When a new coach arrives at a school, there’s the initial feelings of excitement and everything else that comes with a fresh start and new opportunities. That’s what Tony Martinez has at Jefferson High School in South El Paso.
Martinez was introduced as the new head coach of the Silver Foxes on Friday in front of a school assembly. He spent the last 10 years as an offensive coordinator with Robert Morales, first at Horizon and then later at El Paso High. For Martinez, this is a chance that he’s ready to take head on.
“I had been with a great staff at El Paso High for the last 10 seasons,” Martinez said, “but I wanted to give these kids (at Jefferson) a chance and develop a program like we did at El Paso High. I want these kids to succeed and I want the community to be proud of this team.”
Another reason for Martinez to be optimistic is that the Foxes will be playing on campus. There is ongoing construction of an on-campus stadium that Martinez says will be ready to play in this upcoming season. After playing their home games at archrival Bowie High School two miles away, Jefferson will have a stadium to call home starting in 2017.
“It’s tremendous,” Martinez said, “It’s basically like a brand new high school. We just want to build up this program and we want to get the community excited about the direction that we’re going in.”
With all the excitement surrounding these changes, Martinez acknowledged the tough task that he has in front of him. He takes over a Jefferson program that has only made the playoffs twice in school history and no appearances since 1997. Even without that track record, Martinez knows he’ll get his new team’s best effort.
“When I was at El Paso High, whenever we played Jefferson, effort was not an issue,” he said, “The effort was always there.”
As he now takes over in his first head coaching job, Martinez is ready to build a new attitude and mindset for his team.
“We want to change the mentality to the idea that we can win and that we are going to win. I want to make sure that these kids understand that it is possible and that we can achieve more as a team.”
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