March 23, 2002 Martin Season Comes to Close Against Coppell in Area Round By Larry Brown The Martin Warriors took on the Coppell Cowboys Friday night at Old Panther Stadium in Duncanville in the Area Round of the State 5A Playoffs.  In what became a very emotional game, your Martin Warriors played with the intensity that they had displayed throughout the season only to come up short in a heartbreaking shootout loss.  The two teams played an extremely competitive game that required the Warriors to mount two comebacks to force the game to the shootout. The first half saw the Coppell Cowboys put more pressure on the Martin defense than they had experienced throughout the year.  Senior Keeper and Captain David Nobles was required to make three spectacular saves within the first twelve minutes of the game.  Coppell's offensive push was relentless, yet the Warriors had their share of offensive opportunities.  The first half ended 0-0. It was obvious as the second half started that both teams were going to pick up their game.  The Cowboys struck first at the eight-minute mark.  The Warriors quickly leveled the game with what might have been the prettiest goal of the season.  Senior Captain Mark Dornan ripped a forty-five yard shot that defeated the Coppell Keeper.  Senior and four-year Letterman Chris Carman and Junior Daniel Brown had the remaining scoring opportunities during regulation, however the first eighty minutes ended with the score tied 1-1. Coppell drew first blood in the first of two ten-minute overtime periods at the six-minute mark.  However there was no quit in the Mighty Warriors.  With less than four minutes left in the second overtime period, Carman played a beautiful ball outside to Senior Casey Elder who finished with one of his patented left-footed shots.  Overtime ended 2-2. In a season where Martin did not lose a game during regulation play, this game headed to the third shootout game determination.  Unfortunately 2002 will not be remembered as the year of the shoot-out victories for the Warriors.  2001 saw many of these victories for us, yet 2002 held none. In a year where the Martin may not have reached the ultimate goal, the Warriors displayed the fighting spirit that would make each of you who read these game reports proud.   As the soccer season has closed, we should reflect on the many successes we saw.  There were many wonderful moments.  From the simple things as seeing Senior Alex Gunn score the only goal of his high school career in the final moments of the final District game, to the cold shower that Coach Naughton received in the jubilation of the District Championship, it was a wonderful year. For those of us whose senior sons move on to the next phase of their lives , the months of January  through March will never be the same.  Those cold nights wrapped up in the stands will only be part of our memories. For those of us who remain, the tradition will continue, there is always the hope for next year.  I know that I speak for all the parents and supporters in thanking Coach Naughton and his staff for a wonderful year.  And as always, GO WARRIORS!!!

3/12/02  Warriors Secure District Title By Beating Bowie 3-1 By Chuck Franklin The last game of the regular season, Senior night and a district title at stake, who could ask for a better setting for a soccer game.  The fireworks started just 2 minutes into the game when Senior Casey Elder found Senior Chris Carman at the edge of the eighteen.  Carman ripped a shot that went just wide of the Bowie goal.  Just 3 minutes later Senior Brandon Alder made a nice pass to Senior Adam Korman, Korman fired a shot that did not find the target.  As the Warriors pushed forward offensively Bowie found an opportunity to counter.  As the Bowie forward beat a warrior defensemen he found himself one on one with Senior goalkeeper David Nobles.  Just as Nobles came off his line the forward tried to slot the ball past him.  Nobles made what I would consider to be his best save of the year.  As the ball was going past him and him moving forward to cut off the angle he swatted the ball and got just enough of it to keep it from going into the goal.  It was truly an awesome save by Nobles.  As Bowie mounted more pressure they played a through ball that Nobles came out to win, the ball David and the Bowie forward all arrived about the same time.  As Nobles slid and gathered the ball the Bowie forward swung to try and make contact, catching Nobles in the face.  Nobles left the game with a broken tooth and what appeared to be a minor concussion.  Junior Josh Franklin came into the game and was under immediate pressure.  Another through ball was played and the ball and Bowie forward both found their way behind the Warrior defense.  As the forward gathered the ball Franklin was already there and took the ball right off of his foot.  No shot allowed.  The Warrior midfield picked up the pace at this point.  Holmes, Korman, Cruz, Kaiser and Elder all started to control balls and make some really nice passes.  The Warrior defense started to tighten up as well.  The play of Daniel Hines, Dornan, Gunn, Vinall and Ernst was outstanding.  With 14 minutes left Martin was awarded a free kick from 40 yards out.  Dornan took the kick and went directly to goal with the shot.  The shot was on target but the Bowie keeper made a nice play for the save.  Late in the first half the Warriors took a corner kick that found Sophomore Trey Mc Cord but Trey could not bring the ball down and sailed it over the top.  The score at the half was tied 0-0. The second half started with the Warriors blasting shots at the Bowie goal.  Jon Cruz received a pass from Chris Carman and sailed it just wide of the goal.  Then just a minute later it was Cruz that found Casey Elder on the left side of the field with a pinpoint pass.  Elder laced a beautiful shot that went wide of the target.  Just 5 minutes into the game though Bowie found room behind the Warrior defense on the right side of the field.  The Bowie forward came in on Warrior goalkeeper Josh Franklin and placed a nice shot past the diving junior goalkeeper the ball hit the post and was cleared by the Warrior defense.  The loose ball was gathered and played to the outside and left of the Martin goal.  A Bowie midfielder curved a shot that beat Franklin and went far post into the goal.  Martin was down 1-0.  It only took the Warriors 1 minute to answer.  A throw in off the head of Adam Bosillo found Senior Chris Carman who blasted his shot past the goalkeeper and tied the game 1-1.  The game definitely had its share of excitement.  Shots were flying from both teams in the second half.  Shots came from Warriors, Dornan, Carman, Clint Kaiser, Elder and Trey McCord.  Goalkeeper Josh Franklin and the Warrior defense of Dornan, Ernst, Hines and Shows turned away all shots during the second half.  The best opportunity for Bowie came on a free kick that was served into the eighteen that was punched clear by Franklin.  In the 30th minute Daniel Hines served a great ball to Trey McCord who then beat a defender and fired a wickedly powerful shot that ripped the back of the net and gave Martin a 2-1 lead.  The best goal of the match came in the closing minutes of the game when Senior Casey Elder served a beautiful ball off of a corner that found Senior Alex Gunn in the middle of the field and ready to shoot.  Gunn's angle to shoot was difficult at best.  With a defender in front and the Bowie goalkeeper coming out to cut his angle, the calm, cool Gunn took aim and placed his shot to the far post.  The ball went just inside the post to give Martin a 3-1 lead and the District Championship.  The effort of Gunn and the other Martin Seniors is what High School soccer is all about.  We will truly miss them next year, but the memories will remain with us forever.  Thank you to Coach Chris Naughton and the entire Martin Warrior Soccer Team for making this district season very memorable for the fans.

