MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Bluefield vs. Fairmont Senior has recently developed into one of best the high school cross-state rivalries in West Virginia, as the two powerhouses have met in the Class AA playoffs in each of the past four years, twice in the finals and twice in the semifinals, with the programs splitting those showdowns.
A great deal of individual talent has been spawned by both sides of that rivalry, but instead of holding animosity against each other, they’ve combined forces in the college ranks.
In fact, one blue-chip Polar Bear recruit helped convince a highly-regarded Beaver to join him at West Virginia University.
“Yes, honestly, Zach influenced me to commit here,†admitted former Bluefield star Sean Martin, referencing his one-time Fairmont Senior rival, Zach Frazier.
The two second-year freshmen are still on opposite sides … of WVU’s line of scrimmage, as Frazier is the Mountaineers’ starting center while Martin has moved his way into West Virginia’s d-line rotation at defensive end.
A four-star prospect at Bluefield High School, where he played both offensive and defensive line, Martin had offers from dozens of Power 5 programs like Penn State, Baylor, Pitt, Oregon, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and plenty of others. In the June prior to his senior season at BHS, he verbally committed to North Carolina, but later that summer, he had a change of heart.
“At first with UNC, I loved the coaches there,†explained Martin. “But even after I committed, (WVU) Coach (Jordan) Lesley and Coach (Jahmile) Addae were still recruiting me.
“Then I was talking to Zach, and he told me he was committing (to West Virginia),†Martin added. “That got me thinking, and I decided this was the best place for me.â€
Martin arrived in Morgantown in the summer of 2020, but the need for development kept him from being a major factor in last year’s defense. He did see action in the last five games of the 2020 season, but most of that work came on special teams.
Now a year with WVU strength coach Mike Joseph has made him bigger (6-5, 280 lbs.) and stronger.
“One thing I’ve said about Sean the whole time is ‘functional strength’,†said Lesley, West Virginia’s defensive coordinator. “Sean is a big kid, and he has a lot of body where his muscles are trying to play catch up. They will. If you watch him, that’s what you see more than anything. He’s always been able to use his length, but now he’s also better able to use his strength. That will only get better the older he gets.â€
Martin’s improved strength came the old-fashioned way – hard work in the weight room.
“This summer I had to dedicate myself to working out,†noted the sports management major who was a member of the Big 12’s academic all-rookie team last year. “I didn’t go home as much. I did two workouts a day to get stronger and get ready for the season.â€
Martin, currently playing at 280 pounds, says he hopes to get even bigger and stronger in future years, finishing off his college career in the 295-pound range.
With his strength catching up to his long, thick frame, Martin has worked his way into West Virginia’s defensive rotation. He’s now backing up Taijh Alston at defensive end and saw 17 snaps of game action in the Mountaineers’ season opener at Maryland.
Martin was credited with a tackle for lost yardage against the Terps and earned praise for his effort from his coaches.
“I thought Sean Martin played really well in his first serious game action,†said WVU head coach Neal Brown
“His improvement, for whatever reason, has really accelerated over the last few weeks, which is really fun to coach and fun to watch,†added Lesley, who worked directly with WVU’s defensive linemen last year but now is coaching the outside linebackers.
The Mountaineers are determined to develop more depth in their defensive line behind their starters — Alston, defensive tackle Dante Stills, who is another Fairmont Senior High product, and nose tackle Akheem Mesidor.
“Defensively is where we have to do a way better job subbing,†said Brown after WVU’s 30-24 loss to Maryland. “Dante Stills played too many snaps, and Taijh Alston played too many snaps.â€
That likely means even more game reps for Martin in the future.
He admitted to having some butterflies when he initially got onto the field at Maryland Stadium, but things quickly settled down.
“When I first went out there, I was nervous, because that was my first real college experience playing in a game,†said Martin. “After about two plays, I settled down and was having fun.
“The game slowed down a lot for me,†he continued. “At first, you saw the tackles and the guards, and you were like, ‘Wow, they’re much bigger than I thought they were.’ But as the game went on, it got easier.â€
Martin is still adjusting not only to the game speed but also a new position. He worked last year and through much of this preseason at defensive tackle, but he moved out to defensive end a few weeks before opener.
“At d-tackle, the game comes faster to you,†he said. “At d-end, you have more time to adjust according to what the tackle is going to do instead of reading the guard.
“I like playing d-tackle better, but I’ll do anything the coaches tell me to do. I played d-tackle a lot last year and got used to it. Once I moved to d-end, it was kind of hard to adjust, but I’m catching on.â€
No matter what the position, for the big lineman it’s about laying the groundwork.
“I’m trying to prepare better during practice, doing the right things inside and outside of (the Puskar Center),†Martin said. “I try to improve in practice. I just want to stay humble and take it game by game.â€
As Martin develops, he’s better able to use his size to go along with his improving strength.
“I feel like when I know what I’m doing and am comfortable, I do a good job using my hands,†the son of David Leggett and Torie Martin explained. “I’ve probably got the longest arms on the team, so I feel using my hands helps me out a lot.â€
Martin’s size and athletic skill also made him a force on the basketball while at Bluefield. He was a second-team Class AA all-state selection his senior season.
“I miss basketball a lot,†he admitted. “I didn’t really get to finish my senior year because of COVID (as the West Virginia state tournament was cancelled in 2020). It was fun while it lasted.â€
He’s not the only Mountaineer football player who can hoop, he acknowledged.
“Bryce (Ford-Wheaton) isn’t bad, but Winston (Wright) and Sam James are probably the best,†Martin smiled when ranking the football squad’s best cagers.
