Rollie Lane wrestling: Bishop Kelly brothers share podium; Caldwell girl three-peats
Christopher Martino’s wrestling resume remains one of the most decorated in Idaho. The Bishop Kelly senior has won tournaments all over the country and will wrestle at Princeton next season.
But one title eluded him — until Saturday.
The three-time state champ won his first Rollie Lane Invitational, topping New Plymouth’s Kyle Rice, another three-time state champ, 9-4 for the 132-pound title at the Ford Idaho Center.
Martino (18-3) previously finished second, third and fifth at Idaho’s largest and most prestigious tournament. But he finally emerged atop the podium this year after winning the day’s marquee matchup.
“It was just about putting it together,” Martino said. “I’ve been doing all the physical preparation and the practice and the mental preparation. It’s just about doing everything right to get to this point.”
But Christopher wasn’t the only Martino atop the podium. His younger brother, freshman Matthew Martino (15-2), won the 113-pound title with a 13-3 major decision over Thunder Ridge’s Talen Eck.
The two have quickly turned Bishop Kelly, long known as a basketball school, into a serious contender on the mat.
“Both Martino brothers are studs,” Bishop Kelly coach Manny Ybarra said. “Christopher is really leading the way and creating a path.”
Rollie Lane brings together the top wrestlers from throughout Idaho and the Northwest, pitting them all in one division and creating what many regard as a tougher and more prestigious tournament than Idaho’s state meet.
Saturday’s final between Christopher Martino and Rice showed why. Both will gun for a fourth state title in February, but they had never faced each other in a high school match until Saturday.
Christopher Martino’s long-awaited moment came with plenty of drama though.
Leading 9-2 late in the third period, he lunged forward for one last takedown. Rice caught him off guard and flipped him onto his back. The crowd gasped as the New Plymouth senior threatened a last-second pin, only to see Christopher Martino keep one shoulder off the mat as time expired.
“Christopher was dominating the match,” Ybarra said. “He got a little frustrated that he wasn’t really wrestling as much. He wanted another takedown.
“There were 5 seconds left. He could have stalled out. He could have just backed out. But he wanted another (takedown). He walked off the mat and said, ‘I could have got the major (decision).’”
The gamble showed Christopher Martino’s competitive drive. Never content for a mere victory, he always wants more, an instinct that led him to national honors and to rewrite the Bishop Kelly record books. The school never had a multiple-time state champ until him.
It leaves Ybarra wistful as his senior season winds down.
“It’s kind of sad to see him go, honestly,” Ybarra said. “He’s going to continue wrestling. But every time I’m in his corner, it’s kind of sad because it could be the last time I’m going to be in his corner.”
But for all the records Christopher Martino sets, Matthew Martino may just come along and rewrite them again. And Christopher sees no problem with that.
“Over the last few years, our team has really grown,” Christopher Martino said. “He’s just kind of the next step in expanding our program and getting a little more prestige.
“He’s going to go and do big things.”
CALDWELL’S JIMENEZ WINS THIRD ROLLIE LANE
With her third straight Rollie Lane title, Caldwell senior Marissa Jimenez continues to blaze a path for female wrestlers in Idaho.
Jimenez (17-0) pinned every opponent she faced in the 132-pound division for the honor. But she pointed out her record won’t last long. Coeur d’Alene junior Alyssa Randles also won her third title Saturday at 126 points.
“I think that’s super cool,” Jimenez said of her third championship. “I know I’m definitely not going to be the only one. Alyssa Randles is going to be a four-time (champ) next year.”
Jimenez was a freshman in 2019 when the Rollie Lane Invite started a separate girls division, the first major tournament in the state to do so. Battling back from shoulder surgery, she didn’t place that year. But she’s dominated the tournament ever since.
She’s also watched the tournament and Idaho girls wrestling grow. Rollie Lane went from 85 girls its first year to 227 Saturday. And Idaho will sponsor its first girls state tournament in February.
“Just seeing Idaho women’s wrestling grow is astonishing,” Jimenez said. “And now that we’re sanctioned, it’s really great.”
