Horizon coach, Hamilton RB earn Cardinals’ weekly high school honors

Horizon coach Ty Wisdom and sophomore running back/cornerback Cole Martin of Hamilton were respectively named the Arizona Cardinals high school coach and player of the week, the NFL team announced Tuesday.

Wisdom led Horizon to a 49-7 victory over Gilbert High School. Horizon was missing 30 players due to COVID-19 protocols, making the win especially impressive. The Huskies are 3-1 so far this season.

Martin had a standout game against Saguaro High School last week. Martin returned two punts for a total of 104 yards, with one of the runs totaling 75-yards. He also had three tackles on defense.

The game was a rematch of last year’s AIA Open Division semifinal round, where Saguaro eliminated Hamilton from the playoffs. This year Hamilton came out on top with a 13-7 win. The game was televised on ESPN2 as a part of the ESPN Geico High School Showcase.

The weekly awards are selected by a local panel of sports figures, including Cardinals defensive lineman Corey Peters, former high school football coach Kelly Epley, former 12 News sports anchor Bruce Cooper, 3TV/CBS 5 sports anchor Tresa Tudrick, high school broadcaster Michael Carotenuto, and Arizona Republic high school writer Richard Obert.

Wisdom received a plaque and a $1,000 check on behalf of Cardinals Charities in support of the Horizon football program on Wednesday.

Martin received a glass trophy on Wednesday.

Horizon’s next two games are currently cancelled. Their next game is scheduled for Nov. 13 against Campo Verde. Hamilton will play Desert Vista on Friday.

Previous 2020 Winners:

Week 1: Coach Mike Zdebski of Hamilton and QB Burton Delay of Valley Vista

Week 2: Coach Bobby Newcombe of Casteel and RB Eli Sanders of Chandler

Week 3: Coach Mike Fell of Mountain View and WR Eric Lira of Mesquite