On Friday, Feb. 4, Council Rock South seniors Matt Rappo and Matt Martoccio were recognized for signing letters of intent to wrestle at the collegiate level.
Matt Rappo –Bloomsburg University (Wrestling)Major: Elementary Education
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, University of North Carolina
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I went to Bloom for my first visit, and I really like the campus up there. The facilities are brand new. The coaches really inspired me and convinced me to go there. They seemed like good coaches, and the program is really good. Mostly, I liked the campus a lot. It’s real nice.”
What was the recruiting process like for you? “I knew I was going to go to college for wrestling. It was just where I was going to go. I was set on UNC for a real long time because of my brother, but talking to my family and my coaches – I didn’t want to be too far away from home. I wanted to stay somewhere close, and one of my coaches recommended Bloom for me, so I checked it out. It feels really good.”
Coach Brad Silimperi says: “Matt has continued to follow in the Rappo legacy. The thing that we stressed to Matt is – each one of the boys has been unique and special in their own way. We wanted Matt to focus on that, and we’re ecstatic that he’s had the great career he’s had.
“Matt is good in all positions. He’s very good on his feet, he’s very good on top, and he can get out on bottom, and he’s a really good scrambler. He’s very dangerous in every position.
“We’re extremely excited that he’s going to Bloomsburg. He’s staying in the state, and there are so many colleges in the state that compete at a high level in Division One. We’re very proud of him.”
Matt Martoccio – Lock Haven University (Wrestling)Major: Health & Physical Education/Special Education
Final list of colleges: Lock Haven, North Carolina State, Rutgers, Franklin & Marshall
Reasons for choosing Lock Haven: “I liked the small campus, and it has a great tradition of wrestling. They’ve had people coming to their wrestling matches that have been 50-year season ticket holders. It’s a great atmosphere, and it’s small enough where I’ll be able to concentrate on my schoolwork but still get the same Division One wrestling. It also had health and phys ed, which NC State didn’t have, and Rutgers – being in another state – I would have had to take all kinds of tests to be certified in Pennsylvania as well. Lock Haven brought everything to the table in terms of academics along with athletics. I figured it had to be the perfect place, and when I went down to visit, it just was second to none.”
When did you start thinking of wrestling at the collegiate level? “My sophomore year I had a lot of coaches asking me stuff about college – if I was thinking of where I wanted to go and what not. They would give me their card and send me camp information. I kept in contact.
“In my junior year, I kind of narrowed it down. My list was very long at first because I got so many letters, but once I started sending out all my academic stuff, I got a few more back than I expected. It was a good process. I learned a lot from it.
“The schools it came down to were awesome. I visited NC State, I visited Rutgers, F & M – it was amazing. I have been going to Lock Haven since I was in size five wrestling shoes, going to camp there and things. I knew Lock Haven better than any other school. It was just a great process to go through.
“I wanted to find the right place. I said to myself, ‘If I find it before the season, that’s great. If I don’t find it before the season, I can always wait until after. It’s not a big deal.’ I’m really happy that it happened before the season. I think it was great in terms of the way everything happened.”
Coach Brad Silimperi says: “Matt also is staying in the state, and we like to think Pennsylvania is the best state for wrestling in the country in high school and also in college. One of the other neat things is he’s going to Coach Trap (McCormack) and my alma mater, so we’re excited for him to experience what we experienced at Lock Haven. I believe both he and Matt Rappo are getting into education, and as a coach and teacher, that really makes us smile.
“He’s just a go-er - he wrestles full throttle against everybody he wrestles. He goes after it and wants to score as many points as he can, and he never lets up. His intensity and his work ethic speak to that. We’re real proud of him as well.”
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