Martinez turns summer grind into college football opportunity
By McKenzie Jackson · Fri Jun 12 2026
Malibu High standout turns determination, leadership, and hard work into a chance with Moorpark College
Malibu High Sharks football player Tony Martinez, 18, spent the summer before his senior season running football drills with his dad, Victor Martinez, at the beach and with Sharks quarterback Sawyer Keegan on the high school’s football field, dreaming of playing the sport at the next level.
“If you want this, you have to show that you want it, because it isn’t going to be given to you,” Martinez recalled preaching to himself. “I’d rather take the hard path and do the right thing than take the easy path and do the wrong thing. What is important to me is putting the work in.”
Martinez’s summer grind paid off. He is set to take his gridiron game to the college ranks, signing with the Moorpark College Raiders in late May.
Martinez, who graduated high school this month, said his commitment to the nearby two-year school is a result of his hard work.
“It feels really good,” he said. “The double practices — it feels amazing to get recognition for that.”
Martinez is joining a Moorpark squad that finished last season with a 6–5 record, including closing the regular season with five consecutive wins.
He didn’t ping on the Raiders’ radar initially because of his football exploits, though. Instead, Moorpark running backs and special teams coach Terrance Johnson — a Heritage Christian track coach — saw Martinez, a Malibu hurdler of three years, win a 300-meter hurdle heat at the Malibu Invitational in February and was intrigued by the athlete’s 6-foot, 195-pound frame.
“I pretty much smoked everyone, including the kids he coached,” Martinez recalled.
Johnson approached Malibu’s football and track coach Mike Halualani at the meet and inquired about Martinez. A few days later, Martinez visited Moorpark’s campus, which sits 34 minutes from Malibu High, and was immediately impressed.
“They had a lot more to offer than I thought,” Martinez said. “Since it’s a junior college, I wasn’t expecting too much, but I was surprised.”
Martinez praised the football program for producing four NCAA Division I football players this year.
“That piqued my interest,” he said. “I really liked the work ethic the team has. They were like a month away from spring practice, but there were like 30 guys there getting extra work in.”
Martinez recorded 105 tackles and was named first-team All-Frontier League and second-team Football 8 All-CIF Southern Section Division II last season. He also received the football team’s Ray Humphrey Leadership Award, named after beloved former Sharks coach Ray Humphrey, who died in January 2024.
Halualani said Martinez is part of a group that revitalized Malibu High football and was a team leader since he was in the 10th grade.
“He worked hard daily — no complaints — and was a great example to the younger player,” Halualani explained. “He worked hard at his craft. Not only in terms of football, but in the weight room, and he joined the track and field team to get faster — which he did — finishing as the fourth fastest 300 hurdler in Malibu High School history.”
Martinez first stepped on the football field at the beginning of his freshman year. He wanted to play the sport because his dad is a big San Francisco 49ers fan.
“I’d see how he’d watch games, and I wanted him to watch me in that way,” Martinez said.
Martinez considered quitting after a couple of practices due to all the bumps and bruises he experienced.
“Everything was sore,” he said. “I went in not knowing a single thing about football. I was completely lost.”
Martinez’s friends on the team inspired him to stay in his helmet and shoulder pads, though. By his sophomore year, he was hooked on the sport.
“I like the team dinners,” Martinez said. “I like the adrenaline rush before and during a game. I like knowing that everyone on the sideline has my back. I love the bond with the team. This is the best sport ever.”
He was Malibu’s starting center on offense and one of the starting defensive ends on defense his first two seasons. He was switched to linebacker ahead of his 11th-grade year.
Martinez’s dreams of playing college football began around the same time.
“My freshman year, I didn’t really understand the process,” he recalled. “My sophomore year, I understood a bit more. The next year, I was trying to see who would be interested in me and where I wanted to go.”
The summer practices with his dad and quarterback, Martinez said, were conducted to give him a better chance to secure a college football spot. Martinez ran a variety of offensive and defensive drills with his father in the mornings on the beach.
“When we’d practice, he’d change my position,” Martinez explained. “I’d play linebacker, then he’d move me to tight end. Then all of a sudden, he’d move me to quarterback and say, ‘You have to be ready because you never know when coach will call your number. It’s not just going to be on defense.’ He’d train me for any possible situation.”
Martinez ran offensive routes and caught passes from Keegan during the afternoons.
Halualani added that Martinez’s hard work paid off.
“To say his growth was exponential might be an understatement,” she noted.
Martinez is excited to begin his college football career at Moorpark and aims to continue playing at a four-year school.
“I want to prove I can compete at the next level,” he said. “It’s crazy to see how far I have come from the skinny kid in freshman year to how I am now. The amount of work I put in to get to where I am — I’m super shocked, happy, and proud — all of the above.”