Top of his class: 2022 St. Pius X RB succeeds in many roles
2022 St. Pius X running back Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM is a young man of many talents. Sure, he’s an exceptional football player when he’s healthy, somebody…
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Continue Reading2022 St. Pius X running back Marco Ybarra Marco Ybarra 5'10" | 190 lbs | RB St. Pius X | 2022 State NM is a young man of many talents.
Sure, he’s an exceptional football player when he’s healthy, somebody who has already attracted interest from several college programs, including the prestigious Ivy League.
But Ybarra is so much more than just an athlete who excels on the gridiron.
He’s currently the junior class president at St. Pius X and has announced his candidacy for student body president. He’s also a poet and recently performed at a school talent show.
“I’ve been involved in student council for a long time, all though elementary and middle school,” Ybarra told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “It was something I really liked. Freshman and sophomore year, I was just part of it. I didn’t run for anything. But junior year, it’s one of the biggest positions you can get.
“The last three student body presidents have all been football captains for St. Pius. I’m going to try to be the fourth in line and keep the tradition going. It’s taught me how to serve and how to be a leader. Balancing that with football has been challenging and taught me how to manage my time.”
Injuries have sidelined Ybarra for most of the past two seasons. He won the starting running back job as a sophomore in 2019 but broke his collarbone in the first game before returning to action later in the season, finishing with 233 yards on 39 carries, an average of 5.97 yards per attempt.
After waiting more than a year to get back on the field, Ybarra broke his collarbone again in preseason practice leading up to the spring season, forcing him to miss the entire four-game campaign.
Those physical setbacks, though, haven’t dulled interest from college programs. Ybarra says he is focused on three programs at this stage in his recruitment: Carleton College (Northfield, MN), University of Chicago and Claremont McKenna (Claremont, CA).
Ybarra plans to attend camps at three Ivy League schools this summer: Brown, Columbia and Penn.
“My junior year was a tremendously inconvenient year to miss, but with camps this summer and senior film, my talents will finally be showcased,” Ybarra said. “I’ve spent most of my time keeping up my grades and continue training for next season.”
When Ybarra takes the field late this fall, almost two years will have passed since his last appearance for the Sartans. He is ranked the No. 18 overall prospect in Prep Redzone New Mexico’s updated 2022 rankings.
“I know this is what I want to do,” Ybarra said. “I’m going to keep doing it. This is really a crucial year.”
Marco Ybarra
c/o 2022
RB/LB
5'10 190
GPA: 4.4 Junior Year, 3.93 Cumulative
St. Pius X High in Albuquerque, NM 🌶
Contact: marcoyballa@gmail.com
Coach: dmontoya@spxabq.org
Sophomore Highlights!https://t.co/nbCFnHayo6— Marco Ybarra (@marcoayb) April 20, 2021
Claremont Mckenna Virtual Visit mañana @CoachSweeney22 @CMCnews Can't wait!! pic.twitter.com/ebyUNtTFJy
— Marco Ybarra (@marcoayb) April 14, 2021
University of Chicago virtual visit mañana 💪🏽 @UChicago @UCCoachDavidson @FB_Coach_Wilk @Coach_Cutty pic.twitter.com/XwwAMVdwbh
— Marco Ybarra (@marcoayb) April 10, 2021
campaign for student body president commencing soon. as far as i know, the past 3 presidents have also been senior football captains. i hope to continue the newly formed tradition 💪🏽
— Marco Ybarra (@marcoayb) April 7, 2021
I'll have a busy summer on the northeast coast 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/9GHnMnYaYc
— Marco Ybarra (@marcoayb) April 5, 2021