One more step: Westmoore senior wrestler Holden Martin seeks elusive state title after claiming regional championship
By Michael Kinney
Holden Martin knew just what to expect.
When the Westmoore High senior stepped on the mat at the 6A West Regional wrestling championships, he knew exactly what he was in store for.
Martin had already faced his opponent, Edmond North’s Talon McCollom, three other times this season with only one defeat. So Martin was very familiar with what he could do.
What may have surprised Martin and the onlookers at Piedmont High was the manner in which he dispatched McCollum. Martin pinned his opponent in dramatic fashion to walk away with the 175-pound regional title.
It also put him one step closer to his ultimate goal.
Photos: Action from Class 6A West Regional boys wrestling tournament
“I'm a senior, so it's my last chance at it,” Martin said. “I want to win a state title; that's my goal.
"I feel that I'm at that level and just working week in and week out, and it's starting to show. It's a really good feeling.”
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For Martin, who has piled up more than 100 wins with the Jaguars, it’s almost surprising he hasn’t been crowned a state champion yet. Early in his career, it looked like he was on the right path.
As a freshman, Martin burst onto the scene and made it to the consolation semifinals at the state tournament. While he would have preferred to have won it all, he thought it was a good start to what he believed would be an impressive career.
Yet, when Martin got back on the mat as a sophomore, he could see something wasn’t right. The progression he should have made from the previous season didn’t take place.
In fact, Martin observed his wrestling skills had degraded instead.
“My sophomore year I didn't even qualify for the state tournament, so that was kind of a big wake-up call,” Martin said.
Martin said he had to take a hard look at himself. He saw he was living a life that wasn’t conducive to being a champion on the mat.
“I was always training, but maybe not as hard as I needed to be. I was hanging out with some bad people, staying out too late, not eating right, drinking soda and just little things,” Martin said. “In my head, I had to find a reason why and I think that was it.”
Once Martin realized just how important wrestling was for him, he made some major changes in his life, with the help of his Westmoore coaches.
“I think I've got the best coaches in the state, and when you've got guys telling you how much potential you have and how much they believe in you, it's really easy to go work hard every single day,” Martin said. “All the credit I can, I give to them. They just helped me every single day.
"It's easy to work hard with guys who are in your corner all the time. I feel as if I'm doing everything right on the mat and off the mat and it shows.”
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Martin has rolled through his senior campaign and racked up a 33-2 record. One of his two defeats came at a tournament outside of Oklahoma, and his only other defeat came to McCollum.
Martin and McCollum have a chance to face off again for a fourth time at the 6A State Wrestling Championship this weekend in Oklahoma City. Since they are on opposite sides of the 175-pound bracket, a title could be on the line if that encounter takes place.
But whether it’s McCollum or any of the other contenders, Martin knows what he needs to do to be the last one standing.
“I just got to keep doing what I'm doing,” Martin said. “Maybe make some adjustments on my feet. (McCollum) kind of adjusted to what he knew I wanted because we've wrestled so many times.
"But I've got to go figure it out. I've got to be able to score points to win a wrestling match and I can go do it. I'm going to do it.”
When his prep career is done, Martin plans to wrestle in college. Originally he had been committed to Oklahoma Christian University, but he recently reopened his recruitment and Martin said he wants to finish the season out and then take a look at his opportunities.
Being able to see a state champion listed among his other accomplishments could make his resume look stronger to prospective programs.
After the ups and downs Martin has been through during his time at Westmoore, if he can claim the school’s first title in almost a decade, he says it would mean a lot to him.
“It'd be a really cool feeling, a really good feeling,” Martin said. “I've wrestled since I was 6 years old. I'd gone to the state tournament, watched the finals every year since then.
"I get chills watching in the stands. I can't imagine wrestling in it. So, I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing.”
