Southington - Many a child has been told by a parent or teacher to "follow their dreams" or "reach for the stars."

Tajhay Marshall's dream is to go to the stars.

"My overall goal is to become an astronaut," Marshall, the Valley Regional/Old Lyme senior said at Tuesday's CIAC football championship press conference at the Aqua Turf. "From a very young age, I've always known. I've always been interested in space and the stars."

Marshall hopes to jump start his aeronautical career at Navy. He was admitted two weeks ago and will head to Annapolis after graduation.

"Wow, that brought tears to my eyes," Warriors coach Tim King said when Marshall gave him the news. "It's quite an accomplishment."

Marshall said: "I've always really been interested in military service. The Navy is the best for pilots. … The most astronauts have come from the Navy, so it's just kind of a step on my path."

"I'm really interested in Mars. I don't know (why). It's just the unknown. Those Aliens movies and stuff really got me hooked to it. I'd love to be able to be the first man on Mars. That's my dream."

Here on terra firma, Marshall has made the necessary adjustments to help Valley/Old Lyme reach Saturday's CIAC Class S-Large championship, a first for the program. He was a combination tight end-fullback last season and moved to guard this season.

"He said, 'I'll do it for the team,'" King said. "When you talk about a kid who does anything for a team, he's one of them."

Marshall said: "It wasn't that bad (an adjustment). … It's just a different blocking position, but I'm used to blocking."

There's little glory in being a lineman, unlike tight end and fullback, though.

"But look where we are right now," Marshall said. "I'm willing to do it if it means we're going to a state championship, you know? So I was willing to do it. It's been fun. I have my moments. You pancake somebody and you get hyped, but it's just another role that I play on the team."

Fear the beard

There were a few mas macho beards on display at the luncheon, such as the heavy fuzz sported by Shelton quarterback Mark Piccirillo.

The beard worn by Valley/Old Lyme senior lineman-linebacker Dan Figuenick drew both attention and raves from a few teams. It's an untamed thatch of black hair that he loves and has been growing since last April.

"I did it for my junior year, too, and I really liked it," Figuenick said. "I got a lot of attention, so I did it this year again. It's more of a don't-shave-until-we-lose (superstition).

"Everybody thinks I'm a lot older than I really am. I'm actually one of the youngest kids in my grade. I just turned 17."

Shockingly, Figuenick said that his mother likes it. Dad, not so much.

"My dad wants me to cut it because he thinks I look like a bum," Figuenick said. "I like it."

News and notes

Southeastern Connecticut football fans that hate cold weather, and get CPTVSports, are in luck. The network will broadcast all three games involving area teams live Saturday from New Britain's Willow Brook Park - Valley/Old Lyme vs. Ansonia (10 a.m.), Ledyard vs. St. Joseph (Class M-Small, 2 p.m.), and Norwich Free Academy vs. Southington (Class LL-Large, 6 p.m.). Friday night's Class M-Large final between Brookfield and Bethel is the other game that will be carried live (6:30 p.m.). ... How's this for consistency? Ansonia and New Canaan are both making their eighth championship appearance in nine years. It's also the third time that Darien and New Canaan have met in a state final since 2008 (the FCIAC rivals will tangle in Saturday's Class L-Large title game).

n.griffen@theday.com

Twitter: @MetalNED