LYFORD — Oscar and Osmar Martinez’s football careers began together at Lyford Middle School. The twin siblings grew up on the gridiron side by side, with Osmar playing quarterback and Oscar playing multiple positions, including running back and receiver.
Their journey continued in high school, with both brothers developing into offensive weapons for the Lyford Bulldogs during their four-year careers.
Now the Martinezes are taking their talents to the next level, signing to play football at McPherson College on Friday at Lyford’s Memorial Gym.
McPherson College is an NAIA Division II school that competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
“It was up for grabs,” Osmar said. “We could have gone our separate ways or stay together, but we took this trip to Kansas and the offer was too good to not take. It was just a tremendous offer for a free education and playing together. It was a no-brainer to take that offer.”
The twin duo played key roles for Lyford this season, with Osmar starting at quarterback and Oscar splitting time at running back and receiver, and also seeing time on defense.
Osmar accounted for more than 3,000 yards of offense and 29 touchdowns during his senior year, earning him the Valley Morning Star All-Star Sub-5A Player of the Year award and District 16-3A DI MVP honors.
He finished with 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air, adding 1,852 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.
“I would say my success came from understanding the game of football and playing together as a team,” Osmar said. “I could not have done this by myself. Then having Oscar on the team, too, I trusted him. If something went wrong, I knew I could throw it down the field and he would do something. Everyone just did a good job. The coaches had a good game plan for me since I’m a dual-threat quarterback. We just had good receivers and an explosive backfield.”
Oscar also was dominant when on the field, tallying 783 total yards and nine touchdowns despite being limited to just seven games.
He finished with 558 yards and seven scores on 44 carries, and hauled in 11 receptions for 225 yards and two scores. Oscar earned District 16-3A DI’s running back of the year award for his performance.
“It sucks having an injury,” Oscar said. “Being able to come back to play, it felt good. You feel more excited to play because you haven’t played in a while. For me, I was able to go out and show out.”
Osmar and Oscar are unsure what position they’ll be playing next season, but both expect to play on the offensive side of the ball.
Regardless of what the future holds, the twin duo will do it together, just like it has since the start.
“We had our chances to go our separate way,” Oscar said. “When the offer came for us to go play together, why not take it? It won’t be new to us because we’ll still have each other. We won’t be out there by ourselves.”