MONTANA SCHOOL SWEEPS TITLES
Flathead, Montana’s reigning boys and girls state champion, pulled off another sweep at Rollie Lane, walking away with both team titles.
Flathead finished with 231 points atop the boys standings, followed by Meridian (206), Coeur d’Alene (152) and Crook County, Oregon (148).
The Braves squeaked out the girls title with 101 points, followed by Eagle (98), Reed, Nevada (94), and Caldwell (76).
9 TREASURE VALLEY CHAMPS
In addition to Jimenez and the Martino brothers, other local champs include:
- Tanner Frothinger, Eagle (120 boys): The junior (20-5) brought home his second straight Rollie Lane title with a pin of Post Falls’ Tyson Barnhart at the buzzer after building an 18-6 lead.
- Jason Mara, Meridian (138 boys): The sophomore (23-2) already has two Rollie Lane titles after a 7-4 decision over Owen Cline of Orting, Washington.
- Mia Furman, Rocky Mountain (138 girls): It only took the junior 22 seconds to pin Celina Cooke of Reed, Oregon. Furman (14-1) has won Rollie Lane twice and finished second last year.
- Christina Padilla, Nampa (182 girls): An official’s decision awarded the sophomore the title after she was injured in the finals against Eagle’s Reece Woods.
- Carson Gooley, Meridian (195 boys): The sophomore (23-3) made a surprise run as the eighth seed. He pinned the top seed, Post Falls’ Trevor Miller, in 31 seconds in the quarterfinals.
- Nico Rodriguez, Columbia (285): The senior (25-2) capped the evening with a 5-3, double-overtime victory over Borah’s Aden Attao. He was the 220 champ last year.
Rollie Lane Invite
At Ford Idaho Center, Nampa
Friday-Saturday
BOYS TEAM SCORES
1, Flathead (MT) 231. 2, Meridian 206. 3, Coeur d’Alene 152. 4, Crook County (OR) 148. 5, Post Falls 129. 6, Minico 127.5. 7, Columbia 118. 8, Caldwell 116. 8, New Plymouth 116. 10, Wasatch (UT) 111.
11, Mtn View (OR) 109.5. 12, La Grande (OR) 109. 12, Redmond (OR) 109. 14, Thunder Ridge 108. 15, Bishop Kelly 106. 16, Hermiston (OR) 104. 17, Orting (WA) 102. 18, La Pine (OR) 98. 19, American Falls 87. 20, Bonneville 84.5.
21, Central Valley (WA) 83.5. 22, Kuna 82. 23, Eagle 81. 24, McQueen (NV) 74.5. 25, Mountain View 71. 26, Gooding 68.5. 27, Centennial 66.5. 28, Lakeland 65. 29, Timberlake 64. 30, Middleton 59.
31, Fruitland 57. 31, Nampa 57. 33, Bend (OR) 56. 34, Silverton (OR) 55.5. 35, Borah 55. 36, Madison 54. 37, Madras (OR) 53. 38, Lewiston 50. 39, Timberline 48. 40, Gonzaga Prep (WA) 46.
41, Skyview 45.5. 42, Idaho Falls 45. 43, Capital 44. 44, Rigby 43.5. 45, Lowry (NV) 38.5. 45, Payette 38.5. 47, Baker/Powder Valley (OR) 38. 48, Mountain Home 36.5. 49, Homedale 36. 49, Preston 36.
51, Burns (OR) 35. 51, Owyhee 35. 51, Rocky Mountain 35. 54, Sherwood (OR) 32. 55, Potlatch 31.5. 56, Blackfoot 30. 57, Ontario (OR) 28. 57, Ridgevue 28. 57, Shelley 28. 60, Skyline 25. 60, Walla Walla (WA) 25.
62, Nyssa (OR) 24. 63, Bonita Vista (CA) 14.5. 64, Emmett 11. 65, Kelso (WA) 9. 66, Boise 8. 66, Garden Valley 8. 68, Nampa Christian 7. 69, Vale (OR) 3. 69, Vallivue 3.
71, Clearwater Valley 2. 72, Moscow 0.
