Rising to Knighthood

Sometimes ignored, even forgotten, but hardly underestimated.

For David DeMartinis, Notre Dame High’s senior quarterback, it has been that kind of a season in the circus that is the Justin Fargas show.

With the media cataloging every slash and dash made by Fargas, one of the best high school tailbacks in the nation, DeMartinis has toiled mostly in the sizable shadow of his teammate.

But don’t expect sour grapes from DeMartinis.

“That’s all right with me,” DeMartinis said. “He deserves the attention. I really don’t care how much attention I get as long as the team wins.”

The Knights (11-2) have won plenty, but they’ll seek their biggest victory Friday night when they meet Arroyo Grande (9-3) in the Southern Section Division III championship game at Pierce College.

It’s the second consecutive title game for the Knights, who last year lost to Camarillo, 20-14.

DeMartinis, 6 feet 3 and 195 pounds, was a safety and backup quarterback last season. He still feels the sting of the defeat.

“That was a real big disappointment,” DeMartinis said. “We are not going to let it happen again.”

There were questions coming into whether DeMartinis could effectively take over at quarterback for Jorge Piedra, who passed for 1,370 yards and 19 touchdowns in his senior year.

Piedra also could scramble for big gains.

“We knew [DeMartinis] threw the ball very accurately,” said Kevin Rooney, Notre Dame coach. “We were concerned just about the fact he had not been in game action [at quarterback] at the varsity level.”

Those worries proved unfounded.

DeMartinis, in a perfect complement to Fargas, has 2,028 yards passing and 20 touchdowns, and made 166 passes before having two intercepted late in the first half of Notre Dame’s 49-27 victory over Oxnard in a quarterfinal playoff game on Nov. 28.

He passed for a career-high 239 yards with one touchdown against Oxnard, completing 19 of 27 and coming away with his most memorable game despite the two interceptions.

“It was a lot of fun because we passed a lot in that game,” said DeMartinis, who also plays safety. “I guess I was pretty lucky. I could have had a couple intercepted before but the defenders dropped them.”

DeMartinis had a pass intercepted in a 28-19 victory over Righetti last week in the semifinals, but finished 14 of 24 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The interception came on a Hail Mary pass just before halftime.

“We’ve never had a [quarterback] who is as composed and as sure of himself,” said Jeff Kraemer, Notre Dame’s offensive line coach. “He’s quiet, he’s measured, he’s restrained.”

DeMartinis, who said he is surprised by how much the Knights have passed, has teamed with Fargas to make Notre Dame’s play-action calls a weapon.

Once the defense bites, DeMartinis does the rest.

“He’s been a real clutch player,” Rooney said. “He reads coverages well and makes good decisions. . . . He’s very good at sidestepping the rush and throwing the ball downfield. We even have some plays where he runs the ball.”

But usually the unpretentious DeMartinis leaves the running to Fargas and works quietly in the background. It’s a role he doesn’t mind playing.

“I really didn’t have any [personal] goals,” DeMartinis said. “I just wanted to win. I’m having a lot of fun. I’m playing with a lot of guys I like.”