Little giant: Morse’s Superior Garror lives up to his name on football field

Before her second son was conceived, Tiffanie Starnes knew she wanted a distinct boy’s name.

“I liked something unique, not stereotypical,” said Starnes.

So she named her son Superior Vashawn Garror. The surname is his father’s.

Sitting in a Morse High School classroom this week, a wide smile revealing braces, Superior said:  “I love my first name. I feel blessed to have my name. It’s something I have to live up to.”

Across a 13-game season that now stretches into December and the state playoffs, Garror’s highlight-reel play as a running back/slot receiver/safety has put his name out there in TV highlights, on website links and newspaper headlines.

The 5-foot-8½, 160-pound senior has made a name for himself and the Morse Tigers, who suffered through a 1-9 season last year. Morse (9-4) travels to Moorpark College in Ventura on Saturday to take on Simi Valley Grace (11-3) in the 6-A Southern California Regional  championship game.

Win there and Morse, a proud program dating to 1965, will try to win the first state title in program history.

The Tigers would not be where they are without Garror.

As a running back, he has rushed for 1,836 yards, averaging 9.9 yards, just a tick under a first down on every carry. Often lining up in the slot, he averages 23.6 yards per catch.

He has scored as a running back, receiver, on a kickoff and on a punt return. His specialty is gobbling up yards and handing the ball to an official in the end zone. He has scored 35 touchdowns and 222 points, the latter ranking fourth in the state.

“I think he’s probably the most complete back we’ve seen this season,” said Hoover coach Will Gray, whose team lost to Morse 45-30 in the San Diego Section Division 5 title game. “He was able to run between the tackles. If the hole was clogged, he would make a jump cut to get outside. So he’s fast as well. Great, great vision. And you’re not tackling him with one person.”

To date, Garror has compiled 3,102 all-purpose yards, averaging 238 yards per game. On defense, he’s the Tigers’ second leading tackler (95) and has intercepted six passes.

But it’s at running back where Garror has collected the most notoriety.

Late in the season, KUSI’s “Prep Pigskin Report” led off its program with a collection of highlights. One was of Garror making a sharp cut near the goal line and a Santana defender collapsing to the ground, grabbing air.

“He leaves a whole lot of guys on the floor,” said teammate Dominic Quintanilla.

Garros’ running style is a mixture of cuts, moves, darting, dashing and when the time calls for it, getting physical.

“He’s more of a shifty guy, side to side. He’s got a little wiggle to him,” said Morse coach Tracy McNair. “More than anything, he’s got a lot of dawg in him. He runs with a vendetta. I tell everybody, he’s probably one of the toughest kids in San Diego.”

Garror was the Tigers’ second-leading rusher in 2023, when he was a 120-pound sophomore.

“Even though I had a good season, I knew eventually it would take a toll on my body. I needed to get bigger,” he said. “I went hard in the weight room.”

Now, he bench presses 225 pounds and squats 315.

Mark Lamoreaux, the University of San Diego’s director of athletic performance, said the football team’s goal is for players to squat two times their body weight and bench press 1½ times their weight. At 160 pounds, Garror is just five and 15 pounds under those measurements.

“Those are really, really good numbers,” said Lamoreaux. “Especially for a high school kid.”

Last year’s 1-9 season took a toll on the team. While Garror gained 2,008 all-purpose yards — “I still had fun,” he said — at least five players quit. By the last game, the team was down to 18 players.

Garror played in numerous 7-on-7 tournaments in the offseason and said players from at least four schools tried to talk him into transferring.

He never considered leaving Morse. Garror played Pop Warner in the local Skyline program. He grew up hanging out at Morse games, watching star running backs Martell Irby and Shamar Martin.

“I love my neighborhood and this school, how it has treated me,” he said.  “I felt I should stay here, represent this school and deliver back. I always wanted to be a Tiger.”

“He knows he could have shined anywhere else,” said Quintanilla. “But he chose to be here, where he grew up. That speaks to his character.”

Coaches say Garror has grown as a leader, too. He used to be shy and would get so frustrated after losses that he wouldn’t join the circle when the Tigers prayed after games  with players from the opposing team.

Now, he leads those prayers.

“He’s an inside-out player,” said Dalvon Logan, a Morse chaplain and mentor. “There’s character inside, Godly character. He’s immensely unselfish.”

The outside part? “I’m talking about the gifts he has,” said Logan.

Garror’s size has likely kept him from receiving college scholarship offers from Power Four conference programs. He said he was offered a scholarship by Delaware State, but passed on committing to the Hornets.

Garror said he has drawn interest from Weber State, but if he had his way, he’d stay home and play at San Diego State. He said the Aztecs have not reached out to him. He’s reconsidering the Delaware State offer.

Garror is small, but he thinks and plays big. Marshawn Lynch, one of the NFL’s most physical backs ever, is his favorite running back.

“Even though someone might be bigger than me, maybe faster or stronger, I still feel confident in myself,” Garror said. “I’m never going to quit on myself. I’m going to put in the hard work and overcome anything. Football is more than just size. I feel my heart is the main thing that carries me.”

And as for his first name, Superior, he wears it with pride.

Little big man

Superior Garror’s production at Morse High School has increased each season since he was a 120-pound sophomore. A look at his all-purpose yards in his three years as a Tiger.

2023

Rushing yards: 449

Receiving yards: 137

Kick return yards: 263

Passing yards: 126

All-purpose yards: 975

2024

Rushing yards: 1,211

Receiving yards: 63

Kick return yards: 494

Passing yards: 240

All-purpose yards: 2,008

2025

Rushing yards: 1,836

Receiving yards: 684

Kick return yards: 284

Passing yards: 298

All-purpose yards: 3,102