After an on-field altercation at CMU spring football Friday, coach Russ Martin brought his team to a knee.

“I don’t mind you getting in fights,” Martin said. “But when the whistle blows, it’s time to move on.”

Intensity, discipline, and focus are the key ingredients in spring football under Martin. After the exit of Joe Ramunno, Martin took over a program that suffered from three straight losing seasons, capped by a 4-7 record in 2011. He hopes to revamp the program with basic football principles as well as a new offensive system.

“The system is very multiple,” Martin said. “Whether it’s in the run game, in the inside zone on bubble screens or in the play-action, we can change the play with the coverages we see.”

Martin has 32 years of coaching experience at high school, NAIA, 1A and D1 levels. Most recently, Martin was the offensive coordinator at Neb.- Kearney, the No. 1 scoring offense in the RMAC in 2011. CMU was No. 7 in scoring offense in 2011, averaging nearly 20 points less per game than the Lopers. As Martin takes the reigns for the Mavs, he hopes to build an equally powerful offense.

“I love where I am right now,” Martin said. “We have great coaches and players who are working their butts off. We just have to teach fundamentals and execute.”

With warm weather arriving and players working hard in the heat, tempers have flared on the practice field. However, Martin doesn’t mind, as long as his players stay focused.

“When you get into spring and you’re doing a lot of hitting, there are going to be a lot of tussles,” Martin said. “It’s intense. I don’t mind when it happens, but when we blow the whistle, we want to move on to the next play.”

There only seven spring football practices left, and Martin and his staff are only touching the surface of fully developing their players. But Martin has one goal that he hopes to accomplish before camp ends.

“We want to find out who our big time players are,” Martin said. “In the fall, we want to find out who are big-time playmakers are, and get them the ball.”

Off the field, Martin is new to Grand Junction, and his transition to his new home is going smoothly.

“I’m loving the weather, loving the campus and loving Junction,” Martin said. “I’m looking forward to getting my wife and family moved out here. We’re making progress, and hope to be here for the rest of our lives.”