3/05/02 Warriors Clip Eagles 2-1 By Chuck Franklin The Martin Warriors were ready for the Desoto Eagles as they entered Warrior stadium.  The Warriors did however find themselves down 1-0 after just the first 3 minutes of play.  Once the Warriors calmed down and started passing things started opening up.  Martin was awarded a corner early and Casey Elder served a nice ball to Daniel Brown who just missed the goal.  There were plenty of fouls called in this aggressive game.  Daniel Brown found Clint Kaiser on the right side of the field.  As Kaiser beat his defender and penetrated the eighteen he played the ball back to Brown who ripped his shot near post only to have it saved by the Desoto keeper.  Senior Mark Dornan was firing shot after shot off of his free kicks.  Dornan was striking the ball very well only to have the ball sail just high or wide of the goal.  Craig Biery and Jon Cruz both played well up top and each had nice shots just miss.  Goalkeeper David Nobles was tested often and made some very nice one on one saves.  Late in the half Junior Daniel Brown gathered a loose ball and beat 3 defenders to tie the score1-1. The second half opened with some very nice ball possession up top.  Senior Jon Cruz was the target player that made a lot happen in the early goings.  Daniel Brown continued his assault on the goal with shots from 30 yards and 25 yards, both found the goalkeeper.  Patrick Bryan made some nice throw ins and was finally rewarded when he found Brown who fired his shot into a sea of defenders, the shot was blocked and found its way to Steven Shows who fired his shot past the goalkeeper to give the Warriors the lead 2-1. The play in the back by the Fab Four strengthened as the half went on.  Cox, Jeff Shows, Travis Ernst, Dornan, Brent Kaiser and Grant Booher all played nicely during the second half.  Their were a couple of through balls that Junior Goalkeeper Josh Franklin cleared long but other than that the Eagles never really mounted much of an attack in the second half.  The midfield play of Martin's Adam Bosillo, Casey Elder, Patrick Bryan, Daniel Brown and Adam Korman kept the Eagles of balance with pinpoint passing and well executed counter attacks that created plenty of pressure.  The Warriors are back on track and looking ahead to Cedarhill this Friday.

3/1/02 Warriors Take Revenge against Texans 7-1 By: Larry Brown If there was any concern about the Warriors being down following the disappointing shoot-out loss to Mansfield, those concerns were dispelled with the Warriors decisively defeating the Texans of Sam Houston.  Early in the game the crowd became a little restless and the Tootsie Pop patrol was called into action, but this was to be the Warriors' night. The scoring onslaught began around the twenty-minute mark when midfielder Daniel Brown snaked his way through multiple defenders to score the first goal of the game.  The Texans quickly responded with a goal of their own. This game could have been in doubt at this point, however the Warriors were up to the challenge.  The Texans were now to be on the receiving end of the offensive fury the Warriors have been searching for all season.  Martin scored its second goal of the game on a play that saw a beautiful assist from Adam Bosillo to Brandon Alder.  The Warriors then followed with their third goal when defender Mark Dornan completed a free kick opportunity from outside the eighteen.  It was now Bosillo's turn to enter the scoring derby with Martins forth goal.  The first half ended with Martin in the lead 4-1. The Texans remained on the receiving end of Martin's offensive onslaught in the second half as Rick Partridge scored off a rebound from a Chris Carman shot. Later the Warriors were given a restart; Brent Kaiser took this opportunity to feed Brown a beautiful ball.  Brown completed the break by scoring the Warriors' sixth goal. Coach Naughton was given the chance to play some of the bench talent as Alex Gunn had multiple chances to score.  The crowd and team loudly supported the Senior Gunn when given a free kick opportunity late in the game.  Unfortunately, the career high school goalie was unable to finish.  Lets hope that before the season is over, he will get his goal.  Junior Midfielder Chris Holmes capped the evening, scoring the final goal with determination. As usual Martin's defensive play was outstanding. Jeff Shows, Mark Dornan, Landon Cox, and Brent Kaiser played spectacularly.  They were supported with the tremendous play of Daniel Hines, Wade Vinall, and Grant Booher.  Goalies David Nobles and Josh Franklin combined to hold the Texans to one goal and continued Martin's area leading goals against average as the Warriors prepare for the post season. Final score Warriors 7, Texans 1.

