Hard work. High motor. Physical.
Those are all adjectives that describe the type of player Wantagh sophomore running back Luke Martini is. He took Nassau County by storm this season, rushing for 1,298 yards and 15 touchdowns on 104 carries. At roughly 12.5 yards per carry, he’s carried Wantagh to a 5-3 record and the No. 4 seed in the Conference III Nassau County playoffs.
From the moment head coach Keith Sachs saw Martini for the first time in middle school, he described it as “a man amongst boys.” Martini spent his eighth-grade season on JV before being called up to varsity as a ninth grader.
“We realized that playing middle school and eighth grade wasn’t going to help him at all,” Sachs said. “In ninth grade, he had a small role, but learned a lot from his brother and what we do. It definitely sped up his growth process by playing JV while he was an eighth grader and then just being on varsity and practicing with us and getting a lot of fourth-quarter time, it definitely sped him up.”
The sophomore running back/linebacker not only dominates on the ground on the offensive side of the ball, but he also makes his presence felt as a linebacker. In eight games, he has racked up three interceptions, which ties him for third in the county.
“It’s great being good at offense, but also if you could be good at defense too, this takes your game to another level,” Martini said. “I definitely do pride myself [in being a two-way player] and I’m still getting better at both, but defensively, I need to get a lot better at.”
In the eyes of Sachs, Martini’s defensive presence is what changes this football team.
“He works harder on defense than he does on offense,” Sachs said. “Offense comes naturally to him. He just has to learn about his assignments. Defense, every day, he works hard to get better at and that’s where he’s going to be different. He’s not going to just be a running back who doesn’t do anything on defense – he’s going to be an impact player every play.”
That’s what’s great because we really need him on defense,” Sachs added. “He’s almost more important to us on defense, because with the amount of athletes we have, we could figure out ways to score, even though he’s irreplaceable. Defensively, he brings so much to the table, he’s like having three or four players out there.”
While Martini’s numbers jump off the stat sheet, the one characteristic that isn’t measured with numbers is his ability to give 100% on both sides of the ball for an entire game. For Sachs, he’s everything.
“That’s the secret,” Sachs said. “You see how many impact players on offense barely play defense, and they have so much energy to play offense. For him to have that energy and also have to do it as a linebacker, not even a defensive back – it’s tremendously hard. He’s in great shape and he works hard, and he’s got a ridiculous motor. He won’t stop until he collapses. The amount of contact he’s dealing with over the course of 100 plays is unbelievable.”
Not only does Martini dominate on the gridiron, but he also dominates in lacrosse. As a freshman on the varsity team a season ago, he learned from his brother, Dylan, which helped bring him up to speed as he transitioned from JV to varsity at such a young age.
“Definitely my brother,” Martini said in regards to who he looks up to. “He’s taught me everything. Even this year, he’s on the sideline. After a run, he’ll tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, what I need to improve.”
Martini’s ninth-grade season on varsity was described essentially as “an everyday tryout” by Sachs. He added that Martini “lived up” to whatever was asked of him every day, so it never became a question of whether he could handle it or not.
“It’s great to have a player with his type of motor,” Sachs said. “He takes every carry personally, gets the most yardage he can get out of it and never expects to get tackled. To have him turn a play that’s not supposed to work into a play that works or to get extra yards out of everything is a luxury for sure.”
The Martini family bleeds black and gold. Dylan Martini, Luke’s brother, holds the record for the most rushing yards in a single season at Wantagh with 1,976 yards and added 28 touchdowns. After one year of starting for Luke, he eclipsed 1,200 yards, just 600 yards away from his brother’s record. Over the next two seasons, Luke Martini may end up with that record.
Luke Martini looks to continue adding to his family’s legacy, with a playoff game on Saturday against No. 5 Clarke.
