The Verona Sports Boosters would like to congratulate Matt Riccitelli as the Boys Senior Athlete of the Week. Matt is a member of Coach Racioppe’s 9-0 Hillbilly football team that will play Becton in the semi-finals this Saturday. On the season, Matt has made over 25 tackles and has a quarterback sack. He is also a key offensive tackle who has helped the Hillbilly offense rush for over 2,000 yards this season.
Matt’s favorite football memory this season was coming back to defeat Orange in overtime in a very intense game. A close second was defeating Cedar Grove for the conference championship.
When asked who his favorite teacher was, Matt credits Patrick Bresnan as a great person and teacher who knows how to keep his history class interesting. As far as coaches go, Matt says they are all great, but coaches Chris DeMond and Ray Bowes have helped him to believe in himself and become the player he is now.
Chicken wings and a good grilled hamburger are Matt’s two favorite things to eat. He loves rock music, especially Def Leppard and Van Halen. He has two golden retrievers, one named Thunder and the other Sandy. As someone who enjoys history, Matt says a trip to Rome was his favorite.
If he could have dinner with anyone, Matt chose Quentin Tarantino as he is a huge fan of his movies and is interested in pursuing a similar career in film.
Next year Matt would love to attend a large university and major in a sports related field, or broadcasting and film. Another possibility would be to continue playing football at a smaller college. Wherever Matt ends up, the Verona Sports Boosters wish him the best of luck in pursuing his dreams.
During the 2014-2015 school year, the Verona Sports Boosters will recognize a different male and female senior athlete at Verona High School every week. The Boosters support male and female athletes in all VHS sports through a variety of fundraisers and recognition events.
Photos copyright Donna Giuliano. Used by permission.
