Shamus Ian Fatzinger/Fairfax County Times
Robinson Secondary School's Brooks Martino is the top rated 145-pound wrestler in the state of Virginia.
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Coaches Predict 145-pound Weight Class as One to Watch
Top three 145-pounders call the Northern Region home
As the countdown continues toward the Northern Region tournament in February, Fairfax County wrestlers appear primed to throw their weight around.
The biggest draw this year is likely to be in the 145-pound weight class, which features some of the best wrestlers in the state — led by Robinson’s Brooks Martino, Lake Braddock’s Rory Renzi and Westfield’s Stephen Aiello.
Those three are the state’s No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers, respectively.
“It’s been a pretty good while since we’ve had this many good kids in just one weight class,” said Scott Matheny, Lake Braddock coach. “[The class is deep], especially at this level. There are a lot of really good kids not only in our region, but in the state as well.”
The leading three in the 145-pound class each present their own traits. Renzi is considered a fast, agile wrestler, while Martino — who has a 4.4 GPA — is described by his coach Bryan Hazard as smart and calculating. Martino also has gone up against nationally ranked wrestlers this season.
Aiello is regarded in the same light as Renzi and Martino having had experience growing up in youth wrestling and having been matched-up with some of the nation’s best at travel meets.
“Every year there’s at least one or two weight classes like this in the Northern Region,” Hazard said. “It just happens that this year, they’re very accomplished in that class.”
The influx of talent into the weight class isn’t unprecedented.
Hazard said when freshmen become high school wrestlers, many of the top athletes grow into bodies that range from the 130- to 180-pound weight classes.
Those weight classes also tend to be home to some of the sport’s year-round competitors.
“It’s the prime weight, even in college,” Hazard said. “It’s one of the toughest weight classes. They aren’t middleweight and they aren’t little guys. At that weight they’re not football players or basketball players, so wrestling is their sport.”
“When they come in as freshman and sophomore years, they begin to mature physically,” Matheny added. “A lot of guys end up in these middle weights by their junior and senior year. By that time they’ve added a lot of muscle and are at their peak.”
Adding an extra layer of intrigue to the 145-pound title race is that the three top wrestlers have been training partners throughout their careers.
As members of local wrestling clubs, Renzi, Aiello and Martino have had numerous opportunities to face-off against each other and know their opponents’ style.
“They’ve been wrestling each other for years and know each other pretty well,” Matheny said.
However, the talent pool isn’t just three wrestlers deep either. Although Renzi, Aiello and Martino are the favorites, competition from T.C. Williams’ Shiruna Ntenda and Stone Bridge’s Cam Bowen — as well as newcomers who make weight — could become dark horses at the Northern Region tournament in February.
“If any of those three slack off, these guys can catch them,” Matheny said. “It will be interesting. A lot of kids also bump around weight classes, so we won’t know the full field until the tournament.”
ralbers@fairfaxtimes.com