2/28/02 Tigers Claw Warriors 1-2 By: Chuck Franklin The Mansfield Tigers came to Warrior stadium hoping to stop the Martin juggernaut and give the Warriors their first lose of the season.  The Warriors were hoping to extend the winning streak and further the distance between them and the Tigers.  Unfortunately for the Warriors it was Mansfield that got their wish.  On a night that produced lots of opportunity but no, reward the Warriors lost their first game of the season in shootouts to the Tigers.  The loss put the Warriors in a tie with Mansfield for first place.   The Tigers started the game with a through ball that Senior Goalkeeper David Nobles came out and smothered under pressure from the on rushing forward.  Fourteen minutes into the game Senior Mark Dornan hit a 35 yard shot off a free kick that went just wide of the target.  Nine minutes later Senior Midfielder Billy Ray Thomas hit a cross that found Junior Midfielder Wade Vinall airborne.  Vinall fired a header just over the top of the goal.  Junior Midfielder Steven Shows also fired a header over the goal off of another Dornan free kick.  As the offensive pressure mounted shots were fired from Billy Ray Thomas, Chris Carman and Adam Korman.  With the half coming to a close, Senior Forward Chris Carman fired what appeared to be a go ahead goal but the ball caught the outside of the post and was cleared leaving the game tied at the half 0-0. The second half started slow as both teams had problems finding any rythym in the midfield.  Eleven minutes in the Tigers again tried the long ball and got in behind the Warrior defense.  Again Nobles came out and made the big save.  The Warriors started putting a few passes together and finding some room as Senior Brandon Alder passed to Carman who found Steven Shows in behind the defense and fired a shot at the goal.  The Mansfield keeper made the save.  With the game tied Steven Shows found Chris Carman around the edge of the eighteen, Carman beat his defender and fired his shot past the keeper to give Martin a 1-0 lead.  With 5 minutes left the Tigers were awarded a free kick.  The ball was served into the eighteen and into a crowd, as Nobles came to play the ball a Tiger stepped in front and headed the ball towards the Martin goal.  A heads up play by Casey Elder kept the ball from going in.  Elder tracking to the back post leaped high to head the ball away from danger.  There was just 33 seconds left when the Tigers tied the game off of a corner kick.  The outcome of the game was to be determined by shootouts.  The Warriors came up on the short end of the shootouts and lost their first district game of the year.

2/22/02 Warriors Send Vikings to Valhalla 3-1 By Chuck Franklin The Warriors continued their assault on district opponents as they beat the Lamar Vikings 3-1.  The Warriors took control of the game early as balls were served into the penalty area at rapid pace by Dornan, Ernst, and Carman.  While none of these created any goals they did create plenty of shots from the attacking Warriors.  Martin had their first real scoring chance just 7 minutes into the match when Junior Defender Travis Ernst took a throw in and found Senior Chris Carman inside the penalty area.  Carman shielding the ball from the Viking defender, turned to shoot only to be fouled and awarded a penalty kick.  Carman laced a strong shot towards the right side of the goal that hit the post and bounced just wide.  A few minutes later with the Warriors continuing to apply offensive pressure Senior Patrick Bryan played a nice corner kick that found the head of Junior Steven Shows.  Shows header was bound for the far post but a Viking defender cleared the ball before it crossed the goal line.  The Vikings mounted a counter attack and found some room on the right side.  As the Viking defender came in range for his shot, Junior Goalkeeper Josh Franklin came off his line to make the save.  The Warrior midfield provided some excellent play both offensively and defensively throughout the night.  Bryan, Elder, Brown, Thomas, Korman and Bosillo all contributed and kept the Vikings chasing most of the night.  With 20 minutes remaining in the first half it looked like the Warriors were ready to find the net.  Another well placed corner from Patrick Bryan found Senior Billy Ray Thomas.  Thomas keen awareness of the pressure behind him played the ball back to Bryan who then served the ball to Carman for the shot.  Carman's blistering shot was saved by the Vikings goalkeeper  and the score remained tied.  In the closing minutes of the half Daniel Brown and Rick Partridge both had scoring opportunities but could find the net. Everyone in the stands was wondering what is was going to take to find the net.  Early in the second half that question was answered.  Shots were flying from all other the field as the Warriors were completely dominating the Vikings.  Casey Elder, Steven Shows and Patrick Bryan all had shots just miss in the first 3 minutes of the second half.  Daniel Brown started the scoring with a beautiful finish on a superb pass from Steven Shows.  Brown's diagonal run created just enough confusion in the Viking defense for him to flick Show's pass to the far corner to give Martin the 1-0 lead.  Just 3 minutes later Brown again found space as he gathered a pass from Patrick Bryan and laced a shot into the net for the 2-0 lead.  The Warrior defense of Dornan, Ernst, Cox, Kaiser and Jeff Shows all played well and allowed very few scoring chances for the Vikings.  The Vikings did manage one goal on a nice play that found a Viking forward behind the defense and one on one with goalkeeper Josh Franklin.  Franklin came off his line to cut the angle but the Viking forward slotted the ball high into the goal.  For the next 10 minutes the play slowed and the Vikings started to apply some pressure in the midfield.  With 15 minutes left to play the Vikings took a direct free kick that was saved by Josh Franklin and that was the end of the threat for this Viking team.  The Warriors picked up the intensity and ad started to play possession soccer.  This kept the Vikings chasing and allowed Juniors Daniel Brown and Adam Bosillo to work their magic.  Brown stole a pass in the midfield and played forward to Bosillo who beat two defenders and went one on one with the goalkeeper.  The keeper made a nice save but the ball was loose and ended up at the feet of Brown.  Brown took the ball from 22 yards out and buried it into the net for his third goal of the game.  Can anyone say Hatrick?  The Warriors finished the game with shots from Brent Kaiser, Mark Dornan and Brandon Alder.  The Warriors are poised and ready for the next victim.

