During the summer after his eighth grade year, Isaiah Martin made a name for himself at the wrestling competition called the Freak Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a full bracket of 32 people, Martin advanced into the quarterfinals when he suffered two asthma attacks in the middle of the match, but still managed to tie against his opponent and force overtime. He lost by only one point after being called for stalling.
After the match, the opposing coach told Martin,“You’re one of the best wrestlers I’ve seen in awhile.”
That coach happened to be Olympic gold-medalist and three-time All-American wrestler from Oklahoma State University, Kenny Monday.
Now a senior, Martin is completing his fourth year as an Aragon wrestler, and has been the captain since his sophomore year.
Born in San Jose, Martin moved to Texas and then was raised throughout different cities in Virginia. He attended 11 different schools before moving to Castro Valley in seventh grade.
When Isaiah was in seventh grade, his brother, Blake, introduced him to wrestling. Since then, his love for the sport has grown exponentially.
During Martin’s sophomore year, the team signed James Gonzales to be its new head coach. But due to Gonzales’ lack of experience with the team, Martin, to some extent, took over the reigns: “I [helped] organize the drills and technique instrution and taught most of team how to dothe moves [and] drills properly,” he explains.
Current head coach Carlo Altamirano took over as head coach during Martin’s junior year, and has been blown away by the Martin’s leadership: “[Isaiah] just provides that veteranship role and his experience is there and they acknowledge that,” says Altamirano.
In his junior year, Martin was matched up against Woodside’s, Fabian Gutierrez in the PAL Championship. After a hard fought match, Martin was able to pin the Wildcat in the third round to win the championship.
Martin’s friend and teammate Hina’Oholeva Filimoehala-Egan characterizes their relationship as a close one. Having bonded through wrestling, the two quickly established a connection both on and off of the mat.
Isaiah’s personality is what appeals to Filimoehala-Egan: “He’s very mature for our age. He’s very intellectual but also has his goofy side to him. He has that balance between seriousness and playfulness,” says Filimoehala-Egan. “Outside of wrestling, he’s a really adorable person to be around.”
In addition to being a skilled wrestler, Martin has proven that he is a man of many talents. His academic ability is prominent throughout his classes. With a newly-sparked interest in mechanical engineering, Martin is considering different career opportunities and college majors in his future.
Jennifer Wei, Martin’s former Advanced Placement English teacher, says, “When he’s in class, when we’re sharing out stuff, he usually has something brilliant to say, and it’s usually so valuable that I don’t have to get his peers to care.”
Martin’s success in both wrestling and academics is due to his hardworking mentality. His main inspiration and role model is his older brother, Blake. “ I’ve already surpassed [Blake] as far as medals and winning and whatnot, but I think there are a lot of aspects of his character that I hope to achieve,” says Martin. “Probably around half the things I’m interested in today is because he’s interested in them.”
One of those interest is anime. Martin enjoys anime shows such as “Log Horizon” and “Sword Art Online.”
On top of anime, Martin is an avid PC gamer. Having alpha tested games like “Planetside 2”, “H1Z1”, “Star Citizen” and various indie games, his passion for and experience with games is surprisingly deep.
With many skills and interests tucked under his belt, Martin’s future looks bright. With college on the horizon, the possibilities of the future are endless.
According to Filimoehala-Egan, Martin still hopes to achieve his childhood dream: “He ultimately wants to become an Olympic wrestler and win gold for Team USA.”
However, as not all colleges have a wrestling program, Martin will soon be faced with deciding how much he prioritizes wrestling — a decision that could shape the course of his future. “[Isaiah’s] been applying to some colleges down South, which may not have [wrestling] programs,” explains Altamirano.
Despite this, the senior doesn’t seem too worried about his upcoming decision. From battling a sprained neck to switching schools at nearly a yearly rate, Martin has somehow managed to always figure out a way for things to work out, and whether he becomes a wrestler or a mechanical engineer, there is no doubt that he will carry this mindset to whatever he chooses to pursue in the future.
