Martin fighting through injury
Cibolo Steele quarterback Xavier Martin was injured during the Knights' 28-10 regional round victory over Del Rio in the Texas High School Football playoffs.
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Martin was unable to finish the game and was seen standing on crutches in the closing minutes.
Steele junior QB Xavier Martin (#GunsUp) exits the locker room with crutches and is wearing a letter jacket. He's done for the night.- Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 28, 2015
The Texas Tech commitment does not plan on being sidelined for long and anticipates suiting up
for Steele's upcoming quarterfinal game against Clemens.
Martin is a 2017 pledge and sees a lot of similarities from his game when watching sophomore quarterback Patrick Mahomes, including Mahomes' knack for staying patient in the pocket.
What's next: Cibolo Steele returns to the gridiron for the quarterfinal round of Texas High School Football playoff action against Clemens at 4 p.m. Saturday. Martin said he does not plan on testing his ankle on the field until Friday at the earliest.
In his words: "I sprained my ankle and with the right rehab I should be able to go and be fine. I'm not going to start or anything but it's going to depend on how the game goes whether I play or not."
"I've always been a pass-first quarterback. I don't run if I don't have to. [Mahomes] is always looking down the field for receivers who are open and I always do the same."
"Being able to run -- it just adds on to being a very dynamic quarterback. If you can run and throw - you can't be stopped."
Our reaction: Martin has been excellent for Steele this fall and was a big reason they've scored so many points and been so dominant. The Knights are one of several favorites to win a state title in the next few weeks, but they'll need Martin in the fold to reach their full potential.
-- Will McKay