Kaplan linebacker not afraid to show emotion on and off the football field

D’Angelo Martin is not afraid to show his emotions before, during and after a Kaplan High football game.
Before each game Martin gets down on his knees, on the field, in front of his teammates and says a prayer.
It is something he has been doing ever since he was young.
“It is my moment with God,” said Martin. “Everything I do is because of Him. I give Him all of the glory.”
Martin, a senior, says he prays for different things. He ask God to let him play to the best of his ability and also that no one gets hurt in the game.
He has heard talk from teammates around him, about him dropping on two knees and praying, but he lets it bounce off of him and continues to pray.
The person who instilled in him to never be afraid to pray is his grandmother - Sandra Martin.
“She is the person who keeps me going,” said Martin.
His grandmother has raised him since he was a baby.
Martin almost lost his grandmother two years ago when she was involved in a car accident. Martin was a sophomore. She has had a long road back to recovery. Her struggles have also taught Martin not to take life for granted.
“It made me rethink life. I want to make her happy and do for her,” he said.
Once his prayer is finished before the start of the game, Martin turns it up a notch and turns on his motor ready to go.
Martin plays on both offense and defense.
On defense, he plays linebacker and on offense, he rotates at tight end.
The 6-foot, 210 pound middle linebacker has 41 total tackles for Kaplan.
His best game this year was against Church Point, where he had 11 total tackles.
“I love it,” said Martin about his defensive position.
Martin, who wears jersey No. 5, also wears prescription goggles. He has trouble seeing near, so the goggles help him see close. He admits he is not a fan of eye-ware but he has no other choice. He tried contacts but they were tough to put on. Glasses popped off easily each time someone would hit his helmet.
Each game, he fights to keep the goggles on. This year he placed a shield on his face-guard to project his goggles.
Before the regular season ended, Martin showed his American Spirit by wearing an American flag bandana under his helmet. He wore it in honor of Toby Mallet from Kaplan. He was killed in Baghdad while serving in the Army in 2004.
The Mallet family was honored before a football game at Kaplan High. Martin is friends with Toby’s sister.
“I did not know Toby because I was too young, but I heard great stories about him. He sounds like someone I would want to be like,” said Martin.