Status of Coach Martinez

There are no guarantees in life.  We teach our players that nothing is given to us.  Everything we receive in life is earned, not handed to us on a silver platter.

We live in a Nation where we take a wrong and try to make it a right.  Where the voice of the people is to be heard by their elected officials.  Where action takes precedence over inaction.

We are all aware of the budget crisis throughout the State of California and how it effects schools throughout the in the SDUSD.  WE all have felt the pinch in one way or another.

With that being said, Mike Martinez has not been re-called to be the head coach of Patrick Henry HS.  He is currently working outside the school district at San Ysidro HS.  Varsity Offensive Coordinator Steve Jacobacci has assumed the position as the Interim Head Coach.  He is a former head coach at PHHS and is a very capable coach.  We will all be running the same offense we installed throughout the program. 

But Coach Martinez was the Defensive Coordinator and he would game plan and do film study each week. 
He would set the practice schedule, make the personnel match-ups and play a major part in special teams preparation. The bad news about his absence is that there is nobody on the Varsity staff that knows the ins and outs of the 3-5 defense the way Coach Martinez does.  So, there are going to be changes on the defense, even though the players are familiar with it and have been dominant during summer passing league. All the hard work that Coach Martinez and the players put in for the upcoming season is about to evaporate into thin air.  What a shame...

Well, I am asking players, parents and friends to make another push to reinstate Coach Martinez.

As an A/P History teacher, Mike Martinez' classes score well above the National average.  He is engaging with his students and they respond well to his teaching style.  I have sat in his classes and have seen how he works with his students first hand. The reason Mike is successful is not because he demands his students to do the work, it is because they want to do the work because they really like and respect him as a teacher.   I wish I could command the same respect with the trainees I deal with on the Police Department.

As a football  coach, you won't find another coach that works harder than Mike Martinez.  Being a varsity football coach is a 7 day a week job.  Managing student/athletes, managing weight training, working with the school administration, reporting in with the Athletic Director, managing film study, breaking down film of the upcoming opponent, setting up practice schedules, setting up transportation for students to and from school and home, managing equipment needs, setting up transportation to all away games (which, by the way, will be all games this year), setting up staff meetings, working with the Booster Club and putting out little fires that come up here and there due to player conduct. 

That is a 7 day a week job and it is not for the faint of heart.  Yet Mike Martinez does it out of the love of the school, his Alma Mater, the community of San Carlos in which he lives and most important, the student athletes that play football at Patrick Henry HS.

I will be blunt.  If Mike Martinez is not re-hired, there is a chance that I will not be back either.  The uncertainty of who will be the permanent head coach is a variable we cannot see.  A coach could be hired and bring an entirely new staff to PHHS.  They might have a different agenda from out 'Building Men for Others'.  Nobody knows...

There will be another School Board meeting on Tuesday August the 2nd at 5:00 pm.  I know it is 'Dead Week' where I am not supposed to have contact with my players.  But I would appreciate it very much if we all could fill up the Board meeting and make another push for the school district to re-hire Mike Martinez.

If you want to e-mail the board members, I have attached links to their e-mail addresses below:

Superintendent Kowba: wkowba@sandi.net
Scott Barnett sbarnett@sandi.net
Richard Barrera rbarrara1@sandi.net
Kevin Bisner kbeiser@sandi.net
John Lee Evans johnleeevans@sandi.net
Sheila Jackson sjackson@sandi.net
Area Superintendent dlorden@sandi.net

Patriots for Life

The team finished week 3 of the camp with a good day of effort in the weight room.  To watch the growth of each of these young men is impressive.  They have drive, they hustle, they respect each other and pick one another up when times get tough.  I attribute that to all of you parents and the hard work you put into raising your sons.

We are instilling the core values of being a man and our priorities in life: Faith, Family, School and then Football in that order.

