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Martino earns second straight state title
Not every wrestler vying for a second state championship has to luxury of being able to talk to someone who has actually been in the same situation.But Beau Martino of Battlefield High School had just that as he entered the state tournament in Chesapeake this past weekend given his coach Tommy O'Neill managed to pull off the same feat back in the 1990s.
Since 2000, no one else in the county had done it. As a 103-pounder, Martino became the first athlete at Battlefield to win at states with a victory over Fauquier's Ryan Hunsberger.
It was his third straight win over Hunsberger in the post season after wins at the Cedar Run District and Northwestern Regional finals. This time around in the 112-pound weight class, he was set to battle his formidable foe for the sixth straight time in championship competition. Like last season, Martino outlasted his Fauquier opponent in the district and regional finals after losing to him during the regular season.
For one last time, the senior Martino prepared himself with the eyes of the commonwealth upon him.
He said O'Neill told him prior to the match, "There is a lot more pressure to win the second one than the first one. Once he won it, it was a really good feeling."
Then, it was game time.
"In the first period, neither was able to do anything really," recalled Martino.
Despite each wrestler taking shots at each other, both of their defenses were just too strong. Martino knew the match would be close, as it always has been against Hunsberger, and the only way for him to ensure a victory would be to wrestle mistake-free.
Fortunately for the senior Bobcat, patience is his specialty. The two held each other scoreless for the first two minutes and Martino opted for the "down" stance (referee's position) once he won the coin toss at the start of the second period.
The strategy behind it: break away from Hunsberger, score the one point for an escape, and don't give that point back.
After a failed escape attempt, Hunsberger "kind of steps over my leg, he almost brings me down, but I’m able to hit a switch," said Martino.
Hunsberger tried to return the favor in the third round, but to no avail.
"I was able to stop that, and chop him down and get him in a half [Nelson] and spiral him down and keep pressure on him with my hips," said Martino.
Oddly enough, Martino had not used the half Nelson throughout the entire state tournament. It was not in his plans for this match either, but plans are always just tentative anyway. Improvisation then becomes key.
Whenever the two went out of bounds, Martino would look up at the clock and know exactly how much longer he needed to hold on. Each time, they would return to referee's position in the center of the mat and, each time, Martino kept hacking away at Hunsberger's arms, not allowing the Fauquier star to stand up.
Once the buzzer finally sounded, Martino stood up and threw his fists directly above his head.
1-0 Battlefield.
He had done it again.
"I felt awesome. I couldn’t believe it was happening, that I became a two-time state champ," said Martino. "One time was awesome, two times was even better."
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