When Ethan Martinez went to the 2005 state wrestling tournament as a freshman, he lost his first match, got sick and withdrew. For the record, the sun did rise the following morning.
As a sophomore, Martinez capped a 24-1 season by winning the Class 3A 119-pound championship. That great ball in the sky felt especially bright the next day.
Last year, the St. Mary’s junior lost a painful 8-6 overtime decision in the 125-pound final before a packed house at the Pepsi Center. Amazingly, the sun peeked out from the horizon once again, right on schedule.
For Ethan and his Pirates teammates and coaches from Colorado Springs, the ups and downs over the years have been a lesson on the importance of perspective.
That perspective becomes a way of life when the coach is your father, the assistant coach is your uncle and two of the other three wrestlers on the tiny St. Mary’s squad are your younger brother and cousin.
Life no longer exists solely between the opening and closing whistles for the Martinez family, made up of head coach Danny, whose sons are Ethan and junior Ely. Danny’s younger brother, Brian, is the assistant coach and father of junior Gabrian, who went 29-1 last season and won the 103-pound weight class.
Life is now more about building character, being successful, winning, losing — on occasion — and the love and friendship essential to any close family.
“I know their attitude,” Danny said. “If one is walking this way, I know something. But as the stakes do get higher, it’s closer to home. We just learned that no matter what, the sun is going to rise.”
At that, Danny laughs, a trait that comes easy for the 47-year-old, who wrestled at nearby Harrison as a kid, just as his father wrestled as a boy in Trinidad. Brian, 44, placed fifth at state his senior year.
“At first, it was do or die,” said Danny, who admits he and Brian talk wrestling after church, after football and after just about everything else. “But we’ve kind of learned that’s too hard on our bodies. I think we kind of understand that now.”
The boys, however, are plenty tough and have a dream of all standing atop their respective podiums Feb. 23 at the Pepsi Center.
Ethan is 26-0 this season and 123-6 in his career. Since losing in that final last year to Roosevelt’s Dan Frank, Ethan said the fire inside is burning hotter than ever to reclaim the 125-pound crown.
Ely, 24-2 this season and 85-14 in his career, placed fourth at state the past two seasons and will again contend in the 130-pound weight class.
Gabrian, 24-1 this season and 79-7 in his career, narrowly missed placing at state his freshman year before winning it all last season with a 5-0 decision over Manitou Springs’ Garret Eastep in the final.
“We used to play a lot,” said Ely, who is the biggest of the group, in reference to football, baseball and general tomfoolery. “I used to get teased a little bit by them. Now I tease them. I push (Ethan) and my cousin as hard as I can in practice. But we’re best friends after the whistle.”
That behavior is vital. With just one other wrestler on the team, the Martinez boys have only each other to practice with. Tenacity must be real, but able to be switched off.
“If you have kids in the room that are going to fistfight, you can’t,” Danny said, “because they need each other too much.”
Gabrian said the wrestling room, which is actually 8 miles from the school at Benet Hill Academy, is proof all the boys are always pushing to improve.
“Practice is a lot more intense,” Gabrian said. “We can see it in the practice room.”
Having seen their sons graduate from “taking their beatings” when they were 7 and 8, to coming home with medals from the state tournament, Danny and Brian can tell you all the work is a glorious burden. The sun always rises, but some days it rises a little sweeter than others.
“I would like them all to experience that, but everybody can’t,” Brian said of a father watching his son win at state. “It’s that kind of feeling you would like others to experience too because you can’t really describe it.”
The Martinez boys
Ethan – “The outgoing one”
125-pound senior. 123-6 career mark. Won at 119
pounds as a sophomore; second at 125 last season.
Gabrian – “The hardest worker”
119-pound junior. 79-7 career mark. Won at 103 as a
sophomore and went 2-2 at state as a freshman.
Ely – “Has a good ornery streak”
130-pound junior. 85-14 career mark. Placed fourth at
130 last year and at 112 as a freshman.
