Jayden Martins is 'a huge part' of Milford football after returning for senior year

MILFORD - Jayden Martins waited patiently engaged with the Attleboro offensive lineman. The Milford High football team drilled screen passes all week and impressed upon its defensive line the need for patience. Once the Bombardiers quarterback cocked his arm back to pass, Martins knifed his 6-foot-2, 330-pound frame into the lane and leapt to snag the interception.

He carried two tacklers to the Attleboro 9-yard line and gave the Scarlet Hawks a second crack at a game-tying touchdown in a 14-7 loss Friday.

"It's a dream to catch an interception as a lineman," Martins said. "I've been hoping for that my whole life, and it finally happened."

The play put an exclamation point on the best game Martins has played for the Scarlet Hawks so far this year, which means it's the best game of his varsity career to this point. Martins took up football at a young age but quit the program as a freshman.

"I never really thought about coming back," he said.

He focused on the lacrosse field, where he is a standout attacker with nimble feet and a heavy shot. But many of his friends played football and tried to coax him and his size back into the fold.

"It's been years trying to get him into playing. He played with me my freshman year then just disappeared for a little while," fellow Milford senior Sam Rosenburg said. "I got him back into it, and he's bene a huge part of our program."

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The team's culture and environment enticed him. The Scarlet Hawks have played in the state semifinals each of the past three years.

"I really do love the environment, so I was like, why not for my senior year?" Martins said. "I've loved it so far. I love every guy on this team. They're all my family. I wasn't as close as I was with people, but now I'm starting to get better overall."

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Milford could use a jolt after losing three of its past four games. Martins could provide a spark, if the way his team celebrated after his interception is any indication.

"Jayden's a very agile kid. We all know he can do it," Rosenburg said. "There's a lot more for Jayden. Jayden's only starting."

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk .

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Jayden Martins is 'a huge part' of Milford football after returning for senior year