For all you high school wrestlers who have to go head-to-head with Genoa junior Felipe Martinez, here's a hint on how to try to beat the two-time state champion.

“I'm not that great on bottom,” Martinez admitted.

Got that, wrestlers? Good luck.

Martinez, who went to school in Genoa until near the end of his sixth grade year, moved with his family to St. Paris, Ohio, so that he and his older brother, Joe, could be coached by Jeff Jordan at Graham High School.

After a stellar two-year career at Graham, Martinez returned to Genoa last month and it hasn't taken long for him to make an impact with the Comets' wrestling program.

Genoa wrestler Felipe Martinez as the Comets hosted Sandusky St. Mary and Tiffin Columbian Wed. (Press photo by Harold Hamilton/ HEHphotos.lifepics.com

Last weekend, Martinez competed in his first event for coach Joe Ziebold's squad and he responded by pinning three opponents in less than one minute at the Maumee Bay Classic at Clay. Martinez, who started this season at 160 pounds but plans to drop down to 152 for the sectional tournament, pinned returning state qualifier Luke Tanier of Wauseon in 17 seconds.

“He's something special,” Ziebold said. “He obviously has a lot of talent. He's been doing it for a lot of years and he's one of the best in the country. Conditioning is his No. 1 obstacle right now, but we have a lot of time to be working on that. He's such a technician and he's a student of the game. God blessed him with a lot of talent, and he has a good work ethic and he works hard at it.”

Two years ago, as a freshman at Graham, the 5-foot-6 Martinez went 41-2 and won the Division II state championship at 130 pounds. He bumped up to 140 last season and went 39-0 with 21 pins and claimed another state title for the Falcons, who won their 10th straight D-II state championship.

Wrestling has been in Martinez's blood since his youth. His cousin, Tony Lopez, won a state title at Genoa and Martinez's brother was also a standout wrestler. Martinez won state titles in the sixth, seventh and eighth grade.

Martinez, 17, said his mother, Cookie, moved her sons to the Graham school district so they could be tutored by Jordan, who is one of the most respected prep wrestling coaches in the nation. Jordan, a four-time state champion for the Falcons (1980-83), has built Graham into a national wrestling power.

“My mom really drives me,” Martinez said. “She really motivates me and keeps me going. She's really struggled and I think she was the reason I won my second state title. She means a lot to me. Whatever I need or want in wrestling, she's always backed me up 100 percent.”

As a freshman, Martinez helped Graham set a state tournament-record 282 points. The Falcons crowned a record seven individual state champions in 2009, and they followed that effort with six state champions last season.

“Coach Jordan inspires us,” Martinez said. “In my eyes, he's the best coach in the country. All of your workout partners there, every guy is high-caliber. Potential state placers can't even make the lineup. Your workout partners just set you up there. It was probably the best experience I've ever had in my life. I really liked it there.”

Ziebold said his Genoa wrestlers have welcomed Martinez with open arms, almost as though he had never left.

“They couldn't wait,” Ziebold said of Martinez's return. “They know what Felipe's about. He's about making them better. He's so humble, and he comes from a great family. He's what I want my son to be, not as a wrestler but as a person.”

Martinez said he wasn't nervous about moving back to Genoa.

“I knew all the kids and it wasn't that big of a change,” he said. “I try to help these guys out and push them as much as I can, and they push me, too. I get along with everyone on the team. Genoa is really a family here. We're all really close.”

Martinez started the 2010-11 school year at Clay while he lived with his father, Joseph, who lives in the Clay school district. He moved in with his mother, who lives in the Genoa district, about a month ago.

“We knew Felipe had to move before the state tournament last year,” Jordan said. “Family is very important to Felipe, and to me. I told him, 'You've got to go stay with Mom and Dad.' Felipe and I had a great relationship. I'd still love to have him at Graham, but his mother had a job transfer and she had to take the job. I told him he had to stay with his family.”

Ziebold said it didn't take long to figure out Martinez's wrestling makeup.

“He's always in great position,” Ziebold said. “He knows his positions so well that he knows what the other guy is going to do before the guy knows what he's going to do. That's very rare. He's three moves ahead of what the other guy's going to do, and that makes him special. He's teaching our young wrestlers ways to get better. That's the most awesome thing I'm seeing.”

Martinez said the coaching staff at Graham instructs its wrestlers to always move forward and be aggressive at all times. It is a strategy that Martinez has obviously taken to heart.

“I just have that feel,” he said. “I know what I need to do, and I'm pretty familiar with every position. Most guys look for my weakness, but I know what they're going to try to do before they do it. The philosophy at Graham is for you to stay on (the opponent's) head the whole match.”

Jordan called Martinez a “flashy” competitor.

“He's an exciting wrestler to watch,” Jordan said. “Every little kid at Graham and around the area loved to watch him wrestle. He does this move we call the 'twister.' His mom and dad call it the 'Taco Bell' because it's fast and nasty. We had all different kinds of names for a particular move he does.

“Felipe's got freak-of-nature balance. He can do things that the normal good high school wrestlers can't do. He's like a cat. You drop him from three feet in the air, he's going to land on his feet. That's how Felipe is.”

Martinez said he tries to intimidate opponents, but after the match he always shows respect and good sportsmanship.

“I don't like to get a big head and get cocky,” he said. “That's just not me. I just do what I do and just leave it on the mat.”

In December, Win Wrestling magazine rated Martinez as the sixth-best 145-pounder in the nation. Ironically, Jordan's son, Bo, was ranked No. 5 in the same weight class.

Only 19 wrestlers have ever won four state championships in Ohio, and Martinez is determined to become No. 20.

“I think about it every morning,” he said. “It's probably one of my biggest goals, to win these last two state titles. If I do that, I'll be a happy guy.”

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