SoCal athlete sparkles at SPARQ

Corona (Calif.) Centennial coach Matt Logan had the tough task of finding a replacement for Arizona bound quarterback Matt Scott, but that question was answered when Taylor Martinez (6-1, 185, 4.5) transferred in the area after playing at San Bernardino (Calif.) Cajon as a junior.

"I'm glad he's here," Logan said. "He just had the best SPARQ ranking on the team so that tells you the kind of athlete Taylor is."

While getting the highest SPARQ is good, it becomes even better when you take into consideration that Centennial could have at least five players sign D-I scholarships this coming February.

Martinez ran 4.6 laser and that equates to about a 4.4 hand held. Next fastest was the highly recruited and recent NIKE camp standout wide receiver Ricky Marvray (6-1, 185, 4.45) to give you an indication the kind of athletic talent that is on Centennial.

Martinez ran a laser 4.16 shuttle! and had a 36.5 vertical.

Not only had the best rating on the team, but he has the best the ranking out of all the quarterbacks in the state of California and has the third best score out of all the signal callers in the nation. He's not just an athletic quarterback who runs, but he has the arm to run Centennial's high flying offense, which demands the quarterback to be able to throw as well as run.

Martinez is currently being recruited by BYU, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Oregon State, Michigan and UCLA, among others. He is being looked at for either side of the ball as a quarterback or free safety.

The scouting report on Martinez is he has the athleticism to play quarterback or free safety on the D-I level. As a defensive player, he has amazing instincts, tackling, smartness and is a sure tackle who loves to hit. As a quarterback he has outstanding feet and can make plays with his arm and his feet.

Martinez also has excellent bloodlines. His dad played safety for Iowa State in the 80's where he held numerous records.

Definitely one to watch this fall.