Buffalo Bloodlines

By KAL OCHOA 

The Tower 

Assistant coach Gilbert Martinez at training for Manteca High School’s Varsity football team, September 18th, 2025

For Manteca High School football assistant coaches Gilbert Martinez and Bubba Carabello, the gridiron is more than just a field of competition, it’s a second home.  

But this season for some, it’s also a family affair. Martinez not only leads the Buffaloes under the Friday night lights but also coaches his own son, Quinn Martinez, a member of the varsity team. 

Balancing both roles of father and coach is not an easy task, but Martinez has embraced the challenge with the same discipline and passion that defines his approach to the game. 

Martinez’s path to coaching began with family in mind. 

“Obviously, I had Quinn,” he said. “But even before that, I kind of knew that if I ever had a son, I would coach him and train him. Growing up and playing the game myself, I always felt that I’d end up coaching one day. I know the game well, and I’ve always wanted to inspire others.” 

That mindset, a mix of mentorship and competitiveness eventually led him to coach at Manteca High, where he’s now helping shape not only his son’s journey but the futures of dozens of young athletes in the community. 

Quinn picked up his first football at just 6 years old, and from that moment, his father was right beside him. 

“When he was born, I made a decision that I wouldn’t let anybody else coach him,” Martinez said. “Especially nowadays, you don’t always know what people know or don’t know about the game. With my experience, I wanted to make sure he learned it the right way.” 

That thinking has guided Martinez’s coaching ever since teaching fundamentals, accountability, and respect for the sport. 

While coaching your own child can raise questions about favoritism, Martinez said keeping fairness has never been a problem. 

“To be honest, I’m harder on him than anyone else,” he said. “That’s just the way I was coached. I only know one way to do it, the right way, the way I believe produces the best results.” 

His relationship with the rest of the team has made that balance easier. Many of his current varsity players came up through youth leagues under his guidance. “They know me,” he said. “They understand that everyone gets treated the same.” 

For Martinez, coaching football is about far more than winning games. It’s about developing character in his son and in every player who wears the green and white. 

“I coach everyone as if they were my own,” he said. “Football teaches lessons about discipline, teamwork, and perseverance that go well beyond the field. That’s what I want every kid I coach, especially Quinn, to take with them.” 

Assistant coach Bubba Carabello coaching Manteca High School’s JV football team, March 26th, 2025

In world full of young athletes, few bonds are stronger than the one kept between the parent and player. Across fields and sidelines, families dedicate hours to practices, games, and busy nights. For coach Bubba Carabello and his son Brody, the connection is even stronger. 

“Coaching my own kid is always tough, to be honest,” Carabello said. “I feel like I’m a lot harder on them to make sure there’s no favoritism but of course, it comes with rewards too. The experiences you share, those big wins or unforgettable game moments, they’re things you never forget.” 

After years of coaching his son, Carabello admits he’s learned to step back a bit more as they’ve grown older.  

For Coach Bubba Carabello, football isn’t just a game, it’s a family matter. As a high school junior varsity football coach, and a father to JV player Brody Carabello, he’s learned first hand what it means to balance passion, purpose, and parenting under the Friday night lights. 

“Coaching your own kid is always tough,” Carabello admits. “I feel like I’m a lot harder on them because I want to make sure there’s no favoritism. But it comes with rewards too…Those big moments, when they win or make a great play, are memories you never forget.” 

Carabello’s coaching journey began over a decade ago. He started coaching baseball 12 years ago and football 11 years ago, driven by a desire to give back to the youth in his community. “I remember growing up and having amazing coaches that I really looked up to,” he says. “I wanted to be that same kind of influence for kids today.” 

Balancing “coach mode” and “dad mode” takes practice too. “Coach mode stops when we’re not on the field, for the most part,” he says with a laugh. “At home, it’s dad mode. Training sessions and film watching, that’s just how I can help him get better. But on the field, it’s a little more honest and sometimes brutal about what needs to be fixed. In the end, both come from love just different forms of it.” 

The Carabello family’s schedule is continuously busy. Tuesdays through Thursdays, Coach Carabello runs high school practices until 6 p.m., then heads straight to junior varsity practice until 8:30. “We only see each other for about an hour a night,” he says. “Some of that time is spent watching film for my two teams and then watching film with Brody for his next game.” Fridays and Saturdays are spent at the field, and Sundays are reserved mostly for family time. 

“Sunday is family day,” Carabello says. “We have breakfast or lunch together, hang out, and watch football. Then Sunday night, it’s back to watching film for the next week.” 

Despite the crazy schedule, Carabello wouldn’t have it any other way. Coaching his son has brought him closer to the game and to Brody in ways he couldn’t have imagined. “It’s special,” he says. “Seeing your kid grow, not just as a player but as a person, and knowing you’ve been part of that journey, that’s what it’s all about.”