ByBrad Wilson | The Express-Times
Pen Argyl Area High School's Mike Racciato hard to describe - except as a champion
A scribe writing about the marvelous, magical and masterful moves ofPen Argyl Area High School'sthree-time PIAA Class AA wrestling championMichael Racciato faces the same thorny trouble as someone describing music.
Just as no words can do justice to the melodies of Beethoven, there's no real way to describe, in words, what Racciato does on the mat. You have to see it to appreciate it. And sometimes, as in the third period ofRacciato's 8-2 decision over Benton's Colt Cotten in Saturday afternoon's finals sessionat the Giant Center in Hershey, you have to see it to believe it.
Racciato was leading 6-1 in the third period when Cotten, a senior with a 156-23 record and a four-time PIAA place winner, got in on a leg and was perhaps heading towards the first takedown against the Pittsburgh-bound Green Knight of the year. Probably Cotten gets the two points 99 percent of the time in that situation.
Except this time. Somehow Racciato wiggled away, slithered around Cotten and suddenly he had the two points as the crowd of 6,000-plus roared in delight, perhaps not quite knowing what they were seeing but knowing that they really liked it.
"That scramble was SWEET," said a man who's seen a few good ones, current Saucon Valley assistant coach and former Northampton coach Don Rohn.
Racciato smiled when asked about it. "I got outside and jumped over his leg," he said. Words really do fail. It was magical. If you didn't see it, too bad. Trying to explain precisely what Racciato does on the mat is impossible. Even those you'd think might know, don't.
Walking by press row Friday night, Pen Argyl head coach Jason Grim heard a reporter say of Racciato, "I don't know how he does the things he does," and Grim said, "I don't either."
But maybe somebody does. "We used to roll around together on the carpet in the living room," said Racciato's older brother Phil, a two-time state place winner for Pen Argyl who now wrestles at Wilkes. "We have a similar style but Mike's a little better at it. He has great hips and everything. Maybe some of what we did on those carpets rubbed off on him." Maybe it did.
"That's not that much of an exaggeration," Mike Racciato said.
It also no exaggeration -- none whatsoever - to enshrine Racciato, who was named the Class AA Outstanding Wrestler by the media Saturday, in the all-time pantheon of Lehigh Valley greats. He's 186-8 in his career, a four-time place winner in the PIAA State Tournament (third in 2010), and has won tournaments from King of the Mountain to Bethlehem and beyond.
And look at who he joins as three-time state champs from the Lehigh Valley: Bobby Weaver. Jack Cuvo. Matt Ciasulli. Joey Ecklof. Tim Darling. Jordan Oliver. That's three national champions and an Olympic gold medalist among the stellar group. (The Valley's only four-time champ is Catasauqua legend Matt Gerhard, if you were wondering).
"I am happy to be mentioned with those names," Racciato said. "Jordan Oliver was the best wrestler I ever saw and I looked up to Matt Ciasulli all the time I was growing up. To be part of something like (Ciasulli) is awesome."
And so is being in a community that likes wrestling and lovesits wrestlers. Over 100 fans from Pen Argyl will follow Racciato to next week's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic in Pittsburgh where he will be part of the Pennsylvania team taking on the USA's best. Plenty more than 100 were in the Giant Center Saturday.
"So many fans here and I'll probably go on the fire truck again," Racciato said. "Then we'll go to Detzi's Tavern (in Wind Gap) and the whole town will try and fit in there."
For Racciato the celebration becomes a relief. "I am glad it's over," he said. "I've had to answer a lot of questions about becoming a three-time state champion; it's kind of been a distracting. I'm just relieved. I liked all three of my state titles; this one was nice because I'll never be back here again."
And that's sad because that means the beautiful mat music Racciato makes will never been heard in the Giant Center. But anyone who heard it will never forget it -- even if they can't quite describe just how memorable it was.