2/15/02 Warriors Tame Colts By: Chuck Franklin Anytime the Warriors and Colts get together you can expect some fireworks but this time all the fireworks belonged to the Warriors.  It took ten minutes for the Warriors to create their first scoring chance.  The Colts were guilty of a foul just outside the 18 and Steven Shows took the free kick but found the right side of the wall and the ball never got through.  Six minutes later Shows beat three defenders only to put his shot just wide of the target.   Daniel Brown picked up a loose ball and fired a shot wide just 3 minutes later.  As the Warriors continued to pound the ball at the Colts keeper the Colts seemed content to play out the half with a tie.  Junior Wade Vinall though had other thoughts.  With just 4 minutes left in the half Vinall found a loose ball just left of the goal and buried into the corner to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.  It did not take the district leading Warriors long to get the second goal.  Junior Steven Shows stole the ball from a Colt midfielder and then found Junior Daniel Brown making a deep run down the right side of the field, Brown gathered the ball and then chipped the Colts goalkeeper to put the Warriors ahead 2-0 with time expiring for the first half. The Warriors picked up where they left off, firing shots from every angle.  The Colts never could manage to put much together offensively.  Every time the Colts thought they had found some room in the attacking third of the field they were turned away by the stingy Warrior defense.  Dornan, Jeff Shows, Brent Kaiser, Ernst, Cox and Daniel Hines all had great games in the back.  Daniel Hines play was outstanding as he controlled balls and found the open player in most situations.  As Chris Carman, Daniel Brown, Adam Bosillo and Dornan all had nice shots that barely missed, it was Senior Carman that gave the Warriors the third goal when he was fouled inside the penalty area and was awarded the penalty kick.  Carman placed the ball to the left of the outstretched Colts keeper sealing the victory and keeping the Warriors undefeated in district play.

Special Report: Martin Soccer, It's a “Family Affair” By: Larry Brown As a father of 3 sons playing soccer, the number of brothers currently in the Martin Boys Soccer program amazes me. I counted at least 7 pairs of brothers currently playing soccer at Martin. They are: Jeff and Steven Shows (both Varsity) Brent and Clint Kaiser (both Varsity) Billy Ray and Cril Thomas (both Varsity) Christopher and Philip Venagas (Varsity/JV Black) Grant and Colin Booher (Varsity/JV Black) Adam and Daniel Korman (Varsity/JV Red) Ryan and Justin Thomas (JV Red/JV Black) And there may be more. I believe that there are at least 4 additional pairs of brother combinations when you consider the Alumni, The ones that I am aware of are: Sean and Trey McCord (Class of 99/JV Red) Volk and Wade Vinall (Class of 00/Varsity) Weston and Travis Ernst (Class of 99/Varsity) Drew and Mark Dornan (Class of 97/Varsity) I guess soccer just runs in the blood. To me, this is a great testament to the game our children play and the commitment that the parents and other family member make to the game. I am extremely proud of the Martin Soccer family. Please let me know of any brothers that I have excluded. E-mail me at Larry_brown@ctxmort.com.

