For an individual sport like wrestling, Anthony Rocco doesn’t forget the people who pushed him toward his goals.
When Rocco won his second-round consolation match at the 2023 state wrestling tournament to guarantee a podium finish, he was overcome with emotion. He’d always dreamed of getting on the podium, and he accomplished that as a junior. He thanked several people in an interview for helping to get him there.
Flash forward roughly nine months to the GLC Duals tournament on Dec. 22 at North Olmsted. The 126-pounder opened his third-round dual against Westlake’s Brogan Hartup, a longtime friend and rival. In a prior dual match in January 2023, Rocco handled Hartup via major decision.
This go-round, Rocco narrowly edged Hartup in an overtime period, with neither wrestler wanting to face the other, as Hartup confirmed in a brief conversation later that afternoon.
“I really like Brogan, he’s a great guy. I’ve been wrestling him since … really for as long as I can remember,” Rocco said. “I was at Westlake with my uncle Danny (and) my dad driving me up there. I’ve been wrestling with him for a long time.”
Rocco was left hungry to climb a few rungs higher in 2024 than the eighth-place finish he earned last March. He went out over the summer to Fargo Nationals and other high-level tournaments to help prepare himself for one final high school grind as a senior and to push closer to the top.
“I just have to keep working away every day, trying to get better,” Rocco said, adding, “I’ve got to stay healthy, that’s a big thing this year. I’m just thankful and grateful for the opportunities. (There’s) so many people supporting me.”
With all of what he learned a year ago and worked on over the offseason, one of the big things Rocco says has helped him through the early goings is the ability to stay calm in situations that would have “freaked me out.”
“This past weekend, I was down 7-1 (in a tri-match) and in the past I would have been freaking out a little bit more. But in that match, I was like ‘I’m fine, I can come back from this’ and pinned him.”
Rocco stepped back for a moment with an embarrassed laugh. Those who know the Rockets’ senior best understand he doesn’t boast about his accomplishments, never wanting to sound cocky in any given situation. Even for a young man who’s accomplished what he has, it’s part of his nature to not show people up – no matter how his last statement may sound to outsiders.
It’s that humble attitude that’s endeared him to teammates, coaches and earned the respect of his opponents.
“That sounds cocky, I don’t want it to sound like that,” he said while recomposing himself, shaking his head. “But I wrestled back and kept calm. That’s something I’ve really worked on… just really trying to keep myself levelheaded.”
A weakness that Rocco is still trying to address is confidence, specifically when it comes to moves on the mat. Even if he’s able to hit them in practice, he’s seen a pattern develop in his matches.
“In practice, I’ll hit all this stuff, but when I get out there it’s just a pattern. I’m hitting the same stuff and I need to diversify, (and) get confident in what I’m practicing.”
Knowing his relentless work ethic and never-ending drive to improve, it’s a safe bet Rocco will hit those goals by the time postseason wrestling rolls around.
