Martino competes in National High School Championships

Although he didn’t bring home the title, Johnston resident and Bishop Hendricken star Nick Martino proved he’s among the best schoolboy wrestlers in the country during the National High School Championships held recently in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Martino, who powered his way to the Rhode Island and New England championships two weeks ago, won three matches and lost two during the grueling and highly-competitive national tourney.

“Nick was disappointed he didn’t win the overall championship,” a coach with the Johnston Youth Wrestling Association, who accompanied Martino and his father Roland to the national event, told the Sun Rise. “However, he put on a top-notch effort in all five matches and remember, these are the best of the best from all over the country.”

Moreover, Martino – who said he was “humbled by an opportunity to wrestle at the highest level,” especially since he competed in the powerful 285-pound weight class – took on opponents from some of the most powerful high school wrestling programs in the country.

“Hey, the kid from Rhode Island surprised a lot of people,” a JWY official noted after talking with national tourney officials. “For example, Nick took on the Florida state champ and won with a pin in his first match.”

Martino, who is being sought after by some of New England’s top football and wrestling colleges, pinned Florida state champion Jacob Marin in one minute, 33 seconds of the first period to score his first national tourney victory.

In his second match, Martino took on Samson Evans, a four-time Tennessee state champion and three-time national finalist, only to lose by a point.

After the match, Evans told JYW officials “this was the toughest opponent I faced this year.”

Martino got an escape with five seconds left in the second period to go ahead, 1-0. Evans then escaped in the third period and tied the match at 1-1, before Martino got called for stalling and lost the match by a point.”

Martino defeated Maryland’s No. 2 entry Alon Hough, 6-1, in his third match, then defeated Nevada state champ Luis Salazar in his fourth match and scored a decisive 10-3 triumph.

The powerful Johnstonian then went on to defeat a tough Tanner Aitken, the Colorado state champion, 6-0, in his fifth match.

In the championship round, Martino faced off against Sammy Deseriere, the Colorado state runner-up, and really pushed the pace and recorded two takedowns, before losing, 4-3, in a match that many people considered one of the best during the nationally-famous event.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the third and final period, Martino scored on a double and went up 3-1 with only 40 seconds left. Deseriere escaped with 20 seconds left and then took Martino down with what many people said was “a questionable call” because he had only one toe in bounds.

However, as tourney officials explained, “college rules were in place versus high school rules, which require two feet in bounds, so the call stood.”

Then, there were only four seconds left on the clock and Martino chose bottom. He completed a great Granby roll to separate from Deseriere, however, he had no time to turn and face him, and so the match was over. Thus, Deseriere finished second, but Martino turned in a solid overall performance on the biggest schoolboy wrestling stage in the country.