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February 6, 2010

Hornets, Cubs to meet in football opener this fall

By Tom Waddill

Hornets have a football schedule for 2010 — Shortly after returning from Houston last week, Huntsville’s new head football coach was taking a look at the Hornets’ 2010 fall schedule.

Once the UIL’s realignment/reclassification list was released, Shane Martin hustled around with some help from his assistant coaches and athletic director Mitchell Coey.

The Hornets scheduled a zero-week game with longtime rival Brenham. That game will be played at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville on Aug. 27.

Huntsville will also play College Park at Woodforest Stadium in The Woodlands on Sept. 2, a Thursday night. Then after taking a week off, the Hornets will conclude their nondistrict portion of the season at Livingston in mid-September.

A seven-game district schedule starts for the Hornets at Humble at the end of September. Huntsville then plays Caney Creek, Kingwood Park, Willis, Humble Summer Creek, New Caney and New Caney Porter in that order. Sites for those games soon will be determined.

Martin said he’s already itching to get started.

“All of our games are very, very important,” Martin said. “You’ve got to have that mental edge and that sense of urgency every time we go out on the field whether it’s a scrimmage against Conroe or a district game at the end of the season with a playoff spot on the line.”



Who is this Shane Martin guy? — Many of you know the Hornets’ new head coach, but where did he come from and how did he work his way up the coaching ladder to become Huntsville’s top football man?

Martin, 50, started his coaching career right here in Huntsville. He was a part-time football and track coach for the eighth-grade teams at Mance Park Middle School in 1987.

Six years later, Martin became the Hornets’ junior high athletic coordinator and head football coach, then he moved up to Huntsville High School and worked as an assistant for coach Doug Smith in 1996.

Martin spent three seasons with the high school Hornets, then left in 1999 for a job at West High School where he was the team’s co-defensive coordinator for two years. He moved to Hillsboro and became defensive coordinator there for two years, then Martin spent four years at Waco Connally, where he was also the team’s defensive coordinator.

Prior to the ’08 season, Martin came back to Huntsville to be coach Mitchell Coey’s defensive coordinator. The Hornets went undefeated through the District 18-4A season and advanced to the Class 4A Division I playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Last fall, the Hornets did themselves one better. The co-champs of 18-4A, Huntsville blasted Buda Hays 45-14 in the bi-district round of the state playoffs. The win was Huntsville’s first in postseason play in 18 years.

Martin says he’s thrilled to get an opportunity to coach in what he considers a very special place.

“One of the things that makes Huntsville dear to me is, this is where I met my wife,” Martin said last week. “This is also where I started my coaching career. I still call Huntsville our home, and I always have.”



All-state recognition — Two Hornets earned spots on the Texas Sports Writers Assocation’s Class 4A All-State Football Teams, which were released Friday.

Senior Justin Gilbert was voted to the second team as a return man. The Hornets’ starting quarterback for most of the past three seasons, Gilbert was also dangerous as a kick and punt returner. He scored three touchdowns on returns last fall and averaged 25.3 yards after fielding punts and kicks. Gilbert, who signed a football scholarship from Oklahoma State last week, had a long return of 92 yards against Houston Waltrip.

Also earning all-state honors was senior Shaquille Ross, a standout as both a linebacker and running back last fall. He was an honorable mention selection on defense.

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