Council Rock South's Martoccio is on the rise

The way Dan Martoccio sees it, he's got it made.

"I have no pressure on me," Council Rock South's 106-pounder said. "I mean, I'm a sophomore. I'm still young. If I win, it's great. It's good experience and I hope to keep it rolling into the postseason here and the last couple of months."

Martoccio, who won 16 of 24 matches in varsity spot duty as a freshman, has developed into a vital cog for the Golden Hawks this season. He has sacrificed his body to wrestle down in weight, compiling a 26-6 record that includes a team-high 16 wins by pin.

Consider: Martoccio is third in wins and first in pins for a team that includes reigning state champion Billy Rappo. Second-ranked 195-pounder in the state (by PA Power), P.J. Steinmetz, plus a handful of other highly ranked wrestlers in the district are also on the squad.

Martoccio began the season at about 122 pounds, having to cut significant weight to get down to 106 (Rappo's presence at 113 pounds forced the move). The drop has taken its physical tolls, but Martoccio has excelled. His bigger frame has helped him gain a No. 5 ranking in the state, with just one loss in District 1.

"He's very dangerous," South coach Brad Silimperi said. "We just continue to expect big things out of him. He's definitely one of our current and future superstars."

Since Council Rock split into two schools in 2002, South has had seven PIAA Class AAA state champions. Rappo is the most recent and is a favorite to win another this season. He serves as Martoccio's primary practice partner.

"Practice time is the time to train, time to become a state champion," Martoccio said. "I have some of the best workout partners in the country."

State titles are hardly predictable. Just last year, Martoccio's older brother, Matt, entered the PIAA tournament as the top-ranked 140-pounder, with a 44-2 record. But instead of making a deep run, Matt Martoccio faltered, losing his first-round match before bowing out in the second round of consolations.

"I learned a lot from sitting on the sidelines and watching - watching what he did, watching his work ethic, watching how he did things," Dan Martoccio said of Matt, now at Lock Haven. "He did things the right way. I've tried to be a sponge of that, take in as much as I can.

"His season didn't end the way he wanted it to, but you have those days."

The Golden Hawks have one final regular-season dual meet before team playoffs. Martoccio's first foray into the individual postseason tournaments begins Feb. 18.

"He's pinning a lot of kids this year, placing high at tournaments, so he's really succeeding," Rappo said. "Come his junior and senior year, he'll really start killing kids."

The Central-Northeast rubber match set for Wednesday couldn't come on a grander stage: The Public League championship. The Vikings, appearing in their fourth straight Public League finals, travel to the Lancers at 7 p.m. The rivals split dual meets in December within a five-day span, though one was a nonleague tournament match. Central (7-0) seeks its first Public League crown since 1996 and hasn't appeared in the finals since 2001. Northeast (5-2), which fell in the title match the last two seasons, last won in '09.