A new chapter
- Updated: August 26, 2022
Coach Scott Martin excited with opportunity at Glencoe, they got it started with a 28-6 win over Weaver Friday night
By Mark Everett Kelly
For East Alabama Sports Today
GLENCOE — “Anything worth having is worth waiting for” is an example of how one might comfort someone suffering through a sustained rough patch. Such advice would be fitting for fans of Glencoe football.
Consider Barack Obama still occupying the White House the last time the Yellow Jackets enjoyed a winning season (2015). They’ve only won one more game in total than that last winning season produced since.
Enter Coach Scott Martin and his .669 winning percentage (85-42) in his three previous stops as head coach. Success, particularly on offense, tends to occur under his tutelage. If fans at Glencoe doubt his techniques, one can’t ignore the striking similarities taking over Ohatchee in 2014 and what he inherited at Glencoe.
| 2017-21 Glencoe | 2009-13 Ohatchee | |
| W-L | 6-44 | 9-41 |
| Region W-L | 3-31 | 5-32 |
| PPG | 8.8 | 13.4 |
| PPG All. | 38.5 | 28.9 |
| PPG Diff. | -29.7 | -15.5 |
Each season possesses enough unique challenges for a head coach to handle. However, taking over a struggling program while proving yourself to a doubting community takes time and patience, something not always accessible during football season. Sustained losing can fester like a fungus, something of which Coach Martin is keenly aware.
As Martin led practice Thursday, players moved quickly between drills, each second meticulously organized to combat downtime. His players embrace his style, listen to his guidance and trust a system proven to work. The emotional price of losing takes time to rebuild and expect different results.
“I have a lot of admiration for our 11 seniors, who have won four games in four years and I’m the fourth coach they’ve had,” Martin said. “We had to relearn everything. It’s easy to revert back to what you were. I’m going to hold our players to a high level of accountability, on and off the field.”
Things such as watching and breaking down performance via game film is part of the discipline needed for players and coaches to implement change.
“We are going to coach you, teach you,” Martin told the players during a recent film session. “We are going to take the good things and expand on them, while learning how to get better”
While not everyone gets a second chance, it’s what you do with that opportunity that people remember. Martin is excited to prove himself to Glencoe.
“I feel like I received a second wind coaching,” he said. “I like the community, I like the school, I like the facilities, and these kids have been overwhelmingly accepting.”
Leaving Ohatchee after eight seasons changed the perspective on a man who feels blessed in his new community. Despite society’s demand for instant success, Martin’s message to his coaching staff and players focuses on family, commitment and understanding football is part of a bigger picture – not the entire one itself.
| Scott Martin | First 2 Seasons at Ohatchee | |
| Year | 2015 | 2014 |
| W-L | 4-6 | 1-9 |
| Region W-L | 2-5 | 0-7 |
| PF Overall | 282 | 180 |
| PA Overall | 240 | 327 |
| PF Region | 166 | 96 |
| PA Region | 193 | 259 |
While his first two seasons with the Indians did not produce immediate improvement, by year three Region IV opponents saw the results of their complete transformation on the scoreboard. Based on a power running game, Martin quickly adapted the talent around him to fit his style of physical play.
| Coach Scott Martin | |||||
| Last 5 Full Seasons | at Ohatchee | ||||
| Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
| W-L | 11-2 | 10-1 | 11-1 | 8-3 | 12-2 |
| Region W-L | 6-1 | 6-0 | 6-0 | 4-2 | 5-1 |
| PPG | 35.5 | 45.1 | 48.1 | 27.5 | 36.3 |
| PPG All. | 10.1 | 8 | 14.1 | 19.2 | 14.3 |
| Point Diff. | 25.4 | 37.2 | 34 | 8.3 | 2 |
| PPG | 36.2 | 44 | 41.1 | 27.2 | 42.1 |
| PPG All. | 14 | 10.5 | 13.5 | 15.6 | 18.8 |
Four times in his last five full seasons the Indians averaged at least 35 PPG while going 52-9 over those five seasons. They were 32-4 from 2018 thru 2020. The Yellow Jackets hadn’t enjoyed that kind of success since the last three years of Lee Ozmint’s tenure (30-7 from 2013 to 2015).
As they prepare for their season opener Friday at Weaver, Martin and the Yellow Jackets now get to write their own story.
Glencoe 28, Weaver 6
| Glencoe (1-0) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7– | 28 |
| Weaver (0-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 — | 6 |
G: Nolan Fairley 3 run (PAT kick)
G: Wade Segrest 14 run (PAT kick)
G: Austin Mann 2 run (PAT kick)
G: Nolan Fairley 66 run (PAT kick)
W: 9 run (PAT failed)
| GLEN (28) | WEAV (6) | |
| 14 | 1st Downs | 7 |
| 39-273 | Rushing | 30-131 |
| 0-2-1 | Comp-Att-Ind | 7-19-1 |
| 0 | Passing Yards | 36 |
| 1 | Fumbles-Lost | 1 |
| 8-115 | Penalties-Yards | 6-112 |
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