Rozhan. Agility is a must because you need to be fast and quick to be a successful running back. From where I was at my sophomore year to last year and even this year is a big difference. Last year might have been a breakout season, but now I have to top that this year."
So far, he is off and running with 88 carries for 752 yards with six scores.
"I'd say the big part of my success this season comes from hard work," said Castro, who is averaging 8.6 yards per carry. "Teamwork is also a huge if not the main reason for success these boys have been putting in the work every day. We have really come together as a unit. Last year we had a lot of inexperienced players. Now this year, they are all returning with experience. I think this year we have a chance to make it far. We still have a lot of work to do and we are nowhere close to our full potential. I love these boys and without them I couldn't do the things I do."
Marco also credits his dad for his good fortune.
"My biggest influence and mentor in regards to life is my dad," Castro said. "My dad is the reason why I got into football. He always pushes me to be the best on the field and off. He always reminds me to never be complacent because there are tons of high school football athletes that are wanting the same thing as me. So, I want to work hard every day giving it 110 percent because I will never let someone out work me.
"My biggest football mentor is (former Chicago Bears and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back) Walter Payton. I loved his 'Never Die Easy' attitude. He never ran out of bounds and he was just a straight bruising running back. He always gave it his all and just had an attitude of he was never going down. And top of that, he was always humble."
Since arriving in Wheatfield in 2022, Kankakee Valley boss Kirk Kennedy has seen Marco mature into a leader.
"Marco Castro is the type of student-athlete who makes coaching a pleasure," explained Kennedy. "He is a respectful young man who possesses many positive character traits that leads to success in athletics, academics, and life.
"Marco has a strong work ethic and is an outstanding leader (a two-year team captain). He is also a fierce competitor who is tough, durable, and highly productive. Marco is a great teammate who inspires those around him to excel."
Castro has admiration and respect for Kennedy as well.
"Coach Kennedy has changed the culture of Kankakee Valley since he has arrived," explained Castro, who maintains a 3.7 grade-point average. "He has won and been on many championship teams, so he brings a lot of winning experience to Kankakee Valley. He set goals and expectations and just made it easier for us to trust him. We had to buy into the new culture and just trust him. I'm so grateful to have Coach Kennedy as my coach. He has made a huge impact on my life. I'll be forever grateful."
Although the Kougars (2-1) had their hopes for an unbeaten regular season dashed last week, there are still plenty of things Castro and company want to achieve starting with their contest at Hobart (1-2) on September 13.
"We want to win conference," said Castro, who has also tallied 14 tackles and forced a fumble as a linebacker on defense. "I think we have one of the toughest conferences (Northwest Crossroads), so to win conference would be a major accomplishment. Another one of our team goals is to win a sectional, regional, and a state championship. We have the talent and skill to make it to state. We are nowhere near our full potential. We have to limit our mistakes, learn to be more physical, and learn how to play with bigger teams.
"One of my personal goals is to finish number one in the state in rushing yards. I also want to have 2,000 or more rushing yards this season. My last personal goal is to maintain my strength and speed and to stay healthy the whole season."
