Cooper Martin, Shallowater football, Sr.
On the field: Shallowater was able to get off on the right foot to open league play, holding off Bushland for a 28-26 victory last week in a key District 1-3A Division I opener.
Martin had charge of the offense throughout the game making big plays with both his arm and his quick feet. Through the air, the senior signal caller was 12-of-25 for 132 yards with a touchdown, but was more dominant getting loose out of the pocket by frustrating the Falcon defense by rushing for 140 yards on 23 carries with a pair of scores.
On the season, the Mustangs leader has had a very solid season going 118-of-185 for 1,469 yards with 13 TD passes and has piled up 655 yards on the ground for another 12 scores.
Head coach Rodney Vincent: “We lost 29 seniors last year and we were deep. A lot of guys weren’t on varsity last year because we were developing them on JV, so I think it took some time to get them Friday night ready. We needed Friday night experience and I think you are starting to see that from this team. As for Cooper, I challenged him on leadership in August and he has grown into that leader. What I like the most, is he is doing it in a positive way. Being one of our few returners, Cooper could help the young guys, especially the offensive line. It’s been great to see the steps he has taken.”
Martin: “We lost to Idalou earlier in the year and we knew we had to re-focus after that. We all came together as a team and had a great week of practice and we’ve been playing focused ever since. I think we’re playing with the right energy and working as a team and that was showed against a very good Bushland team. The offensive line is playing great, and I just want to keep being the leader I know I can can be and keep this team bonded.”
About Martin
Favorite band or musician: Ty Myers
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Jaxson Dart or Bo Nix
Bet you didn’t know: He is a leader for the Shallowater Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Parents: Josh and Krista Martin.