Dasean Martin puts up big numbers for Bonanza

The Bonanza (Las Vegas) football roster officially lists Dasean Martin as a running back. And technically, that is correct.

But it's only half of the story.

The versatile Martin lines up all over the field for the Bengals on offense, spending part of his time in the backfield and the rest split out at wide receiver in an effort to keep opposing defenses from keying on the talented senior. So far it has worked, as the 5-foot-10, 187-pound Martin is on pace for a remarkable statistical accomplishment - more than 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving.

"If we left him at running back, we'd get nine guys in the box every play," Bonanza coach Shawn Dupris said. "This is just another way to get him the ball in space. He is a running back. He is a hell of a running back. But he's also a hell of a wide receiver."

While most teams with a FBS recruit at running back can hand the ball to him several times a game, the Bengals don't have that luxury with Martin. Bonanza (2-3 overall, 2-2 Southwest League) is one of the smallest teams in the 4A classification in the Vegas Valley with an offensive line that averages about 175 pounds, according to Dupris.

"We can't line up and run the ball 25 times," Dupris admitted. "It's not in our makeup."

Still, Martin has managed to rush for 517 yards and five touchdowns with five games remaining in the regular season. But it is his receiving numbers that have been truly eye-popping.

Teaming with quarterback Sterling Sprau, who is also hearing from FBS and FCS schools, Martin has 28 catches for 696 yards and a whopping 12 touchdowns, including four straight games with at least 123 yards through the air.

Martin has scored on the Bengals' first play from scrimmage in four of their five games thus far - twice on the ground and twice on long receptions from Sprau.

"Catching it is simple. It's like playing basketball," Martin said. "This year I worked on my quickness. I saw on the Internet someone said I looked stiff up top, so I changed my pads so I don't look as big. I'm catching balls out of the backfield and showing how physical I am, too."

Dupris said it is Martin's competitive nature that sets him apart.

"If you tell him he can't do something, it's on," Dupris said. "He's going to do everything in his power to make sure you know it's not true."

Last season, Martin was a first-team All-Southwest League pick after rushing for 1,306 yards. He also caught 18 balls for 333 yards and scored 24 total touchdowns.

"The main thing (recruiters) wanted to see from his senior year is if he can match what he did last year," Dupris said. "He's trumping what he did last year, easily."

Bonanza has won two straight games and is expected to battle Clark (Las Vegas), Sierra Vista (Las Vegas) and Thursday's opponent, Spring Valley (Las Vegas), for the final playoff spot from the Southwest League. The Bengals made the playoffs Martin's sophomore year, but missed out last season.

"That would be big," Martin said of making the postseason. "That's the primary goal."

Martin was a standout performer at several camps this summer and currently holds scholarship offers from Colorado State, UNLV, Utah State, Northern Arizona and Portland State. He is also hearing from most of the Mountain West Conference and Pacific-10 Conference - Arizona was at the school last week, Dupris said - and the interest in Martin continues to pick up.

Martin said he has not narrowed down his list of schools yet and will take his official visits after the football season, although he has made an unofficial visit to UNLV.

"He's a real good kid, never had any character issues," Dupris said. "He's a versatile and smart athlete. He's able to do a lot of things. ... A lot of schools with the spread offense can use him."

The only question is whether he will play running back, wide receiver or even defensive back.

"It doesn't matter," Martin said, "as long as I can get on the field."

SNEAK PREVIEW
1. Reed (Sparks) at Bishop Manogue (Reno), football: The visiting Raiders have won five straight and hold a half-game lead over Carson (Carson City) in the Northern 4A League standings. Reed (Sparks) (5-1, 5-0) is ranked No. 9 in the latest MaxPreps state rankings and fresh off a 42-6 blowout win over Galena (Reno). This appears to be the last potential stumbling block for the Raiders before a season-ending showing against cross-town rival Spanish Springs (Sparks). No. 11 Bishop Manogue (Reno) (4-1, 4-1), meanwhile, had two weeks to prepare for Reed following its 29-14 setback against Carson on Sept. 24.

2. Centennial (Las Vegas) at Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas), football: This might not be the sexiest matchup on paper, but it could have huge postseason implications down the line. The Northwest League is turning into a dogfight with five teams battling it out for two playoff spots and Centennial (Las Vegas) (4-2, 2-2) is currently tied for third place with Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas) (2-3, 2-2) and Legacy (North Las Vegas). In other words, the winner here has the inside track to one of the coveted postseason berths.

BE KIND, REWIND
There were a couple of noteworthy developments on the gridiron last week in the Northern 4A.

First, No. 7 McQueen (Reno) welcomed back running back Nick Shepard and knocked off previously unbeaten Spanish Springs 20-14. Shepard experienced shortness of breath and chest pains during the Lancers' game against Reed on Sept. 17 and was taken in an ambulance to a nearby hospital. He missed McQueen's 28-0 win over Douglas (Minden) the following week, but returned last Friday to spark the Lancers (5-1, 4-1) to a key victory over No. 17 Spanish Springs (5-1, 4-1). Shepard rushed for 132 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 31-yard reception with a minute to go. He accounted for 61 of the 65 yards on McQueen's game-winning drive.

Also, No. 4 Carson (Carson City) (5-0, 4-0) survived a battle against rival Douglas, winning 16-13 on a field goal by Austin Pacheco in overtime. But the biggest story is the health of Senators standout junior running back Dylan Sawyers, who was injured at the end of a 62-yard run late in the first half. Sawyers sat out most of the second half, but did return for the Senators' final possession of regulation and overtime. It remains to be seen how serious Sawyers' injury is and whether it will limit his effectiveness this week against Damonte Ranch (Reno) or the following week when Carson travels to Spanish Springs.

TRUCKEE STILL ROLLING
No. 5 Truckee (Calif.) continued its dominance of the Northern 3A League, beating Fernley 35-0 last week. In fact, the defending state champion Wolverines have yet to allow a point this season, outscoring their five opponents 202-0. Truckee meets 2-4 Wooster (Reno), which dropped down from the 4A classification before this season as part of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association's realignment, this week.

HARRISON COMMITS TO HAWAII
Green Valley (Henderson) senior shortstop Brett Harrison recently made a verbal commitment to play at Hawaii, where his brother, Matt, is a sophomore infielder.

"It's going to be amazing," Brett Harrison told Nevadapreps of playing with his brother. "He already has college experience; he's going to show me the ropes. I don't think there's anyone I'd like to share the experience with more than my brother."

Harrison also had scholarship offers from San Diego, Southern California, Texas Christian, UNLV and Nevada. He was a second-team all-state selection as a junior after hitting .416 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs for the Gators.

David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.