Marc Anthony Hor returns for his sophomore year

Diablo Valley College defensive tackle Marc Anthony Hor, of Mannheim, Germany, is seizing his American opportunity with some heavy lifting. His bulging biceps attest to that.
Moreover, Vikings head coach Mike Darr practically has to pry the dedicated sophomore from the practice field.
So how did the fast-improving Mannheim-inator wind up at DVC last season?
That stemmed from hard work too.
Hor, who is 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds and has an offer from UTEP, says he sent emails from Germany to every defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, defensive line coach and head coach at every Division I school in the country. Finally, a former DVC assistant started recruiting him.
"It was more than a thousand emails," Hor says with a chuckle.
Now he's poised to fulfill his Division I objective. Hor and fellow standout defensive lineman Chris Balumbu of Finland have added global appeal to a Vikings program composed primarily of local players. DVC kicks off the season at Feather River on Sept. 5.
"We have a good group this year," Hor said of the D-line. "I think we're going to have a good season, a lot of sacks, a lot of tackles for loss. I think we're going to be pretty special."
Darr learned quickly last season that Hor was going to be a good-size gift from a country not known for tackle football. In Germany, soccer (known as football) is king.
"From day one he was very accountable, very persistent," Darr said. "I was getting updates: 'Coach, I filled out the application. Coach, I've done this. Can you get me a playbook?' Right away, he wanted one of those. As we watched the film, we said, 'Hey, here's a big body. Very motivated. Let's see what he can do.'"
In sizing up Hor, then a raw 340-pounder, DVC coaches were thinking he would bring "depth for practice," but he's proven to be much more than that.
"From the moment he got off the plane he was all business," Darr said.
Hor, who played at about 325 pounds last season, seemed to improve every week. The progress continued in the offseason. Thanks to a much-improved diet and spending six days each week in the weight room, he dropped to a chiseled 285 pounds by the end of the spring.
"He cut a lot of weight which made him so much more agile, so much more explosive," Darr said. "He really looks the part. You walk out to the field, and he's one of the guys. You go, 'Wow, who's that guy?' We were worried about him going home with mom's cooking over the summer, but he came back looking great as ever."
Word is definitely out about him now.
Hor and fellow defensive tackle Frankie Uesi of College Park made the 2015 JC Gridiron JC DT Watch List. Returner Ashton Smith of Berkeley is another key lineman.
While tackle football is experiencing rapid growth in Germany, predictably the technique and coaching doesn't measure up to the American game. Hor played on a German national team, so he knew the game when he arrived in Pleasant Hill, but he was far from a complete product.
"It's definitely different, especially speed and technique," Hor said of American football. "We're not on a level as you Americans are. Soccer, of course, is our No. 1 sport, so I have adjusted pretty well now."
Hor's growth figures to take another leap this season under the guidance of new DVC defensive line coach Tag McCurdy, who coached under Jeff Tedford at Cal for six years after playing at Cal.
"Just a great technician," Darr said with a smile of McCurdy, "which ties right in with who (Hor) is."
- Matt Schwab
- Photo by Andrew Barber