Trading his zebra stripes for Hornet wings. Benny Carter-Martin named head coach of Calipatria football

Long time football referee and Holtville baseball coach, Benny Carter-Martin named Calipatria head football coach

CALIPATRIA, Calif. ( KYMA, KECY-TV ) - It is said, variety is the spice of life. For Holtville head baseball coach Benny Carter-Martin, he's about to grab the cayenne peppers off the spice rack as he embarks on a new challenge, taking over the football program at Calipatria High school.

"I was talking to a buddy of mine, Joshua Wise over at Central High school," Carter-Martin said. "He reached out and asked me if I was interested."

Carter-Martin has been on football sidelines in the Imperial Valley for the past decade. Only he hasn't been a football coach but rather a referee.

"I'm used to throwing the flag and moving on forward with life, you know what I mean?" Carter-Martin said. "He [Joshua Wise] talked to me and said there may be a teaching position along with the coaching position."

Benny then spoke to Ted Hughes, the Calipatria Athletic Director and soon after, was announced as the new head football coach.

"I'm excited," Ted Hughes said. "He's [Benny] been a fixture here in the Valley as a football official and served as Holtville High School's head baseball coach."

Carter-Martin slides into the head football coach role but hasn't coached football in over 15 years. He knows he has a lot to learn. He knows the Hornets are off to a late start. He knows he has to build a coaching staff in two weeks and earn his players trust in less than a month.

"This is the big time now," Carter-Martin said. " This is the moneymaker. This is where everybody goes on Friday nights. It's the talk of the town and for the kids, that's their pride."

After high school Benny played football for Arizona Western College. After that he helped coach JV football for a year or two but has been more involved with baseball since. Benny feels his baseball knowledge will carry over to the football field.

"I played baseball with a football mentality," Carter-Martin said. "What I mean by that is, if I had to run through a wall or through you, I'm going to do that. Like, that is my job. As a coach I don't micromanage. In baseball, I have a pitching coach and I don't even touch the pitching staff. I ask him who's throwing today? Okay cool, let's go. If I can't trust someone to do their job, then why do I need them around?"

Carter-Martin says it's important to him to build a coaching staff with people he trusts, people who have a pulse on the community and who are overall good human beings.

"There are people who have reached out but I haven't met any of these people," Carter-Martin said. "If I haven't met you I can't say come coach with me, it's not realistic."

Carter-Martin says his passion for his players is ultimately what will earn their trust and respect.

"Once I'm on your team, I'm on your team," Carter-Martin said. "Knowing that this is a sport where you can band together so much more than any other sport, because, without the other 10 guys on the field, you're in trouble. Just showing them that doing their job is important, that everyone is important from myself as head coach all the way down to who brings out water during a timeout. Building the trust and camaraderie and where I am coming from is the biggest thing to me."

The Hornets start training camp in early August and open their regular season on the road on August 19th at Desert Christian Academy.