Noah Martin must have learned how to tackle at a young age.
If not, he sure made up for lost time in high school.
Martin is a rugged linebacker who compiled 345 tackles over the past three years for the Warren County High School football team. On Friday morning, Martin was surrounded by family as he signed a scholarship to continue his football career at Sewanee.
“The best thing about football is the friendships I’ve made,” said Martin. “I’ll have some of these friends for life and I’m sure some of these guys will be in my wedding.”
Martin thanked his coaches and his teammates for helping to shape him as a player. He said it was an honor to earn their trust over the years.
“It’s a great thing to go over to the sideline on fourth-and-6 and look at my defensive coordinator and say, ‘Send me’ and he says OK,” said Martin. “It’s a beautiful thing to have that confidence.”
WCHS coach Matt Turner says it’s going to be hard to replace Martin’s production on both sides of the football. In addition to playing linebacker, he was also a starter on the offensive line.
“The first thing that should be said about Noah is he’s a guy who is going to be dearly missed,” said Turner. “He was a kid who, when I wasn’t coaching him, I would watch him play and think that’s a kid who I would love to coach. Then when I came on board and came back last year, that’s exactly what I found out. He’s a kid who’s great to coach.”
Turner said Martin was trusted to provide feedback about what was happening in the trenches.
“He really was a coach on the field,” said Turner. “I leaned on him when he came over to the sideline. I’d ask him what was working and what wasn’t and he’d let me know.”
Martin says football players are expected to report Aug. 12 at Sewanee. He says players have been told they will have a conditioning test on Day 1 where they max out on the bench press and are timed running 110s, which is one-quarter of the way around a standard track.
Coach Turner expects Martin to leave his mark at Sewanee.
“I don’t expect him to go there and be just another player,” said Turner. “I expect him to be a dominant force.”
