'24 Andrew Mucciolo is A Big-Time Wrestler, But Because of A Wrong Raffle Basket?​

'24 Andrew Mucciolo is A Big-Time Wrestler, But Because of A Wrong Raffle Basket?FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2023 Manalapan, NJ: It was all a mistake. Andrew Mucciolo is a senior at Manalapan High School in New Jersey. He was chosen as the school's best wrestler by the Shore Conference, he won 36 matches as a junior, he is a two-time defending District 18 champion at 113 pounds and was one place away from qualifying for the New Jersey State Championship in Atlantic City last season. But it was all a mistake. Mucciolo began playing football when he was in the second grade. As a matter of fact, he still plays football and is expected to compete on the varsity team in September as a senior. Now the mistake. Attending a post-season football banquet in the second or third grade, Mucciolo's mother filled out a raffle ticket and dropped it in the wrestling basket, not football which she intended to do. She had the winning ticket and it was a free year of wrestling for youths in Manalapan. The rest is history. "We decided to give it a try and I loved it,'' said Mucciolo. "Now it is my main sport and I plan on doing it in college. That is one of my goals.'' But what if mom didn't make the mistake. "I think about that all the time,'' said Mucciolo, who weighs in at 135 pounds. "It's hard to say if I ever would have wrestled. I'll really never know.” Mucciolo stuck with wrestling ever since that year. In his freshman year - a Covid shortened year - he was penciled in for one varsity match. He won by forfeit, but it proved to be a turning point in his career. "It was a forfeit, but I still took pride in it, the fact the coach had confidence in me to wrestle on the varsity,'' said Mucciolo. "And he said to me that night that I earned it and I had a chance to be very good if I continued to work hard. That gave me the confidence I needed.'' That began Mucciolo's ascension to greatness. As a sophomore, he received a double bye as the No. 1 seed in the District 18 Tournament at 113 pounds. He won his two bouts by pin en route to the title. He finished the season with a record of 26-5. As a junior, the No. 1 seed pinned three opponents all the way to a second District 18 title at 113 pounds - 1:20, 0:20 and 2:40, giving him a 5-0 record in two years in the districts, all by pin. In the Region 5 Tournament as the No. 3 seed last season, Mucciolo needed to finish in the top four in order to advance to the state championships. He finished fifth, losing two matches by two points, one in overtime. He took out his frustrations by pinning his opponent for fifth place. He finished 37-5 last year to improve his lifetime mark to 64-11. "Losing in the regions, including two close matches, is all the motivation I need for next season,'' said Mucciolo, who will more than likely wrestle at 126 as a senior "That is a big goal of mine. I'd also like to win 36 matches which would give me 100 career wins. Only six or seven kids from our school have ever done that. I won 37 as a junior, so it's very doable. "The ultimate goal is to earn a scholarship to college.'' As of now, Mucciolo is being recruited by Princeton and Franklin & Marshall. He attended a Junior Day at Princeton University last year, where he toured the campus and met the coaches. He was also invited to a camp at Franklin & Marshall College, scheduled for June. Coming from a very supportive family, Andrew has a twin brother Anthony, who plays football, lacrosse and also wrestles at Manalapan. “We're very close and supportive of each other,'' said Andrew. "We talk all the time and bounce ideas off each other. He'll be competing in college as well, but I’m not sure which sport he will play.'' Mucciolo also does a lot of volunteer work, coaching youth football with his father, coaching youth wrestling and working as a speech therapist with his mother. Additionally, the 16 year old has an astounding GPA of 4.71. Mucciolo’s intelligence and athleticism on the mat combined with his great supporting cast will definitely lead to success at Manalapan. To learn more about Andrew Mucciolo, please visit his personalized player page here: Andrew Mucciolo | GoMVB About GoMVB: GoMVB offers personalized digital and social media promotional services specifically for high school prospects aspiring to become next level collegiate athletes. The GoMVB coaches and advisors are former college athletes, high school, and youth coaches themselves with vast experience in marketing and promotions. GoMVB GUARANTEES every prospect will immediately see a marked increase in exposure to and communication with college scouts, coaches and recruiters. To learn, visit GoMVBSports.com.