After three years of football, Española Valley High School’s Nicolas Martinez was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
The senior spent most of his time on the peripheries of statistic sheets and lost in the scrum of big plays.
For the majority of his career as a Sundevil, he spent his time on the line of scrimmage, as an offensive guard and a middle linebacker.
He went from playing those positions to becoming the rushing yards leader on a team that relied almost solely on the running game. The near-overnight switch came with some unexpected adoration for the normally quiet senior.
“At the beginning, it was weird with all of the newspapers wanting to ask me questions after the game,” he said. “The first time it happened, it was pretty awkward. I was a little shaky, not knowing what to say.”
This past season, a change in the offensive scheme, brought about by the arrival of offensive coordinator Ron DuPree, placed Martinez at the forefront of a renewed Sundevil offense.
From his stints, coaching at Montana State University in Billings, Mont., and Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kan., DuPree has always looked to find a big, strong player to lead the offense for whichever program he runs.
“Our offense sort of centered around a big fullback,” DuPree said. “So that’s one of the first things we looked for. We always say he’s our best defensive player because he allows us to keep the ball.”
Martinez’s performances in the weight room quickly got DuPree’s attention, and without knowing, he became the de facto fullback in the Sundevil offense. He was not certain whether he would enjoy the new position.
“I’m kind of a big person,” he said. “I’m not really that into running a lot. I was like, ‘I don’t even know if I want to run that much.’”
To this day, Martinez preferred his time playing on the offensive line, for the more physical aspect of the game. He did enjoy his time running the ball, though, and was glad to help the team in whatever way he was needed.
“Honestly, my favorite position to play was when I was playing guard,” he said. “It was just the aspect of it, though, of getting hit every play. And without you, the backs can’t do anything. I just liked that a lot. You just get to move someone against their will.”
It is not hard for Martinez to move someone against their will — his body is made for that.
He is 6-foot-1 and weighs 265 pounds. He maxes out on the bench press at 308 pounds — the highest figure among the Sundevils.
Among his Sundevil teammates, Martinez is easy to pick out, as his number 48 sticks out on the sidelines, due to his size.
His sheer enormity and strength were the keys to his success this past season.
By no means is Martinez the speediest member of the Española team. But, he is quick for his size.
Still, he did not need to be the fastest sprinter on the field to be effective.
He earned his 1,134 total yards over the season by charging his way through defenders.
Few of his 14 total touchdowns did not involve some sort of trucking on the front end of the play, and most of the time he landed in the end zone, he had a defender or two hanging onto him.
College football dreams
Martinez hopes he can earn a scholarship to play football in college.
So far, he has no concrete interest, only a call from the coach at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colo., who said he is reviewing video of Martinez’s play this season.
DuPree is also contacting coaches, to see who is interested, including a coach at Montana Tech in Butte, Mont.
Not only does Martinez have a love for the game of football that he feels will make a college experience more enjoyable, but the sport could help him financially afford the high cost of college.
“It’s all pluses, and I’d love to do it,” he said of playing at the college level.
The snag in this whole situation is that he played for a team that had a forgettable 2-8 season. Española is not traditionally known for football.
His 3.5 grade point average will assuredly help him in negotiations, as well as his offensive statistics from this year.
DuPree believes that, at the college level, Martinez will be most suited toward playing on defense — possibly as a linebacker.
Most football players vying for a linebacker position in college will not have the sheer yardage statistics that he racked up over the season.
“I don’t think most people realize the pounding anybody takes from running 200 times,” DuPree said. “The major reason is that very few people have carried 200-plus times. I was really moved by his toughness and his ability to keep on coming. He’s a very rare athlete, I think.”
In the meantime, Martinez is still recovering from a football season where he was involved in 867 plays. He is taking a short break from weight training to give his body a rest, but believes he will be back in the weight room, soon enough.
“The only part that really hurt me was my knees, from getting hit low a lot,” he said. “But, that went away after about a week.”
He will stay busy with school, a job and the extra work it takes to grab the attention of college football coaches.