BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The Martin County High School football team took the field in full pads Friday night for scrimmages against Pikeville and Letcher County Central.
Fans filled Cardinal Stadium to watch the players test themselves against strong competition ahead of the regular season.
For senior quarterback Devan Maynard, stepping onto the field in full pads provided an extra spark.
“Feels great,” Maynard said. “We’re playing two really good teams tonight. They’re definitely going to make us better.”
Turning his attention to the week ahead, Maynard said the focus will be on refining all aspects of the game.
“We’re going to work on a little bit of everything, especially defense,” he noted. “I think we can improve a lot.”
With several colleges keeping a close eye on the Blue Grey All-American, Maynard remains committed to the daily grind that fuels his success.
“I just have to keep working every day,” he said. “I want to stay in the weight room and be a leader out on the field.”
Senior safety Braxton Maynard expects to see increased playing time this season.
“We need to get our heads around it. Make a play on the ball,” Braxton Maynard said. “If we get our defense and blocking right, we’re going to look good.”
Junior Braxton Moore spoke about facing good competition in the scrimmage.
“I think we were prepared for this,” Moore said. “Coach wants us to focus on getting better. That’s why we do this. We’ll dig in and work on blocking assignments. Rock Hill is a good team.”
New offensive coordinator Joe Stanley, who came to Martin County after successful coaching stops at Belfry and Pikeville, described the transition as a welcome opportunity.
“It’s a new change of scenery for me,” Stanley said. “I’m where I’m wanted and that makes me happy.”
Reflecting on the offense’s development so far, Stanley acknowledged there is still work to do but expressed optimism.
“It’s a process. It’s a whole new offense. We started in February. I saw some bright spots tonight,” he said.
Looking ahead to the next challenge against Rock Hill, Stanley emphasized steady improvement and praised one standout player.
“Our goal is to get a little better each week,” he said. “Devan is a special talent. He’s one of the best high school athletes I’ve seen.”
Head coach Josh Muncy expressed optimism after the scrimmage.
“I was pleasantly surprised at some stuff I saw tonight,” Muncy said. “We’re closer to being able to play a full game than I thought and that’s exciting. We achieved what we wanted to do tonight: reps and quality competition. Pikeville and Letcher are better than the teams on our schedule. We saw some physicality.”
Defensive coordinator Cody Slone stressed that success begins long before kickoff.
“It’s a lot of small things,” Slone said. “It adds up. It starts with preparation and practice. The way you perform on Friday is a representation of how you performed in the week.”
While acknowledging there is still progress to be made, Slone said the team is headed in the right direction.
“Nobody out here is where we want to be. We want to be our best product when district starts to roll around,” he explained.
Still, Slone was encouraged by what he saw on the field.
“Overall, toughness, heart and attitude looked a lot better tonight. Everyone in the bleachers sees that. Build your teammates up and lead each other,” he urged.
Martin County will face Rock Hill in another scrimmage this Friday at Cardinal Stadium. The action begins at 7:30 p.m.