Martinez becomes one of just 40 wrestlers to win four state titles in Michigan history
DETROIT – The secret is out about Sebastian Martinez.
“I started wrestling when I was four, on the west side of the state,” the Riverview Gabriel Richard senior said. “My dad took me to my first-ever practice secretly – he didn’t tell my mom – and I fell in love with the sport immediately. I always had a lot of energy as a kid, so going into wrestling and being able to move around all the time, I loved it, and I got obsessed with winning, too, so that really drove me.”
So after Martinez won an individual state championship for the fourth straight year at Ford Field March 1, what was his next move? He climbed up to the railing in front of the bleachers, where he gave his mom, Rebecca, a hug that would rival any of his wrestling holds.
“She’s been my chief supporter; she is the main reason why I’m on the path I’m on,” Martinez said. “It’s incredible how hard she works for me and how much she supports me and does everything for me.”
Family support has long been a reason behind his success.
“On my dad’s side of the family, my uncles wrestled in high school,” Martinez said. “They weren’t quite as successful, but they all loved the sport, and when my dad started me, they all pushed me to keep going.”
And that he has. Saturday night at Ford Field, Martinez (45-2 this season) defeated Lakeview’s C.J. Copeland on a technical fall, 15-0, to become one of just 40 wrestlers in state history to capture four consecutive titles.
“Words can’t describe it; it’s amazing. After all the hard work I’ve put in, it’s paid off. Joining this exclusive club is an unreal experience,” said Martinez, who will continue his career at the Air Force Academy next year.
Although Martinez had pinned his other three opponents quickly during the finals tournament (including teammate Max Riney in the semifinals), he didn’t really mind that the match ended by point differential early in the second period.
“It has been a side goal of mine to win in the first period,” he said. “I came out there and knew that I had a job to do. My main goal was to score points this match. I worked hard out there, felt good, I was happy with what happened.”
“He tried to turn him, he was getting the falls, getting the points,” said his coach, Derek Zambon. “He’s been really good about getting on and off the mat just as quick as he can this year and helping us out team-wise, and setting an example for the rest of the kids to follow. He’s a special kid.”
After more than a decade of inactivity, Gabriel Richard brought its wrestling team back four years ago – coinciding with Martinez’ arrival – and success has come quickly for the Pioneers.
“He’s been a big part of it the whole time. People in our room look up to him; he’s been a leader in our room,” Zambon said. “He came through with his fourth title today. The outcome was expected, but it’s really hard to do. I’ve known him and coached him since he was 10 years old, and you could see he was something special. You never expect four titles, but you knew he could win multiple.”
Martinez’ history-making victory wasn’t the only highlight for the Pioneers. In the first match of the championship session, Zambon’s son, Jordan, captured his first title at 106 pounds, with a 4-1 decision over Jaxton Kimling of Hudson. Zambon celebrated his win by performing a back-flip on the mat, before heading over to embrace his teary-eyed father.
“It was pretty emotional. Last year he came up just short in the finals, and that hurt him more than it bothered me,” Coach Zambon said. ‘I knew it would make him hungry; he got back, and I’m proud of him that he put in the work.”
The younger Zambon started wrestling at age 6, and this is his 10th year. He got an early takedown Saturday which carried him through to a 4-1 decision.
“This was amazing,” he said. “Last year I took a hard loss, I really wanted that one, but this year I was able to bounce back and wrestle much better, so it’s a great feeling. Me and my dad have always been close, always talking about wrestling, so whenever we get into one of those deep matches like that, he stays calm – he knows I’ve got it. I know what I’m doing, so he trusts me.”
“It was incredible,” Martinez said. “Jordan’s my best friend and I’m so happy that he got to come back after his finals loss last year. My other teammate, Luke Harrington, was in the finals too, I’m super grateful that I get to spend this time with them.”
Harrington finished as runner-up to Judson’s Julien Kimling at 138 pounds.
Teammate Andrew Frazier was third at in the 126-pound weight class, Riney finished fourth at 175 and Anthony Emelue placed eighth at 215. Among girls, Gabriel Richard’s Rihanna Venegas finished third at 145 pounds and Jacey Barnabei placed fourth at 140.
