Hopatcong senior Joe Martinek is years away from a chance to play in the National Football League, but when it comes to bragging rights, he is about to stand on a pedestal well above such well-known New Jersey products as Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Craig Heyward, Ron Dayne and Mike Rozier. Martinek needs 133 yards to tie Keyport's Ken Cattouse for the all-time New Jersey career rushing record (6,720 yards). The Chiefs host SCIL rival Kittatinny tonight at 7. Martinek's quest might be common knowledge to area fans, but it isn't as big a deal among a lot of the student body at Hopatcong, which "tells you the kind of kid he is because he never talks about it," Chiefs coach Paul Reduzzi said. "He doesn't say a word about it."
Not that the record is going completely unnoticed. Many of last year's Hopatcong players came to the 21-0 victory over Sparta last week to watch Martinek run for 148 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, the Madison Square Garden Network broadcast a flattering tribute to both Martinek and Pope John standout Jeremy Tucker Tuesday night. "This has been all good,"Reduzzi said. "The MSG thing was real nice on the Sussex backs. It was a real nice job." The buildup to Martinek's senior season actually began last fall, when he was a unanimous first-team All-State selection by the Associated Press. In August, he gave a verbal commitment to Rutgers and, two weeks ago, he came into range of Cattouse's record with a 396-yard game in a 34-12 win at Jefferson. "Joe Martinek is a special talent," New Jersey high school football recruiting analyst Chris Melvin said. "Not only does he have very good speed (4.4 in the 40), but he has superb power and athleticism (better than 9 feet in the broad jump). "Rutgers is receiving a gifted player and a great person in Martinek. He is the type of player that deserves the state record. I personally know Knowshon Moreno (formally of Middletown South now at Georgia, who holds the state scoring record) and Kenny Cattouse (now at Troy University) and they are both great athletes on the field and classy individuals off. Joe Martinek fits right in the class with those two." Martinek's stunning success as a rare four-year starter at running back hasn't gone to his head. Martinek won't let it and neither will his teammates -- even if tonight turns out to be a record-setting one. "It has not been an ordinary week," Reduzzi said, "but the kids and Joe keep it in check. It'll be a fun night, if it happens." Martinek breaking the record tonight is not a sure thing. Kittatinny is 4-1 after finishing 0-10 last year and the Cougars are playing like a playoff-bound team. "They have a solid defense and run to the ball well,"Reduzzi said. "They've gone from 0-10 to 4-1, they're vastly improved and they are a confident team."