Martell comes up big again
Some players just have a knack for making the right plays at the right times and class of 2017 Ohio State quarterback commit Tate Martell is one of those players. His Bishop Gorman team got off to a slow start offensively on Friday night, but Martell ended the game with three touchdown passes and made some huge plays in the second half and overtimes to get the one-point win over Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.
"By far," said Martell, when asked if it was the most exciting game he has played in. "I said before the game that this game would define our legacy at Bishop Gorman. To get it done in this fashion, it was really a picture perfect way to do it."
After turning it over on downs in the second overtime, Martell and the offense had to watch helplessly as Aquinas lined up for a short game-winning field goal attempt. Senior safety Bubba Bolden got a hand on the kick, which then hit the crossbar and fell short, giving the Gaels new life. Martell would throw a strike in the third overtime for a touchdown and then a two-point conversion would seal the win.
"At that point, all I could think about was if I had just pulled it and ran around the edge (on the previous offensive possession), I wonder what would have happened?," Martell recalled of the moments leading up to the kick. "I was just like damn am I going to have that regret for the rest of my life? Then we blocked it. I couldn't believe it, it was still so close to going in, it hit off the crossbar."
Gorman would score a touchdown on the next offensive series and was ready to kick a PAT to tie and send it to a fourth overtime, but an offside penalty moved the ball closer for the Gaels. Martell, who said he at first wanted his defense to get another opportunity, changed his tune after the penalty.
"When they got the encroachment, I knew that we could get one yard," Martell said. "We've worked too hard to not be able to get one more yard in that situation."
For Martell, much of the focus right now is on finishing the season undefeated and possibly earning another national championship. But his recruiting efforts are never far from his mind.
"Bubba (Bolden) and EA (Palaie Gaoteote) are the two guys that I'm trying to get from here," Martell continued. "But outside of that, I'm trying to get Cam Akers, he's a great running back. The three guys on defense that I'm trying to get are Jeffrey Okudah, Baron Browning, and Marvin Wilson, also Anthony Hines. Those are my guys that I'm trying to get on defense."
As both a quarterback and a recruiter, Martell has to be able to relate to different types of personalities, but there is one common thread he can discuss with all of the players he wants to join him in Columbus.
"For all of us, our dream is to make it to the NFL," Martell said. "I think that's the biggest thing that you can tell these guys. I mean, why not do that at a winning program like Ohio State? They just put guys straight to the league. You can have one good season at Ohio State and you're going to go to the NFL. That's just what it is at that type of school and playing for coach (Urban) Meyer."