“It’s a long season, but we’re sad it’s over,” Coach Zambon said. “We brought eight, we placed eight. Two state champs, but we never would have dreamt that we would get seven kids in the top four, so that’s pretty impressive – everybody fought hard.”
Catholic Central has strong presence at Ford Field
Three-time reigning team state champion Detroit Catholic Central had no shortage of action throughout the weekend, with 14 individual qualifiers, 12 of whom attained All-State status for a top-eight finish.
The Shamrocks also had four state champions, in Connor Bercume (215 pounds), Lee Krueger (190), Grayson Fuchs (144) and Wyatt Lees (120). Lees’ third straight championship may have been the most unusual, since he had to grapple against teammate Ryan Totten.
“We’ve had it happen several times at CC and these guys know each other so well, we know them so well, I don’t think it’s fair to have a coach in the corner,” Coach Mitch Hancock said. “These guys are good wrestlers; they know how to handle themselves on the mat. They practice extremely hard. At that point, it’s let ‘em fly. They’re both fantastic young men.”
Lees scored a takedown in the first 30 seconds of the match, and neither competitor budged after that, so the final score ended up 3-0.
“It kind of sucks having to wrestle your teammate, but I think both of us out there didn’t care who it was (emerging as champion) -- we were going to wrestle the same and at the end of the day, we’re still buddies, brothers. We both know what the other person wants, and basically, it’s been the same match for the past three weeks,” said Lees, speaking after the match with a bloodied mouth.
For Lees, a junior, it was the third straight individual title. Totten, a sophomore, was appearing in the championship for the first time.
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet to check off the boxes,” Lees said, “and I’ve got one more to go.”
Bercume provided a highlight in his 10-2 major decision in the final against Brighton’s Sean O’Keefe. Bercume – who is bound for Harvard University – has now won three individual titles and played a role in CC’s three latest team titles. Bercume finished his senior season undefeated in 45 matches.
Other Shamrock All-Staters were Mack Moscovic (4th/126 pounds), Jamison Gregory (5th/126), Meyer Murray (5th/132), Nathan Walkowiak (6th/132), Alexander Buskirk (8th/150), Braxten Roche (5th/157) and Caden Krueger (3rd/175).
Five other wrestlers representing the Catholic League were All-State in Division 2 competition, including Maxx Krug of Warren De La Salle (4th/132), Deacon MacNeill of Birmingham Brother Rice (4th/150), Caleb Steele of Brother Rice (6th/165), Garret Schihl of Macomb Lutheran North (7th/144) and Malek Zawaideh from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8th/285).
Shrine’s Shammami saves best for last
Royal Oak Shrine senior Katrina Shammami had qualified for the state finals the prior two seasons but had not found much success.
“I came to states twice but I had lost all four of my matches over two years,” she said. “The key was definitely my mentality. My coach worked a lot with me mentally going into it, and that really changed the outcome of my results.”
Shammami pinned Fowlerville’s Tommi Kleinschmidt in the first round of the 155-pound bracket, but in the quarterfinal, she got pinned by Grand Haven’s Isabelle Wisenbaugh.
But Shammami came back strong through the consolation bracket, pinning Fife Lake Forest Area’s Alexia Brandt, and narrowly Southgate Anderson’s Brooklyn Sage, 6-5. Shammami moved on by defeating Allendale’s Mackenzie Maka via injury default – setting up a rematch with Wisenbaugh.
But this time, Shammami pinned Wisenbaugh 1:21 into the match to land in third place.
“Actually, I planned on taking third because I didn’t want to end my last season with a loss. I thought I am going to go out and I am going to win my last match. I couldn’t imagine myself losing my last-ever match,” Shammami said. “I knew that I was here to get it done. I believed that I could win and I went out and I did it.”
In doing so, Shammami became Shrine’s first all-state wrestler – boy or girl – in program history.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central’s Brianna Lynch was also all-state, placing fifth at 105 pounds.
