Parkersburg South’s Ryan Martin takes down his opponent during last month’s state wrestling tournament. Martin will attend Fairmont State University and study criminal justice. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

PARKERSBURG –Ryan Martin’s journey from a young depth piece to state champion at 138 pounds led him here. Another Parkersburg South champion grappler is moving on to bigger things, as Martin is going to Fairmont State. Apart from wrestling, Martin will study criminal justice. Monday afternoon’s signing at Parkersburg South was an occasion marking all the hard work he put in to make it.

“This feels awesome. I’ve been wanting to wrestle in college for a long time, and I’m just glad I’m here,” Martin said.

“Starting off, I was fourth-string on South’s team, but I knew I could work on things. I just kept working, staying in the room and working on the little things I needed to get right. My sophomore year, I was behind a lot of studs. They were placing top 3 in the state. My junior year, I finally got the starting spot. I wasn’t happy with (placing fifth at last year’s state meet at 132 pounds). I had some tough losses I shouldn’t have lost. When my senior year started, I knew I had a got shot at it. I did everything I could have.”

Martin reached the mountain top of the Class AAA wrestling scene by defeating Hurricane’s Lucas Talley in a 7-2 decision during last month’s state meet in Huntington. That triumph helped South reach its 26th state wrestling championship, as he was one of two individual state champions for PSHS (alongside Gage Wright at 175 pounds).

“They’re right by the FBI center in Clarksburg,” Martin said of why Fairmont State appealed to him during the selection process. “It’s close, and they’re well known for putting people in right after they get out of college. I couldn’t ask for better coaches. They knew I had the potential, and they didn’t give up for me. I wasn’t on their starting lineup the first couple years, but they never gave up on me. It showed this year. I’ve had great teammates, and the state title I one this year are my top two (memories). I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. They helped me along the way in high school.”

Head coach Shaun Smith recalled Martin’s progression over the years.

“As he came in, we knew he was talented,” he said. “Once you enter high school, that talent is only going to take you so far. Your work ethic is going to have to take you further, and obviously, he put in a lot of work. As a freshman, I think he was a fourth out of five 106-pounder. Then, he was a backup as a sophomore. Once his time came as a junior when he was starting. He really took off and excelled to a high level. This year, he just stepped it up to another level, and it was to the point where he had a lot of success in this past season. We’re proud of him. You have certain individuals who earn it by being as good as they are, but he earned it by a lot of hard work, determination and not giving up.”

Now, Martin joins FSU head coach Gennaro Bonaventura’s Falcon squad, where he will reunite with former Patriot teammates, Jude Childers and Aydan Edwards.

Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com