Kicker could be Floridas best
While he's flying under the radar now, Clearwater (Fla.) Countryside kicker Josh Martinez is a prospect that could end up turning some heads at the next level at critical moments in games.
The 5-foot-8, 160-pounder, the son of former Major League Baseball player Dave Martinez, is as talented as they come in terms of placekicking at the high school level. He kicks off the ground, without a tee, and had three field goals from 56, 53 and 44 yards during a game earlier this year.
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"I've trained a lot of kickers," Countryside special teams coach Phil Hobby said. "As far as on the high school level goes, Josh is as good as it gets."
Martinez also routinely kicks the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs.
"Unless we're trying to get the ball back or have a special call on or something, it's going out of the back of the end zone," Hobby said.
Currently, Martinez has scholarship offers from South Florida, Central Florida and Division I-AA Georgia Southern for football. Also a standout soccer player, several schools, including Boston College, want him for that sport.
Hobby feels Martinez will stay in-state to play college football.
He will attend the fifth annual Chris Sailer kicking and snapping national event Jan. 13-14 in Las Vegas.
Martinez is a two-star rated prospect by Rivals.com.