FINAL FIVE: Pickle’s thoughts from the Week 8 DCTF Road Tour Game of the Week between Arlington and Arlington Martin

Arlington Martin (Photo by Kendall Iams)

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1. Rivalry game jitters are no joke

The moment you step foot into a stadium where two cross-town rivals are about to go head-to-head in a district matchup where playoff contingencies are on the line, you feel an added sense of excitement in the air. The fans are hyped, they bands play a little louder, the cheerleaders yell a little more, and the players… well they run through the tunnel with a few more butterflies in their stomachs. This proved to be true for both the Colts' and Warriors' offenses in the first half. Goose egg to goose egg. That was the score throughout the entirety of first half until Arlington High knocked one through the uprights with one second left on the clock to end the half leading 3-0. Seven minutes and fifteen seconds is how long the Colt’s offense was on the field in the first drive of the game and that set the tone for the rest of the half. Neither offense was able to produce, and needless penalties were abundant. With two teams who have blown teams out of the water on the offensive side of the ball time-and-time again this season, you know the stakes of this game and the pure excitement to take the field had a large effect in an almost scoreless first half of play.

2. Martin’s defense is as legit as it’s made out to be

Out of the three phases of the Warrior’s team, the defense is the group that tends to be under the spotlight the most often. The well-disciplined group proved their capability of consistently adding pressure in the trenches along with being able to execute lockdown coverages in the backfield. Looking at the defensive line specifically, this group is quick off the snap and is able to attack the holes to get into the pocket. Holding Arlington to just 3 points was a very impressive showcase that solidifies why this phase of the Warrior’s game is such a key factor to this team’s success.

3. Arlington’s QB Switch

The most highlighted conversation topic about the Colts squad since the beginning to the season has been the move of former QB Jahari Rogers to the defensive back position. Speaking to Arlington’s head coach Scott Peach earlier this week he said, “We decided what would be best for both our team and for Jahari… it just made more sense for all aspects of our team for him to be the defensive leader and really the reason we were able to do that was because of Kris Sims.” When you look at the score of this game and the Bowie game the week before, you begin to question if that was really the best move for the Colt’s squad. While the scoreboard may not indicate it, there are bright spots to be seen in both positions. Watching Rogers on the defensive side of the ball it is clear to see that he is still utilizing his quarterback-minded brain. With his level of offensive knowledge, many times he stepped up to the line it looked as though Rogers knew where the Martin receiver was going before the receiver himself knew where he was going. The highly skilled athlete was also not scared to be physical while still showing maturity in his body movement during the coverage. As for junior quarterback Kris Sims, the young gun showed his skill as a dual threat player in both is his ability to sling the ball from the pocket and find the holes to gain extra yardage on the ground. The overall consensus being, the Colt’s offense just needs to find their rhythm.

4. Why putting emphasis into all three phases of the game is crucial

Every single time I have had a conversation with Martin’s head coach Bob Wager the guy is juiced about special teams. “Our kids love to play special teams- if we have a really good player and he doesn’t start on special teams then he is alienated, ostracized and made fun of.”  So, to say that the Martin coaching staff expects the third phase of their team to come out and be just as vital as the offensive or defensive side of the ball in securing a team win is an understatement. Martin started the second half with a commanding offensive drive that ended in a 5-yard quarterback keeper by Zach Mundell to put the first points of the night on the board for the Warriors. What really kept the ball rolling was their special teams recovering the bobbled kickoff return the on the two-yard line the very next play. This set up the Martin offense for an easy push into the endzone to add another 6 onto the scoreboard. The momentum created by the elite group of specialists in the early minutes of the second half allowed Wager’s squad to hit the ground running and never look back.

5. Football really is more than just a game

To see two groups of young men put their differences aside before a high-stake rivalry game to honor the life of Grand Prairie Police Officer, Albert “AJ” Castaneda who lost his life in June while in the line of duty was nothing short of extraordinary. Coach Wager approached Coach Peach before the season to see if they could team together to honor Officer Castaneda and Wager said, “Scott answered yes immediately, he didn’t even hesitate for a second.” Officer Castaneda played under Coach Wager at Tolar when he was in high school. “He was one of those guys that just doesn’t come around often. Even as a coach you legitimately don’t want to disappoint him because he cared so much about the team,” Wager said. The two remained in contact and became very close family friends even after his playing days under Wager were over. During the game the Martin coaching staff wore blue polos that had both the Grand Prairie Police Department seal on front left and text that read AJ Castaneda across the right. Each player on the Warrior’s squad wore jerseys with Castaneda across the back and the department seal on the sleeve. These jerseys were made available for fans to purchase during the game where all proceeds were given to the Castaneda family to help pay for the schooling of AJ’s son, Elisha who has non-verbal autism. Elisha and the Castaneda family, along with the Grand Prairie and Arlington Police Department were presented with framed jerseys during the coin toss. This remembrance ceremony was a heartfelt message to football fans near and far that this game can have such a longer lasting impact than just the 48 minutes the ball is in play.

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