By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
After Port Isabel’s final scrimmage ended in a loss to Mercedes, John Ray Martinez took it to heart.
The Tarpons’ middle linebacker was upset, even though it didn’t count in the standings.
“I don’t like losing at all,” he said. “When we lose, I try to get the players to keep that in their mind and make sure they don’t want to feel that feeling again, because losing is not a great feeling, winning is such a better feeling.”
Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh also was upset with the way his team played, but he vowed to fix the mistakes. When the longtime coach talked to the team, Martinez took it personally. The junior wanted to show his coach what he and his teammates could do.
“We talked to him about the things we wanted from a middle linebacker,” Stumbaugh said. “When we watch film, it’s a learning session, not a rear-end chewing session. He learned and saw what he did wrong, and saw how we can make him better.
“He took it to heart. He took the challenge. He stepped up and started leading us in the right direction.”
The Tarpons’ defense has flourished with Martinez leading the way this season.
“He’s the captain of the defense, he has to make calls and adjustments, and so far he’s done a good job,” Stumbaugh said. “He’s doing a good job of leading the defense, and that’s what we want our middle linebacker to do. John Ray’s a good leader, he’s in charge of that huddle and he does a good job of that, so he’s kind of like a coach on the field.”
Martinez isn’t afraid to speak up.
“I’m the defensive leader. I call the shots,” he said. “I’m a very vocal guy, and in the games I get even louder.”
The middle linebacker always has had a strong work ethic, and a sense of pride about the way he plays the game and in everything he does. Martinez works out nearly every day to keep in top shape and pushes his teammates to try and follow the same guidelines too.
“I always strive to be No. 1 in everything,” he said. “If I’m not No. 1, I’m going to bust my butt to get there. You don’t have to bigger or stronger, you just have to execute every play and make sure you know what you’re doing.”
Stumbaugh expects the junior to stand among the top players in school history.
“We want to play great defense. If you want to play defense for us, you better bring it,” he said. “It’s a big tradition here. To be a middle linebacker here it’s a lot of responsibility, and we’ve had some good ones in the past. We think John Ray has the ability before he graduates to be one of the better ones we’ve had. We expect him to follow in that same mold.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.