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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. -- David Occhipinti attended his first New York State Public High School Athletic Association Wrestling Championships when he was in fifth grade. He walked out of the arena that weekend with one goal in mind.
I was getting serious about the sport so I wanted to go up and watch because my goal was to get to a state championship, said the Croton senior and winningest wrestler in program history.
Occhipinti will be making his final trip to the state championships Friday and Saturday at the Times-Union Center in Albany. Occhipinti, who is wrestling in the 132-pound weight class, earned a berth by winning a program-record third Section 1 Division II title.
When I was a little kid I dreamed about wanting to be part of the program and being on my dads team, said Occhipinti of his father, and Croton coach, Sam Occhipinti. Occhipinti, who won sectionals as an eighth-grader and junior, said that winning a sectional title is still gratifying.
It gets sweeter every time and it gets my adrenaline going, Occhipinti said. I put in a lot of work during the off season and I am going up to states definitely looking to place. I plan on keeping it simple and focusing on winning each match.
Occhipinti plans on enjoying this state championship even more so because it was will his final tournament wrestling for his father.
This has been really special and it has been a great run these last five years, Occhipinti said.
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