At a moment when he wanted nothing more than to be on the field, Adrian Martinez, relegated to the sideline, still found a way to help his Clovis West High team in the playoffs this fall.
Martinez, a four-star quarterback who is set to sign his national letter of intent with Nebraska on Wednesday, missed his entire senior season following major shoulder surgery in March.
On a third-and-1 on Nov. 24 against Buchanan in a California Division 1 Central Section semifinal, Martinez simultaneously heard a play call designed to get the ball in standout back Rodney Wright’s hands and saw Wright asking out of the game as CWHS’ running backs coach moved to put in a backup.
“That just couldn’t happen,†Martinez told the Journal Star flatly Monday. “It was a critical down. He was pretty much our best (back).â€
He sprang to action.
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"No," he yelled, grabbing the substitute and yanking him back toward the sideline. "Stay in there," he barked to his friend Wright, a Fresno State commit who racked up 1,447 yards of offense in 12 games.
The Golden Eagles picked up the first down, though they eventually lost 30-28.
“Adrian had already heard the play that was called and knew it was to (Wright),†coach George Petrissans recalled Tuesday. “It was like, holy s***, the kid knew. I didn’t know that was happening and I would have said the exact same freakin’ thing. But he saw it and he did it.â€
Said Martinez, “It’s not like I was going to sit out there and talk to people in the crowd. I took those situations seriously.â€
That, of course, is not how Martinez wanted to spend his final season of high school football. The dual threat racked up 2,562 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions, and added 1,462 rushing yards (8.0 per carry) and 14 more scores as a junior. In late February, though, he knew something was wrong in his shoulder. On March 15, he had reconstructive surgery at the hands of renowned orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
“It was incredibly hard,†Martinez said. “It was one of the toughest things I’ve had to go through in my life, just being a competitive guy and really, since the age of 6 years old, being in competitive sports year-round. All of the sudden that just stops, you know, without me having time to adjust.â€
Instead, Martinez set about rehabilitating. He started working out again about six weeks after surgery, Petrissans estimated, and did as much as he was allowed to.
“He came to every weightlifting workout, every morning run, he went to every meeting,†Petrissans said. “He was a very good teammate and focused on his rehab and what he could do, physically, on the field.â€
Martinez said he finally started throwing again in September, first just 5 yards or so, “fundamental-type stuff. I’m at the point now where I’m throwing like I can, throwing it all over the field and perfecting my mechanics.â€
He also tried to help mentor junior Dante Chachere, who threw for 3,462 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and added 441 rushing yards of his own while guiding CWHS to a 9-3 mark. Martinez talked him through reads, gave suggestions and helped signal in plays from the sideline during games.
“I got to see games from a different viewpoint, and I think that was beneficial,†said Martinez, who admitted he felt like he could have played late in the season. “Maybe I wasn’t 100 percent ready, but I was just itching to get out there and play and it was so hard for me to watch.â€
The 13-plus-month wait is nearly over.
Martinez will be on campus here in early January, enrolled in classes and going through winter conditioning ahead of spring ball. First, though, he’s participating in Jan. 4's Under Armour All-America Game.
“His doctor has earmarked that moment to kind of set him free,†Petrissans said.
Martinez can’t wait.
“I can’t even tell you,†he said. “I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time, just getting to compete with and against the best players in the country and really being able to showcase my skills. Even beyond that, just getting to be able to be out there and play and have fun.
"Not that coaching or being with my teammates wasn’t fun, but it’s different when you’re not able to play.â€
One trip to Florida and then his playing will be done full-time in scarlet and cream.