Tuesday, August 31, 2010
08.31.10: Martin falls to Cigarroa in 29-5A volleyball
The Lady Toros (15-7, 2-0 29-5A) defeated the Lady Tigers (9-6, 0-2), 25-18, 22-25, 25-13, 25-18. Leading the way for Martin was Amy Delgado (four kills), Ariana Ramirez (six kills, three digs), Michelle Perez (20 digs, five points) and Kazandra Blanquez (seven digs, nine assists). Leading the way for Cigarroa was Elizabeth Sanchez (12 digs), Deanira Riojas (15 assists), Deandra Gonzalez (nine points, nine kills, eight digs), Alejandra Reyes (seven kills, six blocks), Michelle Alvarez (eight kills, five blocks, nine digs), Raquel Martinez (21 assists), Sandra Ambriz (seven kills, five digs).
Monday, August 30, 2010
Rough start for Tigers
It was not the best of start for the Martin Tigers in their season opener Friday at home against Roma.
The Tigers fell 28-7 and were doomed by the inability to capitalize in the red zone. Roma, on the other hand, thrived at just that.
"You can't get in that situation and not finish it," Martin coach Don Davis told Laredo Morning Times on Friday. "You can't shoot yourself in the foot."
There were three red-zone opportunities which the Tigers failed upon that could have made a dramatic difference. Still, it's only one game and Martin is still tinkering with a brand new spread offense.
Also, there were plenty of stars on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, defensive back Fernie Medina and linebackers Alex Alvarado and Rudy Castillo played strong. Offensively, linemen Victor Martinez and Bojesse Thorpe kept quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon safe from harm.
The aforementioned offense produced mixed results. Diaz-Deleon accounted for one touchdown and one interception and completed 13-of-28 passes for 187 yards. But most of that was due to a rough start when he threw for seven straight incompletions.
The Tigers have a week of practice and planning before starting district play. Things will look very different for the Tigers when they play United in two weeks.
The Tigers fell 28-7 and were doomed by the inability to capitalize in the red zone. Roma, on the other hand, thrived at just that.
"You can't get in that situation and not finish it," Martin coach Don Davis told Laredo Morning Times on Friday. "You can't shoot yourself in the foot."
There were three red-zone opportunities which the Tigers failed upon that could have made a dramatic difference. Still, it's only one game and Martin is still tinkering with a brand new spread offense.
Also, there were plenty of stars on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, defensive back Fernie Medina and linebackers Alex Alvarado and Rudy Castillo played strong. Offensively, linemen Victor Martinez and Bojesse Thorpe kept quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon safe from harm.
The aforementioned offense produced mixed results. Diaz-Deleon accounted for one touchdown and one interception and completed 13-of-28 passes for 187 yards. But most of that was due to a rough start when he threw for seven straight incompletions.
The Tigers have a week of practice and planning before starting district play. Things will look very different for the Tigers when they play United in two weeks.
Week 0: Roma 28, Martin 7
The Martin Tigers entered the 2010 season with a new spread offense and a plan in hand to outscore their opponents.
The Tigers learned Friday night, however, that plans rarely go off without a hitch, as they fell to the Roma Gladiators at Krueger Field by a final score of 28-7.
It was a game determined in large part by fourth-and-goal situations.
When Roma had its chances, it capitalized. When Martin found itself within the 10, the Tigers couldn’t punch it in.
Even in the loss, however, there were signs of hope for the future.
Coach Don Davis named a number of players who stood out. Defensive back Fernie Medina and linebacker Alex Alvarado protected their parts of the field from the Roma offensive attack, and linebacker Rudy Castillo delivered the hit of the night on a Roma receiver to break up a pass.
On the offensive side of the ball, Davis praised the efforts of linemen Victor Martinez and Bojesse Thorpe for keeping their quarterback safe and relatively sack free on the night.
The performance which was watched most closely, however, was that of Martin senior quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon.
Diaz-Deleon started the night with seven straight incompletion; a combination of dropped passes and balls off the mark.