2/12/02 Warriors Post Shutout Against Vols By Chuck Franklin The Warrior fans, players and Coaches were all ready for the big showdown Tuesday night with Bowie.  Unfortunately the referees weren't.  The game was delayed some 30 minutes while everyone waited for the third referee to show.  Once there and the game going, the Warriors showed they were ready to play.  The Men In Black took only two minutes to create a scoring chance when Daniel Brown beat a defender and made a nice pass that found Casey Elder on the left side just inside the penalty area.  Elder controlled the ball and fired a blistering shot at the goal.  The Bowie goalkeeper made a diving save to keep the score knotted at 0-0.  The Martin midfielder's were again in good form and just 10 minutes into the half Patrick Bryan made a nice pass to Daniel Brown making an outside run.  As Brown beat his defender he crossed the ball on the ground to Adam Bosillo.  Bosillo unselfishly dummied the ball and let it go to a wide open Steven Shows.  Shows took one touch to beat an oncoming defender and then slotted the ball far post for what would be the game winner, 1-0 Martin Warriors.   The Fab Four defense was truly fabulous on this blustery February evening, as they allowed only two real shots from the Bowie forwards.  Cox, Dornan, Kaiser and Jeff Shows turned away all would be attacks before they reached the attacking third of the field.  Late in the half Billy Ray Thomas played to Adam Korman who made a beautiful cross into the penalty area but no one was home to finish the play.  As Martin continued to apply offensive pressure Bowie was left to play balls out of pressure in whatever way they could.  They gave up a corner kick late in the half that was headed by Senior Rick Partridge and went just wide of the near post. The second half was somewhat different with both teams playing long balls.  The Warriors became a little sloppy and allowed Bowie a nice shot but goalkeeper David Nobles was there to handle the ball.  Mark Dornan took a free kick from 30 yards that almost beat the Bowie keeper.  Dornan's shot was pushed just over the bar at the last minute.  Late in the game Daniel Brown found Clint Kaiser down the right side and Kaiser had a nice shot that went wide.  The Warriors continue to show poise under pressure and remain undefeated in district play.  Join us for the next Warrior scalping as we take on the Arlington High Colts.

2/8/02 Cedar Hill Warriors Remain Undefeated in District Play By Chuck Franklin The Martin Warriors remain undefeated as the first half of district play winds down.  The Warriors out muscled Cedar Hill on Friday to stay one game ahead of Bowie and Mansfield.  The shots came early in the match as midfielder's Daniel Brown, Billy Ray Thomas and Adam Bosillo all had scoring chances early on.  Cedarhill's physical style of play created the first set piece for the Warriors just 11 minutes into the game.  Patrick Bryan served a beautiful ball off the set play that found Billy Ray Thomas 12 yards out and in front of the goal.  Thomas struck the ball and on its way to the goal it was deflected and ended up at the feet of a wide open Adam Bosillo.  Bosillo took one touch and then placed the ball in the back of the net to give Martin a 1-0 lead.   Cedarhill found some chinks in the armor of the Warrior defense and Junior goalkeeper Josh Franklin made a nice save on a one on one chance just 3 minutes after the Warrior goal.  Play continued to flow as Brown and Bosillo teamed up to find  Senior forward Craig Biery making a through run.  As Biery approached the flighted ball the Cedarhill goalkeeper came out to make his play.  Biery, using his speed, won the ball in the air and fired a beautiful volley that just missed the target.  Late in the half Cedarhill again applied offensive pressures only to have a great scoring chance denied on a great save by Junior goalkeeper Josh Franklin.   The second half began with Daniel Brown finding Adam Bosillo on diagonal run penetrating the Cedarhill defense.  Bosillo gathered the pinpoint pass beat his defender and the goalkeeper to put Martin on top 2-0 just 5 minutes into the second half.  Cedarhill mounted what could be considered the highest offensive pressure Martin has seen this year.  The Martin defense rose to the occasion though with Shows, Dornan, Ernst, Booher, Kaiser and Cox all blocking shots from in and around the 18.  Just as it looked as though Cedarhill would find the goal the Warrior defense tightened and the momentum of the game turned in favor of Martin.  Scoring chances were now coming at record pace for the Warriors as Junior Clint Kaiser, Senior Brandon Alder and Junior Wade Vinall all ripped shots just wide of the goal.   The tiring Cedarhill defense started making mistakes as they tried to play out of the back and Adam Bosillo made them pay.  Bosillo intercepted a pass from a Cedarhill defender and went one on one with the goalkeeper.  Bosillo beat the goalkeeper on a superbly place shot to give Martin a 3-0 lead late in the game and a hat trick for the Junior midfielder.  The onslaught continued as Craig Biery, John Cruz and Chris Holmes all fired shots at the Cedarhill goal.  Cedarhill did manage one goal late in the game on a one on one with goalkeeper Josh Franklin.   The Warriors will take on the Volunteers as their next opponent.

2/7/02 Warriors Ground Eagles By Chuck Franklin The Warriors took the field Thursday night in Desoto with one thing in mind and that was to remain undefeated in district play.  The Eagles though proved to be a viable opponent.  Early in the game it looked as though the Warriors would have their way with the Eagles as Senior Billy Ray Thomas ripped a shot just wide of the goal only six minutes into the match.  The Warriors were unable to get into much rhythm in the midfield as the Eagles played a lot of long balls leaving very little opportunity for the warrior midfield to do much.  However, in the middle of the half the Warriors started settling the ball and passing as they have done for most of the season.  Daniel Brown, Adam Bosillo, Billy Ray Thomas, Patrick Bryan and Casey Elder created constant pressure for almost 10 minutes as shots came from Brown, Carman, Thomas and Bosillo.  Browns shot found the net as the warriors were rewarded for their hard work.  The lead did not last long as the Eagles found room over the top and slotted one past the David Nobles the warrior's goalkeeper to tie the game.  In the closing moments of the first half the Eagles again found some space in behind the warrior defense and found the net to lead at halftime 2-1.  The Warriors came out ready to play in the second half.  The first 7 minutes provided the Warriors fans with more shots than they had seen during the entire first half.  The shots came from Billy Ray Thomas, beautiful vollies from Chris Carman and Adam Bosillo and a great follow up from Mark Dornan that hit the post and then was cleared by an Eagles defender.  The warriors tied the game as some great teamwork was displayed when Patrick Bryan, Chris Carman and Adam Bosillo teamed up to find Billy Ray Thomas for the Warriors second goal and to tie the game.  The Warriors continued to tighten things up in the midfield and the defense started getting stingy as well.  Warriors goalkeeper David Nobles made some really nice saves to keep the game tied, especially a one on one that came late in the game and could have tied the score.  The score remained tied until there were only 3 minutes left in the game and Daniel Brown drew a foul inside the penalty box.  The referee awarded the penalty kick and Brown finished both of the kicks he had to take (you would have had to be there).  There were plenty of fireworks for the next 3 minutes unfortunately most of it did not pertain to the game as the Eagle's sweeper was ejected from the match with 3 seconds left when he fouled Brandon Alder away from the ball.

