When San Marin High running back Justin Guin takes the field against Marin Catholic on Saturday, he’ll look to make good on his potential as one of the breakout players of this shortened spring campaign.
Guin, a junior who made his varsity debut midway through last season, has bulked up in the offseason and is set to become the bell cow in San Marin’s offensive backfield and the most fearsome tackler in its defensive backfield.
“I’ve known him since seventh grade so he’s grown a lot since then,” San Marin quarterback Jake Marshall said. “He used to be the smallest kid on our team but he always had good form and was always making lot of tackles but now with his, I think, plus-35 pounds from last year, he’s making every play.
“He’s someone who has gone from maybe not being able to tackle the bigger kids — he could fundamentally — but now he’s running them over.”
Guin made his varsity debut by piling up more than 100 rushing yards in a game against San Rafael last season in relief of then-starter Dante DiMare.
“He was not on the list of things to worry about,” San Rafael coach Mark Lubamersky said. “He’s a quality athlete and he sure looked good against us last year.”
San Marin coach Dom DiMare was similarly impressed by Guin’s debut.
“He carried the ball about four or five times and scored a touchdown,” DiMare said. “I looked at our offensive coordinator and said ‘He’s going to be the real deal.'”
Guin started the final four games of the season as a weak-side linebacker and occasionally carried the football whenever Dante DiMare needed a breather. Guin’s expected ascendancy to lead-back status after DiMare’s graduation was put on hold as the coronavirus pandemic delayed the start of the prep football season by seven months — a 16-month layoff all told.
Guin, who said he weighed 155 pounds last year, has bulked up to about 185 pounds this season thanks to training relentlessly with his father in a mini home gym they put together during the early weeks of the pandemic.
“I feel like (the hard work has paid off),” Guin said. “I’ve been getting noticed more and my coaches have been trusting me more.”
His transformation has boosted his stock on both sides of the ball.
“His speed and his size are definitely the big things for me,” DiMare said. “Playing varsity last year, he got a little taste of varsity speed so he’s used to it now.
“He’s worked hard in the offseason. … I think his play is going to be the proof in the pudding.”
The San Jose Mercury News included Guin on its preseason list of best running backs in the Bay Area. At practice on Tuesday, Guin showed plenty of signs that he can validate that hype — consistently finishing off his runs and dragging tacklers forward for extra yards.
“Now, instead of one or two guys being able to take him down by his shoes, he’s able to run through that and take it to the house,” Marshall said. “I have full faith in him running over every corner and safety in this league.
“I’m super excited. He’s been a star player on every single one of our teams so this isn’t really anything new to us. He’s always going to be good but especially with this added weight, he’s going to bring a bunch to the table this year and he’s gonna be super fun to watch.”
Although most of the hype surrounding Guin is about his abilities as a running back, DiMare considers defense to be his biggest strength.
“I think he’s a better defensive player than an offensive player just because of his instincts around the ball and film watching,” DiMare said.
Guin has already shown signs of fulfilling his potential as one of the breakout players in the MCAL this season.
“We scrimmaged San Rafael and (Guin’s) first run off scrimmage, he blew it up,” DiMare said. “He’s that type of power runner. We’ve just got to try to keep him healthy through this short season.”
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San Marin’s Guin ready to carry the load - Marin Independent Journal
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