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Many people follow their favorite media personality on cable TV. Mark Maretzki is no different.
He favors Ross Tucker, the CBS Sports Network analyst for Army football.
Maretzki wakes up early at his St. Louis Heights home for the Army’s 6 a.m. home kickoffs.
“My dad loves listening to Ross Tucker,” chuckled Army place-kicker Quinn Maretzki, a Punahou graduate. “He always raves about him.”
A son taking an idiosyncratic dig at his father speaks volumes to a close-knit sports-minded family. They’re separated from Army’s West Point campus in New York by the Pacific Ocean and a continent, but they remain connected.
Ironically, though, for all the Army games Mark; his wife, Erin; and their younger son, Jack, have watched on TV, they missed the broadcast when Tucker singled out Quinn. They were seated at Michie Stadium on Oct. 22 as Quinn hit both field-goal attempts and was 5-for-5 on extra points in a 48-24 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
“For them to be at the game when I got the opportunity to hit a couple (of field goals), that was special,” Quinn said after a recent practice. “I was really grateful they were there.”
They were a Punahou-rooted family before Quinn left home. Mark played water polo and Erin soccer at Punahou, and they’re now on the faculty of their alma mater. Quinn competed in football and soccer and Jack is a junior on the soccer team.
“Quinn got his kicking leg from his mom,” Mark said.
The Maretzki family trip to West Point on the Hudson River was for “Parents Weekend.” The nonstop flight to Newark, N.J., takes 11 hours.
Then, they drove 60 miles, enjoying the scenery from New York City’s skyline to upstate fall foliage.
“You feel like you’re in a special place at West Point,” Mark said. “It was so much fun to see the team play and Quinn hit two field goals. I was smiling for hours.”
Quinn’s performance continued his comeback. He’s 29-for-29 on PATs and has hit four of his five field goals. Against Louisiana Monroe, Maretzki’s 38-yarder tied the game 17-17. His 37-yarder with 3:48 to play provided a three-score cushion.
Army eschewing field goals is in part due to Jakobi Buchanon’s bulldozing talent converting short-yardage plays. In Army’s first four games, Maretzki attempted only one — a 28-yarder he converted in overtime, although the Black Knights lost to UT San Antonio 41-38.
“I’m sure it boosted his confidence to have those two opportunities,” Buchanon said. “But I already knew he was going to make them. I see all the effort he puts in practice.”
What a difference a year makes.
Maretzki didn’t play in the 2021 Parents Weekend game against Wake Forest.
Quinn lost his job as a sophomore, a frustrating turn of events from his promising freshman season.
In 2020, he hit two field goals in the fog to beat Navy 15-0. A 37-yarder provided a 3-0 edge and a 40-yarder iced the contest to claim the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the prize for winning the round-robin series that also includes Air Force.
But after the 2021 season on the sidelines ended, Quinn entered the NCAA transfer portal.
“I wasn’t sure the academy and the Army were right for me,” he said.
The Cadets say they all think about leaving at some point. Their character and dedication to the academy and a five-year military obligation upon graduation are put to extreme tests. One of five freshmen don’t make it to graduation.
But after a month of contemplating his path forward, he asked Army head coach Jeff Monken to allow him to return to the team.
“Taking the step away from football allowed me to see that bigger picture,” Quinn said. “The experience here is so much more than football. It’s really about the great opportunity that the academy provides with football and beyond graduation. Once I realized that, I was fortunate this coaching staff welcomed me back. I’m happy and confident with my decision to stay with this team and the brotherhood.”
Next up, Army (3-4) faces Air Force (5-3) this Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Maretzki party is traveling to the Lone Star State. Mark and Erin also plan to attend their first Army-Navy Game, on Dec. 10 in Philadelphia.
“The last four C-i-C games came down to one score,” Quinn said. “So as a specialist, we’ve got to be ready if we’re called upon. This is a huge game.”
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