But he switched things on in the second quarter and showed flashes of the kind of player he could be.
Midway through the second quarter, Diaz-Deleon notched his first positive completion of the night on a toss to Martin’s two-way player Castillo, who had found himself open behind the defense, for a 47-yard bomb.
Six plays later and Diaz-Deleon found Fermin Gutierrez in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.
The 90-yard drive was Diaz-Deleon's highlight moment in an otherwise streaky performance.
Diaz-Deleon finished the night 13-for-28 for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception, in addition to rushing for 25 yards on 10 attempts.
Martin running back Mario Treviño carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards.
The Tigers amassed 292 yards of total offense.
The Tigers learned Friday night, however, that plans rarely go off without a hitch, as they fell to the Roma Gladiators at Krueger Field by a final score of 28-7.
It was a game determined in large part by fourth-and-goal situations.
When Roma had its chances, it capitalized. When Martin found itself within the 10, the Tigers couldn’t punch it in.
Even in the loss, however, there were signs of hope for the future.
Coach Don Davis named a number of players who stood out. Defensive back Fernie Medina and linebacker Alex Alvarado protected their parts of the field from the Roma offensive attack, and linebacker Rudy Castillo delivered the hit of the night on a Roma receiver to break up a pass.
On the offensive side of the ball, Davis praised the efforts of linemen Victor Martinez and Bojesse Thorpe for keeping their quarterback safe and relatively sack free on the night.
The performance which was watched most closely, however, was that of Martin senior quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon.
Diaz-Deleon started the night with seven straight incompletion; a combination of dropped passes and balls off the mark.
But he switched things on in the second quarter and showed flashes of the kind of player he could be.
Midway through the second quarter, Diaz-Deleon notched his first positive completion of the night on a toss to Martin’s two-way player Castillo, who had found himself open behind the defense, for a 47-yard bomb.
Six plays later and Diaz-Deleon found Fermin Gutierrez in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.
The 90-yard drive was Diaz-Deleon's highlight moment in an otherwise streaky performance.
Diaz-Deleon finished the night 13-for-28 for 187 yards, one touchdown and one interception, in addition to rushing for 25 yards on 10 attempts.
Martin running back Mario Treviño carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards.
The Tigers amassed 292 yards of total offense.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Best / Worst Case Martin
The Martin Tigers have always prided themselves in running offenses which match their personnel. For the past three years, that meant running out of a veer formation. In 2010, it means flinging the rock with a spread offense. The offense has looked good in early scrimmages, but question marks on the defensive side of the ball will determine whether or not Martin improves on its 2-8 record from 2009.
BEST CASE SCENARIO
In a best case scenario season Martin will get off to a hot start with a home win over Roma at Krueger Field. Roma has an all district running back in Nestor Garcia, which sounds threatening given the weakness of Martins run defense, but Roma only amassed 12 points a game in 2009. If Martins offense gets off to a high-flying start they can count this non-district contest as a win.
After a bye week Martin will play the United Longhorns at the SAC. United looks to be one of the strongest teams in district and Martin’s new offense tested early in this match up. Even in the best of Worlds, Martin is unlikely to emerge with a win. Putting the Tigers at 1-1.
A week three match up with Cigarroa will be a must win date for the Martin Tigers and should provide a fantastic contest of contrasting offenses. This was one of Martins two wins in 2009 with a final score of 30-8. In the best of worlds Martin will have found answers to its rushing D woes by week three and will stonewall Cigarroa for a similar result as last year and a 2-1 start on the season.
Martin’s week four game against United South will be an uphill battle for Martin, and even in the best of worlds they will be hard pressed to overcome the Panthers. A best case scenario would likely be a high scoring loss to put the Tigers at 2-2.
The Tigers face Eagle Pass Winn in week five on Krueger field. Eagle Pass win is the most beatable of the out-of-town programs, and in a best case scenario Martin earns the win at home. A win against Winn would advance the Tigers to 3-2 on the season.
