Matt Martin loved his four seasons as an assistant football coach at Ridgefield High School. Now, he cannot wait to get back to Ridgefield, to lead the Spudders as the team’s new head coach.
“The people were great, the fans were great, and we always got a great crowd,” Martin said of his time as the program’s defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2005.
Now, the man who has been an assistant coach at four other Clark County high schools through the years and has had other coaching stints in Ohio and California, is getting the top job at Class 1A Ridgefield.
Martin, 40, has been an assistant with Class 4A Evergreen the past two seasons.
“The long-term goal, to paraphrase Pete Caroll, is win forever,” Martin said. “As long as I’m here, we’re going to win. The short-term goal is to keep the program consistent. They had 72 (players) from the four grades. I want to keep that and increase that. I want to keep them excited about football.”
Martin takes over for Kitt Rawlings, who led the Spudders to a 7-3 record and a spot in the district playoffs in the fall.
Rawlings left Ridgefield for employment in Utah.
The hiring of Martin has not been a secret.
He was told earlier that he would get the recommendation. But the school district made the hiring official Tuesday night, according to the school’s athletic director, Debbie Bentler.
“He comes with an abundance of high school coaching experience,” Bentler said. “He has a lot of passion for football. I think he’s going to be a great fit for our community and kids.”
In fact, Martin said he still keeps in contact with some Ridgefield players from his earlier years with the program.
Martin grew up in Illinois before moving to California prior to his senior year of high school. His family moved again, this time to the Northwest, and Martin attended Clark College.
Eventually, he found his way back to the Midwest and graduated from Ohio State. From there, he has been a coach in California, Ohio, and for the last decade, at schools in Clark County.
“I plan on staying in Clark County. I don’t plan on moving anywhere else. It gets exhausting, making all those moves,” he said. “It’s God’s country out here. From the football field at Ridgefield, I can see Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. It’s beautiful, and there’s so many things to do here.”
Coaching football is one of those things.
A teacher in his 11th school year at Evergreen High School, he said he is excited to have already learned about the work ethic displayed by the Spudders.
“I heard there are 25 kids in the weight room at 5:30 in the morning. They are playing baseball and (competing in) track after school, so they’re getting their workouts done in the morning,” Martin said. “There are a lot of kids who want to do great. I just want to keep the momentum going.”
Martin is the third high school football head coaching hire in Clark County this offseason.
Jack Hathaway, another former assistant at Evergreen, has taken over at Heritage. Eric Ollikainen is the new head coach at Fort Vancouver. Hudson’s Bay is reportedly in the final stages of finding its next football coach.