It had come to my attention that one of our players has a chance to go to Saint Augustine HS and leave us here at Henry, his home school.  So I made it a point to talk to him in the hopes he would stay here at Patrick Henry.  But if he and his family were committed to going to Saints, I would respect that and wish him all the best without any hard feelings.

I pull the young man aside and I told him I heard he might be going to Saints.  He looked at me with a grin and what he was about to say threw me for a loop.  He said, "Coach, I'm not leaving.  I love this team because it feels like a family."

As a coach, you know you have influence over those you teach and mentor.  But for a young man to tell me "it feels like a family" so early in the season really touched me. 

Coach Abate noted that most of our Offensive Linemen and Tight Ends have buzzed haircuts. Coach Abate told me, "Coach Dailey, you need a fat guy hair cut!"  (Please don't take offense.  The term 'Fat Guy' to me and Coach Abate is a term of endearment for the tightest unit on the team: the OL and TE's)

So after weight training, I gave the players a choice in conditioning:  A) Sprints in the sand pit or B) Coach Dailey gets a buzz cut.  Buzz cut won out 48 - 2.

Coach Abate whipped out the clippers and buzzed my head pretty good.  The players got a good kick out of it.

After Coach Abate cut my hair, I explained the reason why we did it:  The players are a part of me and I am a part of the players.  We talked about how this team has come together as a family.  We talked about how the friendship we form today will be forged for the next 4 years here at Patrick Henry and for the rest of your life.

Coach Naughton, Coach Abate and myself are all graduates from Patrick Henry.  We all played football at Patrick Henry.  We spoke of tradition and leadership.  We spoke of family and how it is essential to grow together to be successful.  Your sons have joined our fraternity at here Patrick Henry Football.  They are now Patriots for Life.

So I want to welcome all our new brothers to Patrick Henry Football.  You, like us, will be proud to wear the green and gold. 

I want to send a special note to the player I spoke to about going to Saints.  You have re-newed my faith in the future of our community.  Thank you Josh Peloquin

Lift-a-thon and Physicals

Dr. Peters will set up the last round of physicals at the coach's office on Thursday 7/21/11 at 3:30 pm.  The cost of the physicals will be $25 and all the money raised will go to the Patrick Henry Football Boosters.

If you want to write a check, you can make it out to 'PH Football Boosters'.

At 5:00 pm, we will meet in the weight room and conduct out fund raiser, the Lift-a-thon.  Players will be given pledge forms on Thursday 7/14/11.  The money for the Lift-a-thon will be collected when we come back from our break on Tuesday 8/9/11.

Players will be raising money for the Booster Club and we will be adding the weight they push on the bench press and what they lift in the hex bar dead lift.  The combined weight will be added and the players will collect the set donations per pound they lift.

When Hellweek Starts

There is a typo on the information sheet I handed out to you all. We begin the Freshman hell week on Tuesday August the 9th at 8:00 am. To be more precise, the players have to turn in their paperwork on Tuesday the 9th beginning at 8:00 am. But there is much more to that:


1) We check and collect the paperwork  and make sure it is all filled out.

2) Money for the Freshmen Spirit Pack will be due.  It will costs $100.  The fee for the Spirit pack is not mandatory, as it is prohibited to pay for "play" in high school athletics.  But we do ask the parents to make a voluntary donation for the following:  T-shirt, shorts, mouth piece, football girdle, and for the players fee for the banquet at the end of the year.  Part of that $100 is mandatory to play and that is the cost of the ASB card.  All athletes have to have an ASB card.

3) The money for the Lift-a-thon is due.  The Lift-a-thon is our fundraiser for the Booster Club.  We will be sending forms out with the players to get pledges.  We ask the players to get pledges for cents on the pound.  For instance, if a player lifts 200 pounds at 5 cents a pound, he would have raised $10.  The players will be using weights from the bench press and the hex bar dead-lift.

4) Then they have to go to the office an meet with the Athletic Director and he has to "clear" them to play in that is checks the academic eligibility.

5) Then they go to the ASB Office and get their ASB Card.

