Nicole Harris taught Kenneth Martin Jr. that if he wanted something to go get it.
The message from mother to son sounds simple, but the hard part comes in the preparation and the execution. In track and field, it seems like there is never enough time to train to help you reach the times or marks you set in your head. For Martin Jr., that juggling act is even harder when you have to balance three events in a busy schedule.
But the Columbus High School senior kept his mother’s words on his mind throughout the 2018 campaign because he wanted to end his prep career on a high note.
Martin Jr. realized that goal May 4 when he capped his track and field career by winning the triple jump (47 feet) at the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State meet at Pearl High School.
“This whole season I said, ‘I am going to State regardless of what s going on,’ ” said Martin Jr., who missed out on participating in the 2017 State meet due to an injury he suffered playing football. “I just had my mind-set that this was my last year and I had to leave with something.”
Martin Jr. also took seventh in the high jump (5-10) and a third in the long jump (22-5 1/2) at the State meet. He said it wasn’t easy to juggle three events, to do his school work, and to hold down a part-time job at Zaxby’s. Martin Jr. said he would run alternate his training for events from week to week as well as continue to run every week to stay in shape. He feels he came a long way in track and field and progressed from someone who was participating to someone who was competing for titles.
“I was happy I got a medal in long jump,” said Martin Jr., who admitted his legs felt “heavy” prior to the high jump and that he didn’t get a good warmup in after arriving at the meet. “It was going to be better if I came home with two medals. I didn’t want to go home with only one medal.”
At the Class 6A North State meet April 28 at Madison Central High, Martin Jr. was first in the triple jump (47-3 1/4), second in the high jump (6-0), and second in the long jump (22-0).
At the Class 6A, Division 2 meet April 10-12 at Tupelo High, Martin Jr. won the high jump (6-6), was second in the long jump (21-17), and won the triple jump (41-9 1/2).
“Kenneth Martin is one of the best pure athletes I have been around,” Columbus High track and field coach Lawrence Hill said. “He is determined, and when he set his mind to something, he won’t stop until he gets it. He set a goal to compete in three events at the State meet, and he did it.”
The track and field season concluded one part of Martin’s athletic pursuits. In February, another door opened for Martin Jr. when he signed a scholarship to play football at Itawamba Community College in Fulton.
Martin Jr., a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder, played wide receiver and safety for four years at Columbus High. He had 24 catches for 364 yards and five touchdowns. Martin Jr. started to play safety this past season. He also played tight end and defensive end in pee wee football and in middle school.
“Kenny was a joy to coach,” said former Columbus High football coach Randal Montgomery. “He was a very respectful and well-mannered kid. He knew what he wanted to do with the game of football, and he went out and turned it into a scholarship. The sky is the limit for him.”
Martin Jr. said all of the training after the end of the 2017 football season was worth it. In fact, he said he surprised himself with the amount of improvement he made from last season, particularly in the high jump. Martin Jr. said he would love to continue to grow as a track and field athlete, but he said the progression he made in the sport as a senior gives him confidence to know he can see similar growth as a football player.
Martin Jr. isn’t sure which position he will play at ICC, but he intends to use his mother’s words as motivation to make an impact on the football field at ICC.
“It will help my mind-set, and I just have to push my game up a little bit more, push it farther than what I can do and be the best player and person I can be,” Martin Jr. said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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