‘Heartbeat’ of Thomas Jefferson defense wins Breisinger Award for character, courage

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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He led the Thomas Jefferson football team in tackles for three years.

Considering the magnitude of the Jaguars football program, it was a magnificent accomplishment.

But TJ senior Matt Martinis received as much if not more satisfaction in landing the prestigious Breisinger Award following the 2024 season.

Martinis, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound linebacker, received the award at the TJ football banquet Feb. 23 at the Georgetown Centre in Pleasant Hills.

“I’m extremely humbled to be selected for this award by my teammates,” Martinis said. “Winning the Breisinger Award is truly one of the greatest honors imaginable for me. Knowing my teammates voted me to best represent the character, leadership and courageous qualities that Alby Breisinger had means everything to me.

“This award has always been a big part of TJ football and the Breisinger family, and I’m blessed to have been voted the 2024 award winner.”

Martinis stood out as the team leader on defense this year with 95 tackles, including 64 unassisted. He played outside linebacker as a sophomore, inside linebacker as a junior and a hybrid of both inside and outside as a senior.

“Matt is a great selection as the Breisinger Award winner,” TJ coach Bill Cherpak said. “It is well deserved, absolutely well deserved. He is an excellent football player and an even better person.

“Matt was and is a role model to all of the younger players. He and the other seniors’ leadership was one of the main reasons our team was successful this season. He had great instincts on the field and was a very physical player. That is a great recipe for an excellent linebacker.”

Martinis, 17, said his role model has been his brother James, also a former TJ football player.

“My brother James has been my role model since the day I was born,” Martinis said. “I remember growing up watching all of his games wanting to be just like him. Being five years older than me, he was always able to teach me everything and lead by example as well.

“He taught me what it meant to actually work hard, lift weights, condition and so much more. He really is at the top of the list to thank for my success as a player and person.”

Martinis was a three-year starter and was named first team all-conference as a senior. That was after a freshman season when he didn’t even play much on the junior varsity team.

“I had some major offseason improvements going into my sophomore season, which helped me find my way onto the starting defense,” Martinis said. “As Cherp said, ‘You get out what you put in.’ You keep working at it and find a way onto the field.

“I always tried to be the guy that your teammates can look to when things get tough — whether that was summer conditioning, fall camp or needing a big play to be made on the field.”

Not only did Martinis lead the team in tackles throughout his career, he had a hand in virtually every defensive category including passes protected, batted passes, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles, sacks, hurries and punts blocked.

The heart of the TJ defense annually is the linebacking corps.

Martinis was complemented in the Jaguars’ stellar defensive play last fall by junior inside linebacker Zach Villa, sophomore OLB Kane Eggerton and junior OLB Emmett Forte.

“Matt Martinis has been the heartbeat of our team,” Cherpak said during the season. “We rely on him as the quarterback of the defense. He makes the huddle calls and many of the adjustments.

“Matt is one of the hardest workers and is a leader by example. He is an invaluable part of our defense. He is an even better person off the field and in the classroom. He is a great role model for the younger players.”

The Jaguars won the 2024 conference title with a 5-0 record and the WPIAL Class 4A championship with a 13-0 mark. TJ defeated Belle Vernon, Trinity, Ringgold (via forfeit), Chartiers Valley and Laurel Highlands by a 168-35 overall margin in conference play.

“Cherp told me in a meeting one time that the goal as a leader is to leave the program in a better place than when you came in,” Martinis said. “I’m really glad we got the championship this year. Bringing the WPIAL trophy back where it belongs makes me feel like the senior class did our job to set the underclassmen up for success.”

The Jaguars improved from eight to nine to 14 victories over the past three seasons.

Their defensive lineup last postseason consisted of Luccas Patterson (DE), Kooper Kamberis (DE), Shep Turk (DT) and Deacon Kamberis (DT) on the line; Martinis, Villa, Eggerton and Forte at their linebacking posts; with Brayden White (DB), Nathan Farison (DB) and Jarrett Becoate (DB) in the secondary.

“Being a TJ football player is so much more than just football,” Martinis said. “Being a part of this family, this brotherhood that we have here, is so special itself. Playing football for TJ gave me many valuable lessons, experience, and memories that I will carry with me for a lifetime.

“Going through this program for four years will set you up for success in life, no matter what you choose to do after high school.”

Martinis, whose dad Bill played basketball at TJ, plans to attend Pitt to study nursing with the hope of becoming a nurse anesthetist.

The Breisinger Award was established in 1979 and named after former Pleasant Hills police officer Albert Breisinger. It is presented annually to a senior football player at TJ for his hard work, community involvement and academics.

The Breisinger Award is not the team MVP. It goes to the player who best exemplifies the “character, courage, leadership and sacrifice demonstrated in the life and eternal spirit” of Breisinger, whose high school football uniform number — 62 — is the only one retired at TJ.

Each member of the team receives one vote.

Scott Breisinger, Alby’s brother and family spokesman, said Martinis was an excellent selection for the award.

“Matt Martinis has shown exceptional character, courage and leadership throughout his time with the TJ football team,” Breisinger said. “His teammates recognized his unwavering commitment to the team, his strong work ethic, and his ability to inspire and uplift those around him.

“Matt’s dedication to his community and his willingness to put others before himself truly embody the spirit of Alby.”

Over the past three years with Martinis as a starting linebacker, the TJ football team won 31 of 39 games, two conference championships and the 2024 WPIAL title.

The Jaguars advanced to the PIAA semifinals in 2024 where they lost to Lampeter-Strasburg, 20-16, to finish 14-1 overall.

“It was an amazing year. It goes by fast,” Cherpak said at the football banquet. “All the credit goes to those in this room.”

Tags: Thomas Jefferson