2/1/02 Warriors Ambush Texans By Chuck Franklin The Warriors took the field expecting to walk away with an impressive win against the Texans on Friday night.  However, no one told the Texans that this was the district leading Warriors they were playing.  During the first 7 minutes of play Patrick Bryan, Daniel Brown, Casey Elder, Billy Ray Thomas and Chris Carman all had scoring chances turned away by a stingy Texan goalkeeper.  As the Warrior midfield and forwards continued their onslaught on the Texans goal, the Texans were clearing balls long trying to find some way to relieve the pressure.  The Warriors efforts were tireless but this was going to be a night where the goals would not come easy.   The Texans found some room from time to time but no real scoring chances came as the Warriors FAB FOUR defense of Kaiser, Dornan, Ernst and Cox shut the Texans forwards down before any real shots could be taken.  The first half ended with the score tied 0-0 and the Warriors wondering what it would take to find the back of the net.  As the second half started the Warriors continued to work hard through the midfield with Casey Elder, Adam Korman, Patrick Bryan, Billy Ray Thomas and Daniel Brown creating one scoring chance after another.  Chris Carman, Brandon Alder and Adam Bosillo also took turns in the shooting gallery only to have them sail wide of the target or right to the Texan goalkeeper.   Just when it looked like the game would go to shootouts, the Warriors pulled off a beautifully executed set play.  There was just under 10 minutes left in the game when the Warriors took a throw in from the right side of the field that found Chris Carman checking to the ball, as Carman ran onto the flighted ball he then headed it back towards the Texan goal to Junior midfielder Chris Venegas who had made his run to the back post.  Venegas went airborne and beat his defender to head the ball into the Texan goal for the winner.  The Warriors continued to find space in the attacking third of the field but could not find the net as the game ended with the Warriors on top 1-0.  This was a game that proved effort pays off in the long run.  The Warriors never gave up and kept their composure in what had to be a frustrating match for the team.  Join us for the next Warrior uprising Tuesday night in Desoto.

1/29/02Warriors Manhandle Mansfield By Chuck Franklin As the undefeated (in district play) Warriors entered R L Anderson stadium everyone could tell that this was not just another game.  You could see and feel the intensity as the opening whistle blew.  The Warriors dominated midfield play as Seniors Rick Partridge, Billy Ray Thomas and Patrick Bryan kept the tigers off balance with constant pressure and pinpoint passing.  The Warriors started the scoring just 5 minutes into the game when a foul was called just outside the penalty area and to the right of the Mansfield goal.  As Patrick Bryan served the ball Senior Adam Korman made a diagonal run across the goal bringing with him two tiger defenders, this left Billy Ray Thomas wide open for a fantastic, one touch finish that flew into the goal past a helpless Mansfield goalkeeper.   As play continued to flow with Mansfield playing long balls over the top, the Warrior FAB FOUR defense was there to spoil each attempt.  Mansfield did start to find some room on the right side of the field and sailed one shot over the top of the goal 13 minutes into the half.  Just 3 minutes later senior goalkeeper David Nobles came up BIG when a Mansfield forward broke free from the right and ripped a shot headed for the far post of the Warriors goal.  Nobles' outstretched body found the ball and pushed it wide for a fantastic save.   The Warriors took the loose ball and started transition attack from the right side of the field.  Billy Ray Thomas found a seam in the Mansfield defense a fired a shot that went just wide of the target.  As the offensive pressure mounted and the Mansfield defense tired, Senior Mark Dornan took a throw in from the neutral third of the field.  Dornan's throw found Chris Carman making an outside run.  As Carman beat his defender with some nice ball handling, he executed a beautiful pass that found Junior Daniel Brown just inside the 18.  Brown then beat his defender and slotted the ball past the Tigers' goalkeeper for Martins second goal.   As play began in the second half the Warriors again found space in the attacking third of the field as Daniel Brown and Adam Korman both had scoring chances in the first 5 minutes.  Mansfield tried time and time again to get in behind the Martin defense but the speed and tenacity of Dornan, Shows, Cox, Kaiser and Ernst were too much for the Tigers.  The only scoring chance that Mansfield could generate was late in the game when a penalty kick was awarded on a questionable call.  Mansfield was totally dominated throughout the game as midfielders Casey Elder, John Cruz and Adam Bosillo found plenty of room on the wings.  As the midfield dominated, forwards Chris Carman and Daniel Brown proved to be elusive.  Carman once again found Brown for yet another Warrior goal making the score 3-1.  With the match well in hand and a statement made, the Warrior scored perhaps the prettiest goal of the match when Senior Craig Biery and Junior Adam Bosillo teamed up for a beautiful give and go with Biery blasting his shot passed the Mansfield keeper.  Join us Friday when the Warriors take on the Sam Houston Texans.

