For all that Jace Martin accomplished during his highly decorated multi-sport career at 1A Adrian, he sometimes wondered how he would stack up against top athletes from bigger schools.
“You'd kind of always get, 'Oh yeah, you guys are good … for 1A,'” Martin said. “And it's like, 'argh.'”
So Martin took great satisfaction in what he accomplished in his high school finale, the track state championships at Hayward Field in late May. Not only did he set 1A meet records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, but his time of 10.60 seconds in the 100 was the best for all classifications at the meet.
“That's what I like the most about track is how you can compare across the board,” Martin said. “It's nice to kind of headline and say, '1A is competitive, we can stick with you guys.'”
Martin got plenty of attention for his feats at Hayward Field, where he led the Antelopes to a repeat team title, but they were just the cherry on top of what he did during his four years at the school. He collected 14 varsity letters at Adrian, and had it not been for COVID, it would have been 16.
A first-team all-state football player, he was part of state championship teams in 2019 and 2021. He was first-team all-league in basketball, helping propel the Antelopes to fourth place at state this year, their best finish ever. And he found the time in the spring to play shortstop on the baseball team, doubling up with track for three seasons.
He's also a 4.0 student who plans to study law at the Air Force Academy, where he will continue his track career.
“He loves winning, that's for sure,” Adrian football coach Bill Wortman said. “He's just a competitive person all the way around, in the classroom, on the field, socially. He just did a little bit of everything, and he did it really well.”
In track, Martin won six state titles in individual events and four in relays. He went out with a bang, clocking 1A meet records in repeating his titles in the 100 (10.60), 200 (21.88) and 400 (49.80).
“Going into it, definitely my goal was to get those three state records,” Martin said. “That's kind of what I worked for all year. I was really happy with my 100 time. I knew I had it in me the entire year.”
To those who know Martin, it was no surprise.
“Track's definitely his thing, where he shines,” Wortman said. “He was just born to be on the track. He loves that individual competition, seeing how much he can push himself.”
Martin's excellence in track is even more impressive considering he trained most of his career on Adrian's dirt track. The school currently is building a new track, and with it under construction, the Antelopes trained in the gym and on grass this season, except for when they used Nyssa's track once a week.
“It was definitely challenging,” Martin said. “It was a little bit harder on our legs with the gym floor. We'd do a couple there, then we'd try to get to the grass There was a little more space there for running, but still bumpy, an ankle risk. We were always on the lookout for that.”
Isolated from the state's population centers, the Antelopes weren't able to compete in high-level invitationals.
“I'd catch myself sometimes going, 'That would've been a fun one to run in,'” Martin said.
In football, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Martin was a 1A first-team pick at running back and linebacker as a junior and at running back and safety as a senior. He was the Special District 2 East player of the year last season, when he rushed for 1,250 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“What made him special is if he got out in front, nobody was touching him,” Wortman said.
Martin relished being a part of state-title teams as a freshman and junior. His brother Conley – a 2022 graduate and now a student at Idaho – was the quarterback and a two-time 1A player of the year.
“To say that it's all done is kind of sad,” Jace said of football. “We had the same exact football team from fifth grade, and we won two state titles together. I doesn't get much cooler than that. It's definitely something I look back on very fondly. I had a lot of fun playing football.”
Martin was integral in Adrian's first state tournament appearance in basketball this season. He averaged 11 points and used his athleticism and instincts to terrorize the backboards, averaging about 13 rebounds per game.
“I incorporated some of the football skills, bump them out of the way,” he said with a laugh.
Sports are a way of life for Martin's family.
His father, Ryan, played football and baseball at Adrian. His mother, Jennifer, was a four-time Idaho state champion soccer player at Boise High School before a college career at Willamette. Conley was a multi-sport standout, as is his sophomore sister Addy, who this year repeated as 1A champion in the 100 and 200 and also won the 400.
Jace nervously watched Addy run her events in the state meet.
“As the older sibling, you always worry about their success,” he said. “It's very cool to watch. I'm hoping I can come back from college and provide some advice for her.”
Martin, who leaves June 24 for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, had other options for college. He said his final decision came down between Air Force and Notre Dame, which offered full tuition for track.
“It just came down to the Academy, in terms of academic rigor and location,” said Martin, who also had offers from Gonzaga and Carroll College. “It was a tough pick. The room and board at Notre Dame was a little more expensive. It was a better financial fit for the Academy. It's such a cool opportunity. Notre Dame is awesome, but I don't think I can top the Air Force, if I'm being honest.”
Martin is intrigued by the idea of trying out for football at Air Force, but realizes it's probably not in the cards.
“I think it'll be one of those things where I think about it later on,” he said. “That would be cool. But the Air Force, those are some big boys. I know that especially with the educational route I'm going on, I'll be stretched pretty thin by just doing one sport, plus the military aspect. Football would be really cool, but if I had to pick one to prioritize, I'd definitely stick with track.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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