Effecting Change: John Martinez Has Seen Plenty of Change During Career at St. Michael

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

There were two things senior running back John Martinez wasn’t certain he’d witness during his career at St. Michael the Archangel in Baton Rouge.

The Warriors hadn’t experienced state playoff success in the first 40 years of the school until breaking through in 2023 with a 49-14 victory over Livingston Collegiate, advancing to the Division II select quarterfinals against eventual state champion St. Thomas More.

Moreover, the school, which had never played an on-campus football game broke ground on a football/track/soccer stadium that may or not be ready for this season.

Regardless, there’s plenty to be excited about the future of the program, something Martinez will heavily influence this season following his Class 4A All-State honorable mention season a year ago.

“I can feel it going up every year,” Martinez said. “My freshman year (5-6) was a pretty good year. They had a good running back named Nick Johnson that year, and we kind of had a fall-off year my sophomore year (4-6), and last year we peaked (8-3). We’re not hoping for just one season like that, we want to keep building on it.”

The 5-foot-8. 180-pound Martinez, a first-team All-District 6-4A outfielder in baseball who will join the school’s two-time Division II state championship powerlifting team was the perfect complement to senior quarterback Preston Sentino, taking advantage of the inside of the opposing team’s defense to
join the school’s 1,000-yard club.

He became the fourth running back in school history to reach the milestone, carrying 239 times for 1,175 yards and 17 touchdowns – the fourth-best single season. His 106 points, which also included a pair of two-point conversions, vaulted him to atop the school’s single-season mark with 106 points.

“He’s grown every year since we’ve been here and not just in size, but in what he’s been able to bring to the table,” St. Michael football coach Zachary Leger said. “I have no doubt that if he stays healthy, and things stay well up front for us, he’ll have another season like last year.

“He can do a little bit of everything,” Leger said. “He runs, receives, plays cornerback when we need. He’s just an all-around great kid. He’s a hungry kid. He’s smart (3.8-4.0 GPA) and is in honors classes. He understands the game and takes coaching well. You don’t get that very often anymore. He uses
his speed and agility. When you have an all-around great kid like that in the program you wish you could clone him and have 10 more.”

Martinez said his junior season brought about gratification, but personally also served as motivation in ’24. “It is a sense of accomplishment,” Martinez said of his team’s 8-3 mark. “We went into the playoffs 7-2. I never thought we would be able to come from my freshman and sophomore year and expect that. I think I could have had a better season. I wanted first or second team (all-state), but I’m coming for it this
year.”

Becoming a Dependable Option

Martinez realizes there’s a method to his production that’s more about heart and desire than his measurables. It’s the only way to rationalize how a guy that runs a 40-yard dash time in the low 4.7s repeatedly gained close to five yards a carry last season.

He remains a tremendous example in the team’s weight room where he’s recorded personal bests of 450-pound squats squat and 300 on the bench.

“If there’s not much and I can’t cut it up, I’ll put my head down and fall for three extra yards and make the most of what I can,” he said. “I keep running and let my legs do the work. I have meaty legs, hit the hole, and if someone meets me there, I’m still going to fall forward. Five yards a carry is solid.”

With St. Michael off to a 4-0 start, including a 3-0 mark in district play, the Warriors believed so much in Martinez they handed him the ball a school record 30 times in a 47-25 triumph over Plaquemine – the league’s eventual co-champion.

“They kept feeding me the ball,” said Martinez, who averaged 21 carries for 106 yards a game. “I had to push through an injury and kept getting the carries.”

After dropping consecutive district games to West Feliciana and McKinley by a combined seven points, St. Michael made its game plan apparent the following week against Tara.

With the Warriors facing a sense of urgency to remain among the district’s upper echelon, Martinez rushed 26 times for a school-record 257 yards in a 62-14 demolition on Oct. 20. They concluded league play with a 49-34 against Istrouma for a 7-2 regular season mark.

“That game (Tara) was just amazing,” Martinez said. “I could hardly breathe because of the dust that picked up. I was struggling to breathe. I just kept chugging along, running the same play over and over because they couldn’t stop it. It felt like a sense of accomplishment because I really worked hard for that,
and to finally see it in the (record) book was amazing.”

Position Change Leads to a Record-Setting Career

Martinez begins his final season ranked sixth on the school’s career rushing list with 1,841 yards and sixth in scoring with 142 points.

Martinez’s ascent up the school’s record book was a case study in patience, arriving on campus where the running back position wasn’t available. Instead, he got into the mix at the team’s wide receiver position and eventually found his way on the field.

He recalled an initial wake-up call against Parkview Baptist standout defensive back Micah Johnson in the team’s jamboree.

“We had such a good running back and I wanted to go somewhere to get some playing time,” he said. “I went to wide receiver and battled there. I started there, got some reps, and had to face some tough guys like Micah Johnson. It kind of shaped me and then (starter) Nick (Johnson) left, I said I wanted to play
running back my sophomore year. I told (offensive coordinator) coach (Blake) Kling that I thought I could play.”

Upon the conclusion of St. Michael’s baseball season, which ended in the state quarterfinals against the eventual state runner-up St. Louis Catholic, Martinez took part in spring practice and then turned his attention to football camps.

To maximize his potential and exposure with an eye toward landing scholarship offers, he attended camps at McNeese State, Northwestern State, Belhaven, and Arkansas Monticello.

“I definitely hope to go to the next level if I can,” he said.

Martinez, who will be paired in the backfield with speedy McKinley transfer Deonte Camel, embraces the responsibility that comes with being a two-year starter and three-year

letterman. He’ll be one of the main voices for a team looking to continue its journey toward a district championship and taking an additional step in the state playoffs.

“I feel it’s going to keep building in the coming years with the people coming in and the new field,” Martinez said. “I’ve seen the bad and I’ve seen the success coming from last year. I’m waiting for what’s coming this year and the coming years. It’s going to be so special.”