BOYS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
98 pounds: 1, Billy Jackson, Redmond. 2, Christian Kelly, Coeur d’Alene. 3, Rider Seguine, Post Falls. 4, Tyson Flack, La Pine. 5, Gabe Martinez, Mountain Home. 6, Saxton Scott, Bonneville.
106: 1, Kolter Burton, American Falls. 2, Bennett Beard, Central Valley. 3, Alan Salguero Jr, Orting. 4, Aulani Macias, Nampa. 5, Draven Johns, Caldwell. 6, Aiden Downing, Flathead.
113: 1, Matthew Martino, Bishop Kelly. 2, Talen Eck, Thunder Ridge. 3, Scout Santos, Mtn View (OR). 4, Cole Currin, Kuna. 5, Landon Lavey, Crook County. 6, Wylie Stone, Eagle.
120: 1, Tanner Frothinger, Eagle. 2, Tyson Barnhart, Post Falls. 3, Kai Carson, La Grande. 4, Payton Hernandez, Columbia. 5, Blaine Beard, Central Valley. 6, Tyler Feeley, Payette.
126: 1, Joshua Neiwert, Gonzaga Prep. 2, Simon Graeber, Columbia. 3, Heath Clyde, Wasatch. 4, Tucker Bonner, Crook County. 5, Kaden MacKenzie, Fruitland. 6, Aidan Go, Caldwell.
132: 1, Christopher Martino, Bishop Kelly. 2, Kyle Rice, New Plymouth. 3, Braden Carson, La Grande. 4, Luke Jensen, Rocky Mountain. 5, Asher Kemppainen, Flathead. 6, Ryder Robinson, Wasatch.
138: 1, Jason Mara, Meridian. 2, Owen Cline, Orting. 3, Porter Craig, Coeur d’Alene. 4, Dylan Mann, La Pine. 5, Carlos Valdez, Bishop Kelly. 6, Hunter Bidelman, Caldwell.
145: 1, Fin Nadeau, Flathead. 2, Junior Downing, Redmond. 3, Kayd Craig, Gooding. 4, Cade White, Meridian. 5, Preston Harn, McQueen. 6, Jackson Potts, Mt. View (OR).
152: 1, Tayten Gillette, Gooding. 2, Gabe Lake, Flathead. 3, Dylan Lee, Redmond. 4, Joel Campbell, New Plymouth. 5, Brodyn Sunada, Meridian. 6, Demarco Piazza, Coeur d’Alene.
160: 1, Seth Glenn, Sherwood. 2, Joe Watson, Centennial. 3, Anders Thompson, Flathead. 4, Trent Myers, New Plymouth. 5, Caden Frix, Meridian. 6, Cael White, Madras.
170: 1, Noah Poe-Hatten, Flathead. 2, Gunner Giulio, Coeur d’Alene. 3, Isaiah Twait, Meridian. 4, Payton Brooks, Rigby. 5, Jose Laguna, Post Falls. 6, Wyatt Livingston, La Grande.
182: 1, Chase Youso, Flathead. 2, Luke Arthur, Minico. 3, Dalton Reed, Orting. 4, Reece White, Madras. 5, Emery Thorson, Preston. 6, Carter Torres, Kuna.
195: 1, Carson Gooley, Meridian. 2, Ray Solis, Crook County. 3, James Billingsley, Timberlake. 4, Garrett Vail, Minico. 5, Sawyer Troupe, Flathead. 6, Whyatt Larson Phelen, Orting.
220: 1, Brash Henderson, Silverton. 2, Shilo Jones, Mountain View. 3, Garrett Roedel, Thunder Ridge. 4, Jesse Vassey, Hermiston. 5, Cash Weeks, Middleton. 6, Jack Young, Owyhee.
285: 1, Nico Rodriguez, Columbia. 2, Aden Attao, Borah. 3, Miguel Perez, Caldwell. 4, Sam Cadenas, Hermiston. 5, Jaxson Washington, Coeur d’Alene. 6, Kaiden Hansen, Bonneville.
GIRLS TEAM SCORES
1, Flathead (MT) 101. 2, Eagle 98. 3, Reed (OR) 94. 4, Caldwell 76. 5, La Pine (OR) 68. 6, Kuna 67. 7, Columbia 65. 7, Coeur d’Alene 65. 7, Minico 65. 10, Moscow 58.
