Chase Martin is The Star's Defensive Football Player of the Year for 2022
Chase Martin considered other high schools.
There was even a time when it looked like lacrosse might be his sport.
As it turns out, there was no escaping this Lancers legacy.
With Martin setting the tone at middle linebacker, the Thousand Oaks High football team enjoyed a storybook unbeaten regular season this fall.
Thirty-three years after his father Lance did the same in green and white.
“Chase is a generational football player for T.O.,” head coach Evan Yabu said. “Period.”
Call Martin the Lancers’ second-generation superstar.
In leading Thousand Oaks to its first 10-0 regular season, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior was second in Ventura County in scoring with 132 points, fourth in rushing with 1,019 yards and fourth in tackles with 131.
“It’s uncommon to see players perform like that on both sides of the ball,” Yabu said. “And at two positions that demand every piece of the football skill set. … It was a heroic season in a lot of ways for him.”
Considering his ability on special teams as a long snapper, Martin’s three-phase impact stands with some of the great seasons in county history.
And makes him a worthy of the The Star’s All-County Defensive Player of the Year honor.
That it came 33 years after Lance Martin led the Lancers to a 9-0-1 regular season adds to the poetry of the story.
“It means a lot,” Martin said. “My family has been supporting them for forever, both my parents went to T.O. My parents were going to games before I was alive. My grandparents were big supporters (because) my mom had three brothers that played at T.O.
“We’re really just a T.O. family.”
That it came just four years after Chase Martin joined a 0-10 program adds to the gravity of the impact.
“He was the lifeblood of the team,” said Thousand Oaks linebackers coach Matt Singleton. “Every team we played against was setting up their calls and pass protections based on where he was.”
How the Lancers prevailed in the deep completion of the Canyon League could be summed up by a highlight reel of Martin monster plays.
His 56-yard catch and run was the pivotal play of the 28-14 win over Oak Park.
Of course, his game-winning 6-yard TD run in overtime was the decisive final play of the epic 41-38 rivalry win over Newbury Park.
“As soon as the ball was snapped, I pretty much knew I was going to score,” Martin said. “I was gassed though. I’ve never slept so good in my life.”
And there was the bone-crunching forced fumble on the goal line in the 35-28 win over Camarillo, which also included a 72-yard TD run.
“It’s like having a giant brick wall in the middle of the field,” Thousand Oaks senior Will Halub said.
It wasn’t just limited to league play. Martin’s 11-yard TD run sealed the 32-22 win over Westlake on Sept. 2. He had 153 rushing yards and three TDs and 10 tackles and an interception in a 55-27 win over Del Notre, which clinched the first 10-0 regular season in school history.
“It wasn’t just like he was just performing well on offense or defense,” Yabu said. “He made a weird amount of huge plays in the games.”
“When we needed a first down to extend a drive to keep us in a game, he converted. Or he’d make a stop on third-and-6 when a guy caught the ball in the flat. In the big moments, he was always there.”
Martin doesn’t just have athletic genes on one side of the family. His maternal grandfather is former Agoura High wrestling coach Steve Smith. His uncle, Brian Smith, is the current passing game coordinator at Ohio University.
He grew up on football fields, often playing until well after the game’s conclusion when his father was the head coach at Simi Valley.
“We would let him play on the field until he was the last guy on the field,” Lance Martin said. “He never wanted to leave.”
While his father never played youth football, Chase was 7 when he first put the pads on.
“He wasn’t having it any other way,” Lance Martin said.
Martin originally was a center for the Thousand Oaks Titans, learning how to snap from his uncle Brian, who played center at Hawaii and signed NFL contracts with the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens.
The Titans reached the PeeWee Super Bowl when Martin was 9.
“He always had a good nose for the ball,” Lance Martin said. “He never shied away from contact.”
Martin shifted to quarterback on the freshman team at Thousand Oaks.
It was around that time that Martin also blossomed as a lacrosse player, making the Star’s All-County team.
“Early on, it was looking like that was the direction he was going,” Lance Martin said. “My wife was worried that I would be upset about it, but lacrosse seemed like fun.”
But Thousand Oaks has not been able to field a lacrosse team since. Instead, Martin will run sprints for the track team this spring.
It’s another way to challenge himself as he prepares to play collegiately at Boise State. Martin committed to the Broncos on Monday as both a linebacker and a long snapper.
“Ever since I was younger, I just really liked Boise,” Martin said. “I thought it was really cool. I had a little bit communication last year with them it definitely stuck with me.
“I went on the visit and the people there were very welcoming. It felt like a second home really. I feel like it’ll be the best place for me.”
After graduation, Martin will leave Thousand Oaks with the memories of one of the great seasons in school history.
“There’s definitely a lot of pride,” Martin said. “A lot of great players have come out of T.O. in the past. To say that we had one of the best teams is really cool. It shows how much hard work we put in.”
The Star's All-County Football Defense Second Team
Antoine Henderson, Pacifica
Matthew Perez, Hueneme
Ryan Johnson, Camarillo
Kaylon Miller, Calabasas
Koen Glover, St. Bonaventure
Esteban Gonzalez, Channel Islands
Stevie Plahn, Buena
Domata Peko Jr., Calabasas
Anthony Albanez, St. Bonaventure
Christian Knoos, Oaks Christian
Kyle Zeman, Agoura
Nick Lavizzo, Pacifica
Chico Perez, Oxnard
Roland Espinosa, Rio Mesa
Tyler Woods, Moorpark
Nick Thomas, Ventura
Nolan Story, Newbury Park
Camden Walker, Buena
Zayne McCulley, St. Bonaventure
Jalen Lewis, Oaks Christian
Sal Maria, Rio Mesa
Henry Borjas, Rio Mesa
Kaleb Harrison, Channel Islands
Cesar Saso, Moorpark
Will Halub, Thousand Oaks
Max Peters, Oak Park
Drew Coefield, St. Bonaventure
Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Chase Martin is The Star's Defensive Football Player of the Year
