Martin’s day one for the record books

Editors note: In more than six years, Chris Schanz has seen his fair share of individual performances, whether in a single contest or over the course of a career. In this “Exceptional Efforts” series, he will take a look back at some of those standout games or careers.

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Football is most definitely a team sport.

But mostly, it’s individuals who get all the credit for a team’s success.

Coaches are judged by wins and losses, but how many times are they on the field throwing the pass, running the ball or making a tackle?

Quarterbacks throw for all those yards, but who gave them time to throw? Running backs get the praise for rushing the ball, but who’s big men shoved the other big men out of his way to make room?

Although it takes 11 players to move the ball down the field on offense, or 11 defensive players from stopping the opposing offense, it’s specific players who generally account for all the recognition.

Especially when some of those individuals are responsible for records at the state’s highest level.

Enter stage left, Caleb Martin.

It’s Dec. 4, 2015. The Fort Recovery High School football team is making its debut in the state championship game at Ohio Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University.

It took a team of Indians to reach such uncharted territory.

Caleb Martin, with help of his other teammates on the field, carried them to the promise land that day against the Mogadore Wildcats.

It started on the Indians’ first drive when he connected with Darien Sheffer for a touchdown.

He set the tone for a record-setting performance, and that’s not just by the Tribe winning the program’s first state championship game.

Martin, at the time an uncommitted junior with NCAA Division I aspirations, was just warming up his arm for total domination.

Not too much later in the first quarter, Tanner Koch caught a Martin pass for a touchdown; the first for Koch and Martin’s second.

How about another two-TD performance in the second quarter, too?

Martin’s third score was perhaps the best play of his career.

The 6-foot, 2-inch, 200-pounder dropped back to pass with Mogadore defensive lineman Kyle Callihan charging around the edge to Martin’s right.

Martin stepped up in the pocket and fired a dart to Brandon “Speedy” Schoen who was crossing the middle of the field on a post route.

Callihan drilled Martin a split second after the Indian got rid of the ball. Most high school quarterbacks would have probably tucked the ball to run in an attempt to avoid Callihan.

Not Martin. He stayed in the pocket, felt the pressure and still went through his progression. It resulted in a 75-yard touchdown as Schoen bolted untouched for the score.

(More on that play later.)

Keeping track? That’s three TDs for Martin.

Same quarter, Martin to Koch yet again.

Four TDs for Martin. Two for Koch.

Still more.

In the third quarter, in spite of missing a series with a cramp in his calf, Martin surpassed 300 passing yards for the first time in his career.

The cherry on top of Martin’s exceptional effort, and Fort Recovery’s 33-14 victory to win the Division VII state championship, came in the fourth quarter when he lofted a 30-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Wes Wenning on a post route over the middle.

“I didn’t really envision playing this well,” Martin said in the post game press conference. “I just knew that I needed to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers and I did.

“They just made a lot of stuff happen. Everyone just made plays.”

All Martin did was complete 25 of his 39 pass attempts for 385 yards and five touchdowns while setting five Division VII state championship game records that still stand today.

He owns the most passing attempts (39), most completions (25), passing yards (385) and passing touchdowns (five). His 75-yard dart to Schoen is also the longest scoring touchdown — passing or otherwise — in Division VII state final history.

It was Martin’s coming out party. Just two months later, he committed to Toledo, becoming the program’s first NCAA Division I player.

“I don’t know if I necessarily envisioned it, but we knew that he could play this well,” Fort Recovery coach Brent Niekamp said after the game. “The opportunities were there as far as coverages and matchups, so we kept going to it and he kept making plays throughout the game.”

Martin’s efforts helped his teammates set or match Division VII state championship records that have yet to be broken as well.

Schoen finished with 125 receiving yards, on just five receptions, for a state record.

Koch’s two TD catches matched Marion Local’s Hunter Wilker a year earlier.

That day, the Indians amassed 458 total yards of offense, which is a Division VII state record.

The game featured the most total touchdowns (seven), most combined points (47) and the largest attendance (7,957) in Division VII.

And Martin’s exceptional effort was at the center of it all.