11, Boise 52. 12, Thunder Ridge 51. 13, Nyssa (OR) 50. 14, Payette 48. 15, Post Falls 45. 16, American Falls 43.5. 17, Emmett 41. 17, McQueen (NV) 41. 19, Bonneville 38. 20, Rocky Mountain 36.
21, Grangeville 34. 21, La Grande (OR) 34. 23, Nampa 31. 24, Blackfoot 30. 25, Ontario (OR) 28. 26, Lewiston 26. 27, West Side 23. 28, Rigby 21. 29, Meridian 19. 30, Redmond (OR) 18.5.
31, Fruitland 18. 32, Vale (OR) 16. 33, Madison 15. 33, Mountain Home 15. 33, Potlatch 15. 36, Baker/Powder (OR) 13. 37, Homedale 12. 37, Silverton (OR) 12. 39, Skyline 11. 39, Timberline 11.
41, Vallivue 10. 42, Middleton 8. 42, Mtn View (OR) 8. 44, Hillcrest 7.5. 45, Borah 7. 46, Clearwater Valley 4. 47, Owyhee 3. 48, Gonzaga Prep (WA) 2. 48, Idaho Falls 2. 50, Centennial 0. 50, Crook County (OR) 0. 50, Lakeland 0. 50, Preston 0.
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL PLACERS
106 pounds: 1, Lita Cruz, Minico. 2, Allistar Dillow, American Falls. 3, Keira Zimmerman, Moscow. 4, Joely Slyter, Lewiston. 5, Toni Avelino, Caldwell. 6, Fortina Ketia, Boise.
113: 1, Skyla Zimmerman, Moscow. 2, Kadence Beck, Grangeville. 3, Isabelle Silva, Reed. 4, Nia Avelino, Caldwell. 5, Holland Wieber, Eagle. 6, Miah Garcia, Payette.
120: 1, Katie Ward, McQueen. 2, Hania Halverson, Flathead. 3, Kayla Vail, Bonneville. 4, Julietta Leal, La Pine. 5, Delia Gulzow, La Grande. 6, Makayla Smith, Mtn Home.
126: 1, Alyssa Randles, Coeur d’Alene. 2, Liv Wieber, Eagle. 3, Jordan Barrett, Payette. 4, Lily McMahon, Flathead. 5, Lizette Ohlund, Meridian. 6, Camilla Tew, West Side.
132: 1, Marissa Jimenez, Caldwell. 2, Frankie Graham, Minico. 3, Hannah Hernandez, Ontario. 4, MaKenna Duran, Crook County 5, Aneka Mathews, Reed. 6, Lizzy Hodges, Capital
138: 1, Mia Furman, Rocky Mountain. 2, Celina Cooke, Reed. 3, Kira Kerr, La Pine. 4, Hayley McNeal, Potlatch. 5, Abigale Piper, Post Falls. 6, Alexandra Garvin, Rocky Mountain.
145: 1, Cara Brown, Coeur d’Alene. 2, Riley Allison, La Pine. 3, Zoe Fries, Kuna. 4, Jordyn Kearn, American Falls. 5, Beth Johnson, Emmett. 6, Angie Rios, Columbia.
160: 1, Brooke Boyle, Thunder Ridge. 2, Hallie Campbell, Columbia. 3, Ornella Kero, Boise. 4, Kyra Richards, Columbia. 5, Alyssa Mabey, Kuna. 6, McKenna McCarthy, Flathead.
182: 1, Christina Padilla, Nampa. 2, Reece Woods, Eagle. 3, Lucille Libby, Flathead. 4, Jordan LeBeau, Eagle. 5, Judith Medina, Reed. 6, Junnuent Morales, Nyssa.
285: 1, Yvette Martinez, Nyssa. 2, Olivia Woods, Eagle. 3, Megan Webster, Post Falls. 4, Olivia Burciaga, Kuna. 5, Emry Woods, Eagle. 6, Amie Hartman, Mtn Home.
This story was originally published January 8, 2022 at 9:41 PM.