Martin follows up their contest with one Eagle Pass school at home by facing the other Eagle Pass school on the road in week six. Even in the best of worlds it is unlikely for the Tigers to beat out the stronger of the two Eagle Pass programs, putting Martin at 3-3 on the season.
Week seven witnesses the Tigers facing off against the LBJ Wolves. The Wolves have a strong running back in Ricky Flores, but has question marks in its wide receiver corps. If the Tigers can force a lot of third and long situations upon the Wolves they just might pull off the upset to advance to 4-3 on the year.
After LBJ, Martin faces a pair of strong foes when it travels to Del Rio before returning home for a Thursday night game against Alexander. Del Rio and Alexander figure to be playoff teams this year, and neither of the schools are likely to slip up when facing Martin. Martin probably comes off of these two weeks in a best case scenario with its first losing record of the season, 4-5.
This all sets Martin up for its season finale, the grand daddy of all Laredo Rivalries, the Martin v Nixon game. In a rivalry game like this, anything can happen. In the best of worlds, that anything is a win for Martin.
The best case scenario for Martin is a year where the defense finds some answers and the offense solidifies around quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon. A 5-5 campaign is not beyond the realm of possibility and would be a solid improvement coming off of a 2-8 year.
WORST CASE
In a year where everything goes wrong Martin would begin the season with a disastrous home loss against Roma. Roma had scouts at the Martin scrimmage; they saw how porous the Martin defense was against a dedicated running game. You can guarantee the running team from Roma will shove the ball down Martin's throat and unless Martin has made significant strides in its rush defense over the past week, Roma could literally run away with the game. 0-1.
A terrible year would witness United knocking off Martin and would follow that up with a week where Martin's run defense has yet to be fixed and Cigarroa’s large offensive line takes full advantage of it. 0-3
Starting off 0-3, a worst case year would witness that trend continuing down the line. There are no "gimme" matches on Martin's schedule and they won't be able to take a single game off. If Martin's offense fails to find consistency and if the defense doesn't learn to cope with a rushing attach then it could be a long year for the Martin Tigers with 0-10 as a worst case scenario.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
Installing a new offense is never easy and finding answers to defensive woes is not something you want to be doing in the final week of preseason. Martin should beat Eagle Pass win with the help of a home field advantage, and it's likely the Tigers pull off another win somewhere else along the way, but in the end strides made on offense will likely be undercut by holes in the defense for a repeat 2-8 year.
BEST CASE SCENARIO
In a best case scenario season Martin will get off to a hot start with a home win over Roma at Krueger Field. Roma has an all district running back in Nestor Garcia, which sounds threatening given the weakness of Martins run defense, but Roma only amassed 12 points a game in 2009. If Martins offense gets off to a high-flying start they can count this non-district contest as a win.
After a bye week Martin will play the United Longhorns at the SAC. United looks to be one of the strongest teams in district and Martin’s new offense tested early in this match up. Even in the best of Worlds, Martin is unlikely to emerge with a win. Putting the Tigers at 1-1.
A week three match up with Cigarroa will be a must win date for the Martin Tigers and should provide a fantastic contest of contrasting offenses. This was one of Martins two wins in 2009 with a final score of 30-8. In the best of worlds Martin will have found answers to its rushing D woes by week three and will stonewall Cigarroa for a similar result as last year and a 2-1 start on the season.
Martin’s week four game against United South will be an uphill battle for Martin, and even in the best of worlds they will be hard pressed to overcome the Panthers. A best case scenario would likely be a high scoring loss to put the Tigers at 2-2.
The Tigers face Eagle Pass Winn in week five on Krueger field. Eagle Pass win is the most beatable of the out-of-town programs, and in a best case scenario Martin earns the win at home. A win against Winn would advance the Tigers to 3-2 on the season.
Martin follows up their contest with one Eagle Pass school at home by facing the other Eagle Pass school on the road in week six. Even in the best of worlds it is unlikely for the Tigers to beat out the stronger of the two Eagle Pass programs, putting Martin at 3-3 on the season.