6) They come back to the PE office and get their locker in the team room

7) They get fitted for football gear and store it in their locker

8) They get their spirit pack (Shorts, football girdle & t-shirts)

I have to do this 70 times with all the players. That is why we start in the morning. When everybody has their gear, I show them how to wear the gear. After that, I send the players home, usually around noon. It is the only day that the players have to be at school in the morning.

We could use help with collecting paperwork and issuing Spirit Packs.  If you are available to help, please e-mail Jill Pankow, VP of the Booster Club at angelabove_35@yahoo.com .

Practice will probably be moved to 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm because of the stadium re-building issues.  The first four practices will be in shorts, helmets and t-shirts.

How Democracy Works

Coach Martinez is an AP (Advanced Placement) teacher in U.S. History at Patrick Henry HS.  Yesterday he spoke to the JV and Varsity players about having a voice in government.  About how a Government for the People and by the People was the basis of what our founding fathers wanted in the birth of our nation.

With that being said, Coach Martinez and I came up with the following strategy for the SDUSD Board of Directors meeting at 5:00 pm on Tuesday July 12th:
 1)  The Varsity is having success in passing league.  They currently are 3-1-1 and for the first time since we arrived at PHHS, the team is playing hard and physical football.  They are gelling as a team and he does not want to break that up as they go to Mission Bay and play the Buccaneers.  So those players will play their game.
2)  The Freshman team will still practice.  Much progress has been made in a short time and we want to continue that.  So we will be practicing as scheduled.
3)  Those JV and Varsity players and parents that are NOT involved in the Passing League or the Freshman Camp, we urge you to attend the Board meeting at 5:00 pm.  If you want your voice to be heard, you may sign up to speak before the Board by logging onto the following link:

http://www.sandi.net/boe/Forms/TakeSurvey.asp?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=41K5m3M24m2KG&21832072015467900Nav=&NodeID=675

4)  For those of you that cannot make the meeting and you want your voice to be heard, you may send an e-mail to the Board member directly at the following e-mail addresses:

Superintendent Kowba: wkowba@sandi.net

Scott Barnett sbarnett@sandi.net

Richard Barrera rbarrara1@sandi.net

Kevin Bisner kbeiser@sandi.net

John Lee Evans johnleeevans@sandi.net

Sheila Jackson sjackson@sandi.net

Area Superintendent dlorden@sandi.net

Coach Martinez and I ask that if you speak or send a letter, please be respectful and courteous to the Board members.

Mike and I are dedicated to building men for others.  This is a great opportunity for our young men to be involved directly in the Democratic Process.  If the voices of the people are heard,  change can be made.

On behalf of Mike Martinez and the entire coaching staff, thank you all for your involvement.

Support for Varsity Head Coach Mike Martinez

As a child, Patrick Henry HS Head Coach Mike Martinez grew up in the Allied Gardens and San Carlos neighborhoods.  He went to Lewis MS and went onto Patrick Henry HS for his sophomore year starting in the fall of 1979.  He played JV football for Coach Walt Baranski as a sophomore, played running back as a junior on the varsity for Coach Dale Twombley.  As a senior, Mike was voted team Captain by the players of the PHHS 1981 team, was a starting middle linebacker and helped lead the Patriots to it's third Eastern League Championship in five years.  Mike is a graduate from Henry's class of 1982.

After graduating, Mike and I coached the 1982 season on the JV at Henry with our mentor, Coach Walt Baranski.

Mike went onto the University of Arizona.  He graduated from U of A and got into teaching.  He became an assistant coach at Pueblo HS in Tucson.  Pueblo was riddled with the inner city problems of gangs, drugs, lack of parental support and academic indifference. 

Mike was eventually promoted to the position as the Head Coach at Pueblo HS.  Mike worked hard to change the culture at Pueblo by holding his players to higher standards both on and off the field.  Pueblo did not have a winning record for many years.  Mike turned the program around and made kids believe in themselves.  Pueblo made it into the Arizona State Football playoffs.

