WINFIELD, Kan. — From backyard football in Piedmont, Oklahoma, to a championship season at Southwestern College, sophomore linebacker Joshua Mars and his older brother, Joey, now his position coach, have built on a family foundation of toughness, competition and support.

Before kickoff, Joshua Mars and his older brother, Joey, step away from their responsibilities as player and coach for a moment together near the tents.

They share a prayer, a familiar routine in a season that has brought Southwestern College a championship and given the brothers another chapter in a football journey that began in their front yard in Piedmont, Oklahoma.

"We go over by the tents and just do a quick prayer to remind ourselves what the most important thing is," Joshua said.

For Joshua, a sophomore linebacker majoring in physical education and sports science, family has helped shape both his introduction to football and his development at Southwestern. Now, with Joey serving as a graduate assistant coaching the linebackers, that influence is part of his daily preparation.

The Moundbuilders are 9-1 and have clinched the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference's Bissell Division championship. Joshua has helped contribute to that success while learning a position he did not begin playing until college.

Joshua played quarterback throughout high school, but surgery on his throwing shoulder prompted a move to linebacker during his freshman year of college. Though his position changed, his mentality did not. 

"I kept coming back because I love the toughness of the game and I love displaying toughness," Joshua said.

That mentality developed in a household where competition was part of everyday life. Joshua and Joey grew up with two other brothers, Eli and Noah, playing sports, working out and finding ways to challenge one another. Between games and workouts, there was plenty of laughter.

"Our family is extremely close," Joshua said. "Joey and I have 2 other brothers so we live like it's a comedy skit."

Their father taught Joshua how to throw a football and helped him understand the game's terminology. Both parents emphasized hard work, teaching their sons to prepare for opportunities rather than rely solely on natural ability.

Joey remembers those lessons taking shape during front-yard football games with their father and younger brothers.

"I would whoop his tail play after play, but he would never quit," Joey said. "His sheer toughness is what I recognize the most from watching him grow into the young man and football player he is today."

Joshua watched Joey develop as a player and wanted to follow his example. Joey became a four-year collegiate starter and earned all-conference recognition three times, with honors at Avila, William Penn and Southwestern.

At Southwestern, Joey earned second-team All-KCAC recognition in 2024 and helped the Moundbuilders finish 11-2, share the Kessinger Division championship and win a home playoff game. He graduated with a business administration degree in 2025 and joined the coaching staff the following season. 

In his first season coaching Southwestern's linebackers, Joey helped develop a unit that produced all-conference selections DreShaun Flowers and Corbin Williams. He now recruits the Oklahoma City area while pursuing a Master of Business Administration.

For Joshua, having his brother in the meeting room comes with a small adjustment.

"I have to watch what I say a little more in the meeting rooms with him now," Joshua said.

For Joey, the relationship remains familiar, even when football produces disagreements.

"We will still have disagreements in film or meetings, the same way brothers would," Joey said. "If anything, me being able to play and coach with Joshua has let us spend more time with one another. Time is something you can never get back. I think it has just made us more grateful for one another."

Their work together extends beyond those meetings. Joshua said he watches about four hours of film each week, identifying tendencies and bringing questions to Joey. They discuss formations, review defensive checks and consider how to respond to what an opponent presents.

Joshua focused his offseason work on becoming more comfortable defending in space, repeatedly practicing pass drops to build consistency. That preparation has helped him handle coverage responsibilities and position himself against run-pass options.

Joey sees Joshua's communication as an equally important contribution.

"His ability to communicate our defense's rules and responsibilities each play is one of the most important things that he does every day," Joey said. "Without Joshua our defense does not run the same."

Before Joshua's first start this season, Joey offered a message that stayed with him: Every opponent would be trying to take away the goals he had worked toward, and he needed to respond.

With a division championship secured, Joshua takes particular pride in what Southwestern has accomplished collectively against the run.

"There's no one thing I'm proud of myself for but as a team I'm extremely proud of our run stopping defense," Joshua said. "I think it's a way to prove you are tougher than the other team."

That emphasis on toughness connects the linebacker Joshua has become to the younger brother who kept getting up during games in the front yard. This season, those family lessons have helped him contribute to a championship team, with Joey alongside him.

The Moundbuilders will finish the regular season on Saturday, November 14th, hosting Kansas Wesleyan in the battle for the Bishops Cup as Southwestern celebrates Senior Day in Winfield. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Richard L. Jantz Stadium.