North Hills wrestling gaining ground under coach Vertus Jones

By: Josh Rowntree
Saturday, December 6, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Success seems to follow North Hills wrestling coach Vertus Jones wherever he goes. And his first season guiding the Indians on the mat was no exception.

Jones, a former two-time NCAA runner-up at West Virginia, led the Indians to the program’s first section title in 2024-25 after taking over for Jose Martinez, who left to start a women’s wrestling program at Point Park University.

“It went really well last year,” said Jones, a two-time WPIAL and a PIAA champion at Greensburg Salem. “With coach Martinez, we worked so well together and were aligned. Our team really didn’t miss a beat. There was no re-identifying our culture, who we are. We’ve been true to who we are.”

North Hills benefited last year from having a handful of wrestlers who came up through the school’s youth programs together.

“That’s huge right now,” Jones said. “We’re relying on those kids. Last year was pretty big. It was an important year for them, and they have a lot of confidence right now. All of them have been together for so long, being in the room and understanding each other. They’re connected.”

Leading the way are a pair of returning medalists from a year ago in Carter Morvay and Brady Rohaly.

Morvay, who went 41-9 last season, placed third in the 172-pound weight class. Rohaly, meanwhile, finished seventh in the WPIAL after winning the section at 114 pounds. He was 35-14 in 2024-25.

“Those are two of our guys who we expect a lot out of,” said Jones. “They’ve been through our program since youth. They grew up wrestling. Brady’s dad was our youth coach throughout the years and built a solid foundation for them. They’ve been studs.”

Austin DeMartino (33-16 record last year), Paul Cerminaro (27-18) and Cameron Healey (21-13) are all wrestlers Jones is very optimistic about.

Jones is all about taking his experiences and applying them to North Hills. That includes his time as a decorated wrestler in both high school and college.

“It’s huge having gone through it, having lived that life,” he said. “However, it takes a village right now with me as head coach. I have two really good assistants that I lean on right now. My style as a coach doesn’t relate to everybody, so we’ve got a great variety of coaches in our room who are really good in different areas.”

Those assistants — including Jose Martinez’s son, Alex, and Jason Hillegas — have been relied on quite a bit in the fall.

Jones, in addition to his job as a teacher, is also an assistant football coach at Avonworth, which claimed a WPIAL title at Acrisure Stadium in November and reached the PIAA Class 3A championship game.

“It’s busy and hectic, but I knew what I was signing up for, and it’s a good challenge to have,” he said. “With my assistants, if I have to scoot out for football practice, our program’s not going to miss a beat.”

As a new head coach entering his second season, Jones has been able to observe and pick the brain of Avonworth football coach Duke Johncour and apply some of those observations to his team at North Hills.

“You get a sense of it being a family,” Jones said. “It’s something our coaches are adamant about. Family is first; always take care of the family. Families aren’t perfect, but our job is to work through those challenges. At the core of everything, we love each other.”

Now, with that foundation secure and a section title to build on, Jones and North Hills are preparing to take another step forward.

“Our kids, man, they’ve been busting their butts and working hard for a long time,” said Jones, who ultimately wants to get his athletes to where he once ended his high school career: at the PIAA championships.

“To finally get that section title last year, it was awesome and it was well-deserved for our kids. Now, we’re just coming out, looking to attack and investing in our work ethic. And trying to win another section title.”

Tags: North Hills