A Two-way perspective

                             Martinez knows PI-Los Fresnos rivalry from both sides

                                                                   By Roy Hess
                                                         The Brownsville Herald

August 24, 2005 — Tuffy Martinez views the “Battle of Highway 100” football rivalry between Port Isabel and Los Fresnos from a unique perspective.

The former All-Valley defensive back and quarterback played for Port Isabel in the early 1980s. He was a key member of the Tarpon team that went to the state semifinals in 1981.

After assistant coaching stints at Port Isabel, Sharyland and Hidalgo, and a few years in private business, Martinez came to Los Fresnos prior to last season after being hired as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator. His son, Venus Martinez, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound outside linebacker and running back, is one of the Falcons’ senior standouts this year.

Martinez has three children who have lived with his former wife for some time in Los Fresnos. The oldest, Amberly, 22, is a re-cent Los Fresnos graduate. And besides Venus, there’s Roxanne, a 15-year-old sophomore who plays on the Lady Falcon volleyball team.

“My heart is with my kids,” Martinez said. “Where they are is where I want to be.

“When Los Fresnos plays Port Isabel, it’s always a big battle, and right now, standing in these shoes, I’m on my kids’ side, and I’ll always be on their side,” he added.

Having experienced the “Battle of Highway 100” rivalry as a player, fan and now coach, Martinez knows how much the two towns look forward to the annual showdown.

“The game means bragging rights for the winner,” Martinez said. “It’s a game played by the kids that is going to be appreciated by the fans of both communities.”

The Falcons won 16-13 in overtime last year at Port Isabel. The two teams meet again at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Leo Aguilar Sta-dium in Los Fresnos.

Martinez knows that some PI fans may think that he has done the equivalent of turning to the dark side by taking a coaching job at Los Fresnos. Over the years, there have been other Tarpon coaches, including the late Eliseo Villarreal, who went from PI to Los Fresnos — but not many. In Villarreal’s case, he eventually returned to PI after a brief stint at Los Fresnos.

Martinez said it has been approximately 14 years since he lived in Port Isabel. Prior to coming to Los Fresnos in 2004, he had re-sided in the Upper Valley.

“Even though I’ve been away from Port Isabel for awhile now, we still have family members over there and you keep up with what’s going on in the community,” he said. “I know that I’ll be getting phone calls this week from some of my buddies there that I play golf with once in a while during the summer. I’m sure I’ll get at least one phone call from a buddy (Joey Salinas) who likes to call me and say, ‘You better be ready.’

“I just tell them, ‘OK, we’ll be ready, and I’ll see you guys after the game,’” he added. “It’s a good time to get back with family and friends after the game and things like that, but we have to take care of business first.”

Venus Martinez said having his father on the Falcon coaching staff gives him extra motivation, especially when Los Fresnos plays its neighboring rival on Highway 100.

“Having my dad there as a coach gives me a little extra push,” he said. “He’s been there as a coach my whole life.

“The rivalry means a lot because my family is originally from PI, and my mom and my dad both graduated from there and a lot of my family lives over there,” he added. “It’s always a big week. This game will be pretty special this year because it’s the last time I’ll be playing in it. It will definitely give me some extra motivation. I don’t know what the score will be, but I believe we will win.”

Tuffy Martinez said he hopes he can use the lessons he learned as a Port Isabel athlete to help the Falcons regularly qualify for the state playoffs like the Tarpons.

“What I want to happen for not just for myself but for all these kids in Los Fresnos is the playoff experience that kids in some high schools unfortunately never ever experience,” he said. “Getting to the playoffs is something that I wish every student-athlete could experience.”