Week seven witnesses the Tigers facing off against the LBJ Wolves. The Wolves have a strong running back in Ricky Flores, but has question marks in its wide receiver corps. If the Tigers can force a lot of third and long situations upon the Wolves they just might pull off the upset to advance to 4-3 on the year.
After LBJ, Martin faces a pair of strong foes when it travels to Del Rio before returning home for a Thursday night game against Alexander. Del Rio and Alexander figure to be playoff teams this year, and neither of the schools are likely to slip up when facing Martin. Martin probably comes off of these two weeks in a best case scenario with its first losing record of the season, 4-5.
This all sets Martin up for its season finale, the grand daddy of all Laredo Rivalries, the Martin v Nixon game. In a rivalry game like this, anything can happen. In the best of worlds, that anything is a win for Martin.
The best case scenario for Martin is a year where the defense finds some answers and the offense solidifies around quarterback Luis Diaz-Deleon. A 5-5 campaign is not beyond the realm of possibility and would be a solid improvement coming off of a 2-8 year.
WORST CASE
In a year where everything goes wrong Martin would begin the season with a disastrous home loss against Roma. Roma had scouts at the Martin scrimmage; they saw how porous the Martin defense was against a dedicated running game. You can guarantee the running team from Roma will shove the ball down Martin's throat and unless Martin has made significant strides in its rush defense over the past week, Roma could literally run away with the game. 0-1.
A terrible year would witness United knocking off Martin and would follow that up with a week where Martin's run defense has yet to be fixed and Cigarroa’s large offensive line takes full advantage of it. 0-3
Starting off 0-3, a worst case year would witness that trend continuing down the line. There are no "gimme" matches on Martin's schedule and they won't be able to take a single game off. If Martin's offense fails to find consistency and if the defense doesn't learn to cope with a rushing attach then it could be a long year for the Martin Tigers with 0-10 as a worst case scenario.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
Installing a new offense is never easy and finding answers to defensive woes is not something you want to be doing in the final week of preseason. Martin should beat Eagle Pass win with the help of a home field advantage, and it's likely the Tigers pull off another win somewhere else along the way, but in the end strides made on offense will likely be undercut by holes in the defense for a repeat 2-8 year.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Martin wins openers
Volleyball scores from Tues., Aug. 10
Martin 3, Roma 2: The Tigers won their first two games in a best of five series, 23-25, 23-25, then lost two games 25-16, 25-17, and won the series on the final game 16-18. Michelle Perez had a monster 22 digs to go with a team leading nine points and a single kill. Kassandra Blanquez led in assists with seven and also scored eight points, had four digs and notched one kill. Arianna Ramirez had 11 digs, eight points, and one kill. Valaria Aguirre had ten digs.
Martin 2, La Joya 0: The tigers won their first two matches in the best of three series, 25-20, 25-18. Kassandra Blanquez had three digs, five assists, five points and a single kill. Amy Delgado had one block, four digs and five points. Melissa Mata had two kills, two digs and five points.
Martin 3, Roma 2: The Tigers won their first two games in a best of five series, 23-25, 23-25, then lost two games 25-16, 25-17, and won the series on the final game 16-18. Michelle Perez had a monster 22 digs to go with a team leading nine points and a single kill. Kassandra Blanquez led in assists with seven and also scored eight points, had four digs and notched one kill. Arianna Ramirez had 11 digs, eight points, and one kill. Valaria Aguirre had ten digs.
Martin 2, La Joya 0: The tigers won their first two matches in the best of three series, 25-20, 25-18. Kassandra Blanquez had three digs, five assists, five points and a single kill. Amy Delgado had one block, four digs and five points. Melissa Mata had two kills, two digs and five points.
Tiger Football Player Reunion
Martin High football will host a Tiger Football Player Reunion for all classes on Saturday at the Batey Gym starting at 10:45 a.m. There will be a walk-through through Martin High, refreshments and the opportunity to renew old friendships, meet current players and coaches and observe practice.
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