Mike, along with his wife Mia, daughter Sophie and son Max, moved back to San Diego to raise their family back where he grew up.  Mike got a teaching job at Bonita HS in Chula Vista.  In 2005, Mike earned the job as the Head Coach at Southwest HS in the San Ysidro/Nestor communities of San Diego.

Once again, Mike was faced with a school that did not have a winning culture in it's football program.  once again, Mike had to deal with the same problems he faced at Pueblo HS in Tucson.  His first year at Southwest was a hard transition earning only one win that season.

But Mike worked at it and kept telling his players that hard work in the weight room and in the class room would eventually pay off.  In 2006, I joined up with Mike and coached the Freshmen team for him and assisted him with the Varsity. 

The hard work paid off and Southwest had it's first winning season in 19 years going 5-4 and making an appearance in the San Diego Section CIF Playoffs.

Mike and I went onto Hilltop HS in 2007 and in 2009, the coaching job at Patrick Henry came open.  Mike interviewed for the Head Coaching job at Henry and was hired in the Spring of 2009.  It was a dream come true for the two of us: to coach football at our Alma mater. 

So Mike brought me to Henry and I begged him to let me coach the Freshmen Team because I wanted to set the tempo in those young men from the first time the set foot on the campus.  He relented and let me coach the Freshmen.

The first two years, Mike had to start all over again by changing the culture at Patrick Henry.  There had been no weight training program, so Mike had to start that from scratch.

At first, there was some resistance.  Some of the players applied themselves, but there was always a small group that would not do the work that others were doing and it created a division within the team.  Now with two groups of players that went through our Freshman Program and Mike trimming the team down to players that want to work out and take care of their studies.  Gone are the malcontents, the lazy, or as one of the seniors said to me, "cancers".

The off-season workouts have been high in attendance and intensity.  Alex Cordoni, a senior Safety who will be a three year starter on the Varsity, told me that workouts are fun because everybody gets along, everybody works hard and they all see improvement in their performance.  The team is finally beginning gel as a unit and as a family.

This year at the SDSU Passing Tournament, the Varsity won several games and for the first time in several years, were able to play on day 2 of the Tournament.  (In the past, Henry would lose two game and were out of the Tournament)

As it stands right now, Mike Martinez IS NOT the head coach at Patrick Henry.  The recent budget from the SDUSD called for 800 layoffs.  Mike got his pink slip back in May.  Even though Mike has over 17 years of teaching under his belt, he is at the bottom of the totem pole as far as seniority goes.  There is a possibility that the District might reascend 400 of those layoffs.

I am asking for your help.  WE as a community of parents, players, alumni and coaches need to come to the support of Mike Martinez.  He would never ask this because it is his nature not to seek outside help.  Well, he is my friend, a mentor to our kids and more important, a builder of men.

Tuesday July 12th, there is going to be a SDUSD Board of Directors meeting at 4100 Normal St.in North Park.  I need every parent, every student, every player to attend that meeting in the hopes of saving Mike's job. Heck, the marching band did the same for their teacher!

It is very important to the growth of the football program at Patrick Henry HS.  We are about to turn the corner and restore Patriot football to what it once was.  And the only person that can finish the job is Mike Martinez.

By the way, if Mike is not hired back, I WILL NOT coach on the Varsity.  I have a  full time job and a family to take care of...

HUDL Video Program

You all should be getting an invitation to the HUDL Video program. Do not be alarmed. It is not a SPAM. It is a video program in which we download video online and the parents and players can access it on their own computer.

Each player will have an account with HUDL and they also have the ability to make their own highlights from the video we put into the system.

It is also a good way for me to communicate with all the players by sending them e-mails, PowerPoint presentations and instructional video to help our players understand how things fit in the scheme of football.

This is a new program and the Patrick Henry Football Booster Club was nice enough to buy this system for all of us to enjoy.