1/25/02 MARTIN'S OFFENSE GETS ON TRACK AS WARRIORS DEFEAT THE LAMAR VIKINGS 5-0 By Larry Brown There was a buzz in the stands, literally, as the Warriors completed week one of district 8-5A play against the Vikings of Lamar.  Junior Daniel Brown added 2 goals and 2 assists to his team leading totals in what became the first game of the season where the outcome was never in doubt.   The scoring onslaught began at the 27-minute mark when Junior Adam Bosillo (who was celebrating his birthday) assisted Brown by playing a through-ball.  Brown snaked his way to goal and rolled the ball passed the Viking keeper. One minute later, Senior Patrick Bryan took a shot on goal that narrowly missed. Senior Rick Partridge displayed excellent midfield play as the first half ended 1-0 Martin. Three minutes into the second half, Senior Chris Carman and Brown executed a perfect give-and-go which resulted in Carman scoring the second goal of the evening.  Five minutes later, Brown played a long ball outside to Senior Casey Elder who pushed the ball towards the box and completed this scoring opportunity with a beautiful left-footed shot into the upper ninety. As usual, the Warriors defensive play was spectacular.  The offside trap was executed to perfection on many occasions.  Seniors Mark Dornan and Jeff Shows along with Juniors Landon Cox and Travis Ernst proved that this team would be hard to score against.  The fourth score of the game occurred following Carman being on the receiving end of a foul near the box. This created a free kick opportunity for Senior Billy Ray Thomas.  Thomas completed the opportunity with a screaming shot.   The final score of the game occurred with an assist given to Bryan as Brown returned a rebound on goal that found the mark. The game afforded Coach Naughton the chance to show the depth of the bench.  Senior Alex Gunn, and Juniors Daniel Hines, Grant Booher and Wade Vinall stepped into the defense and delivered outstanding play. Seniors Adam Korman, Craig Biery, Jon Cruz and Juniors Chris Holmes and Christopher Venegas, displayed their talents as the Warriors kept the offensive pressure on the Vikings. Warriors' keeper David Nobles added to his area leading shut out total of eight as the Warriors look forward to week two of district play against arch-rival Mansfield.  Go Warriors!!!

1/22/02 Martin Wins District Opener against Colts By: Larry Brown The Martin Warrior and Arlington Colts played Tuesday night before the largest crowd of the season at Warrior Stadium. In what was a very spirited match, the Warrior came away with a 1-0 victory. The beginning of the game saw the Warrior come out on the offensive. During the first 10 minutes, it seemed like that every Martin player on the field was involved in a scoring opportunity. But this was District play and the Colts' keeper Brandon Gillium was up to the challenges. The momentum changed midway through the first half as the Warriors began their reliance on the defense. As usual, the men in the back were prepared. Senior Jeff Shows returning from the injury that had kept him out of the tournament championship game on Saturday and was involved in many defensive stops. Senior Mark Dornan shadowed the Colts' quick forwards, and had an outstanding game. The second half saw few offensive opportunities for the Warriors. The offense sputter until late in the game when a ball has play outside to midfielder Adam Bosillo. Bosillo push the ball down the sideline and executed a perfect cross into the box. Junior Daniel Brown appeared to take a strike on goal but the ball was left for onrushing Junior Steven Shows to finish. All of this occurred with only 2 minutes remaining in the game. The Martin defense held and keeper Senior David Nobles completed the seventh shutout of the season. As a fan, you had to love this game. It contained all of the elements that make High School soccer exciting.

1/20/02 Martin Finishes as Tournament Champions in the 10th Annual MIT Classic By Larry Brown In what turned out to be an extremely balanced MIT, four teams advanced to two final games on Saturday 1/19/02.  Based on total point earned to win bracket play, Plano West (26 points) played Richland (23 points) in the MHS Invitational Championship game with Plano West winning 6-1. The Mansfield Tigers (20 points) played the Martin Warriors (19 points) in the Tournament Championship game, with the Warriors winning 1-0. To get to the Saturday evening game, the Warriors went 1-0-2 in bracket play. Martin defeated Irving Nimitz 3-0 Thursday and tied Flower Mound 1-1, and North Garland 2-2 on Friday and Saturday respectively. During bracket play, Steven Shows scored one goal and Daniel Brown scored two goals against Nimitz. Johnny Cruz scored the lone goal against Flower Mound, and Daniel Brown scored two late goals against North Garland for the comeback tie. The championship game was hard fought between two district rivals. The Warriors scored the only goal of the game when Senior Mark Dornan laced a shot from outside the 18 off an assist from Sophomore Brent Kasier. The tournament saw the Martin defense push the number of shutouts for the season to six. Now it is off to district play. The Warriors take on the Colts of Arlington High Tuesday at Martin. It should be a great game. On behalf of the Booster Club, I would like the many volunteers that helped make the tournament a success.  Game 1 Thursday, January 17, 2002 By Larry Brown Martin kicked off the 10th Annual MIT Classic with a 3-0 victory over Irving Nimitz.  Martin's first goal came off an excellent offensive push, which ended in a ball played by Senior Chris Carman to Junior Steven Shows for the goal. Word from the field is a Nimitz's defender may have also assisted in the play.  Martin's second goal came when Junior Daniel Brown returned a corner kick rebound with a chest trap and one-touch volley shot.  The yellow cards began to fly as the game got a little ugly.  The results of such play will cost the Warriors two players in the following game.  The final goal came when Senior Billy Ray Thomas assisted Brown to ice the game.   As usual, the Martin defensive play was outstanding and increased the number of shutouts for the season to five.  I include these six names in every report, but hats off to Seniors David Nobles, Jeff Shows, Mark Dornan and Juniors Landon Cox, Travis Ernst and Grant Booher.

