by Jimmy Watson, Shreveport Times
Marquez “Macho” Stevenson comes from a long line of Stevensons. The Captain Shreve wide receiver and track All-Stater is the seventh of nine children of Marcus and Alecima Stevenson. None of the other Stevensons are as fast as Macho, who came by his nickname honestly, but then no one in Louisiana is as fast as the 6-foot-2 Texas Tech commit.
Stevenson put on a growth spurt during the past year or so that has taken his mother by surprise.
“It’s like he went to sleep one night and woke up being 6-2,” Alecima said. “It’s hard to get pants that fit him. They make big and tall but not tall and skinny. It doesn’t bother him, though. He’s usually wearing his Adidas pants. They’re his favorites. It’s hard to dress up with that, but Macho does clean up good.”
Stevenson definitely measures up when it comes to the area’s top football recruits. He checks in at No. 5 on The Times Elite 8 list, a collection of the top college football prospects from the Shreveport area as selected by the newspaper.
The size and length of his body enables Stevenson, the LHSAA state champion in the grueling 400-meter run (second in the 100), to appear effortless on the track. That effort has transcended to the football field despite his having taken up the sport less than two years ago.
“Marquez is electric. His track times are impressive but what he’s able to do is play at that same speed on the football field,” Captain Shreve interim coach Adam Kirby said.
Kirby said Stevenson has scholarship offers from Indiana, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, Austin Peay and Grambling. He was also recently invited to visit LSU, which is hoping to keep him in-state.
“That visit went well. LSU has always been his favorite school,” Alecima said. “He wants the opportunity to run track and play football.”
His mother began calling him “Macho” at birth and she found out quickly that he wasn’t going to be an outgoing child.
“The name was because he was such a big baby -- he weighed right at 10 pounds,” she said. “He is real quiet and stays to himself when he’s at home. If he’s not at track or football, he’s in his room playing a game.”
The Stevensons moved from Natchitoches to Shreveport prior to Macho’s freshman year to get him more exposure at Captain Shreve.
“That was pretty difficult for Macho because that’s where all his friends were, and Natchitoches Central is my alma mater,” Alecima said. “But with the support system he’s had at Captain Shreve from the coaches, he’s made it through.”
Stevenson also spends time taking care of his academic duties, which has expanded his recruiting possibilities. He carries a 3.7 GPA and scored a 20 on the ACT first time out of the blocks. His leadership will be key for the Gators, who finished 10-2 last season but had a surprising, second-round elimination from the LHSAA Class 5A playoffs.
“I think it’s going to be a great season,” Stevenson said. “We lost a lot of athletes, but we gained a lot of athletes, too, and we put in the work this summer. We have more team chemistry, we’re more in shape, we’re stronger.”
Alecima said her “knee baby” boy, who loves to eat her salmon and broccoli dish, is humble and respectable, although sometimes difficult to figure out.
“Macho stays pretty much on task and is not a troubled child,” she said. “Everyone seems to love him.”
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