ALLAN STEELE
HEMET No matter what happens Sunday, Hemet’s Jeff Martin’s name will dominate the Bulldog record book. The bruising senior ran for 235 yards on 42 carries Friday night, helping lead Hemet to a 35-25 victory over Beaumont in a Mountain Pass League game that offered a slim shot at a playoff berth to the winner. Hemet (6-4, 2-3) pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win, and now will apply for an at-large playoff berth, Coach Jeff Reitz said. Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday. The victory came after a typical Hemet-style offensive attack, with Martin pounding away at the Cougars and quarterback Noah Munsinger mixing in enough passes and adding his own power rushing into the mix to keep Beaumont on its heels. “His work ethic is unbelievable,” Reitz said of Martin, who has set school records with 352 carries and 2,087 rushing yards this year. Beaumont, which was 0-10 a year ago but turned things around under Coach Paul Lopez, trailed just 14-7 at the half and kept Martin out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. The Cougars (4-6, 1-4) needed a win and plenty of help to reach the playoffs and kept within striking distance. Noah Rhodes connected with Kyle Phillips for a 40-yard touchdown in the middle of the third quarter to pull within 21-14. Alex Raya’s 37-yard field goal to open the fourth cut the deficit to 21-17. Hemet’s rushing game, however, took over the final quarter. Boyd Beach’s 22-yard run capped an 80-yard Hemet drive and Martin finally got into the end zone with a 1-yard dive with 4:30 left to make it 35-17. “I came into the season expecting the most,” said Martin. “We don’t take any plays off in practice, and that gets us ready for game day.” Martin paid tribute to linemen Daymon Stone, Aaron Granillo, Antonio Salas, Micah Zerebny, and Justice Edwards. CONTACT THE WRITER: [email protected]