Governor's  Cup Jan 10-12 2002 (Georgetown)   Championship Game Martin 1 S.A. Reagan 2 Martin finished second after a disappointing loss in shootout. Goals by: Daniel Brown in Regulation & Patrick Bryan in shootout Game # 3 Martin 2 - Longview 0 Goals by: Chris Carman & Craig Biery Martin Gained and Additional 9 Points for 26 Total Game  # 2 Martin 1 - S.A. McAuthur 0 The Lone Goal Scored by Daniel Brown Martin Has Another 8 Points (17 total) Game #1 Martin 2 - Clear Lake  0  Martin Has 9 Points Report By Tom Partridge The Martin Boys Soccer Team defeated Clear Lake by a score of 2-0 today (Thursday) in the first round of the Georgetown Governor's Cup Tournament. The first score came off a shot outside of the box by senior Rick Partridge. It was deflected by a Clear Lake defender and the goaltender but found its way into the net shortly before the end of the first half of play. Martin had several other opportunities but were unable to capitalize. The second half once again saw Martin with the majority of the opportunities for goals. Ultimately the pressure on the goal saw a Clear Lake defender commit a foul inside of the box which resulted in a free kick and a goal from senior Patrick Bryan. The Clear Lake goaltender stopped the initial shot but the rebound went right back to Patrick Bryan, who completed the play with a firm shot into the open side of the goal. This goal occurred mid way through the second half. With the score 2-0, the offensive pressure on the Clear Lake goal was diminished and Martin relied heavily on the once again outstanding defensive play of its defenders, Mark Dornan, Jeff Shows, Landon Cox, Grant Booher, and Travis Ernst. They were equal to the task and marked up the second game where the opposition has not scored a goal. The tournament continues tomorrow (Friday) with Martin scheduled to meet SA MacArthur at 3:00 on the Southwestern University Soccer Fields.

Plano January 8 2002 Report By: Larry Brown The Martin Warriors  traveled to Clark Stadium to take on the Wildcats of Plano High.  The tempo of the game was set early as the Wildcats came out with an early offensive rush. This resulted in the awarding of a penalty kick at the 3-minute mark.  Warrior keeper, Senior David Nobles was up to the challenge with a spectacular spread-legged save.  This appeared to turn the tide, as the Warriors began to put on the offensive pressure.  I counted no less than six scoring opportunities in the first half.  Seniors Patrick Bryan and Chris Carman both had multiple opportunities.  Junior Adam Bosillo also had his share.  But it was the men in the back playing the newly installed flat four defense that should be applauded.  The play of Seniors Jeff Shows and Mark Dornan anchored the five-man rotation including Juniors Grant Booher, Landon Cox and Travis Ernst. The second half began similar to the first half.  The feeling was that the Warriors would complete one of the many scoring opportunities at any time.  When this did not occur, Jeff Shows took the offensive to strike a one-touch return of a Plano goal kick that just barely cleared the top bar.  The Warriors best scoring opportunity may have come late in the game, when Junior Daniel Brown found himself behind the Wildcat defense and laced a shot towards the inside post.  Unfortunately for the Men in Black, the Plano keeper made a spectacular save. The game had an eerie feeling, similar to the many '01 district games that resulted in a shootout victory for our boys.  But the game was in Dallas and played to the 0-0 tie. The feeling in the stands was that the Warriors had outplayed the Mighty Wildcats.  The consensus was that the star of the game had been Nobles with his spectacular play.  He had displayed the skills that had earned him 1st Team All-District honors in '01.  The skills that should make him the favorite to repeat such honors in '02.

Coppell Scrimmage January 02, 2002 Report By: Larry Brown It's finally here!  The soccer season has officially begun. The varsity team began the 2002 soccer season by scrimmaging the Coppell Cowboys.  It was a cold and snowy afternoon as the Cowboys defeated the Warriors 3 - 0.  Coach Naughton had the opportunity to get a good look at the team in a game situation.   The Warriors had scoring opportunities as Senior Chris Carman took a shot that was deflected by the Cowboy Goalie and then hit the far post. Juniors Daniel Brown and Adam Bosillo both had scoring opportunities in the second half.  The Warrior Goalies, Senior David Nobles and Junior Josh Franklin had several nice saves. Senior Mark Dornan anchored the defense with his solid play.