Hauppauge's Danny Mauriello made history en route to state title
Hauppauge's Danny Mauriello wins the 152-pound semifinal Feb. 10, 2019 at Suffolk CCC-Brentwood. Credit: George A. Faella
Call him "Overtime Danny."
Hauppauge's Danny Mauriello became the first wrestler in state history to win all four of his state bouts in double overtime on his way to the 152-pound championship.
The Hauppauge junior defeated top-seeded Warren McDougald of Niagara Wheatfield 3-2 in the 152-pound final at the Times Union Center in Albany on Feb. 23.
“It’s not something you can really prepare for,” said Mauriello, who was seeded sixth in the tournament. “Even one or two matches going to OT is pretty crazy, but all of them is unheard of. It does make winning even sweeter though.”
Mauriello escaped for the winning point in an ultimate tiebreaker to capture his title, and said the thought of walking off the mat without a victory never crossed his mind. He put in the time, literally, and anything less than a championship would have been unacceptable.
The Mauriello family is no stranger to state succsess. Danny's brother Nick took fourth at 132 pounds in the state as a senior in 2012. His brother Chris was a three-time state place winner, capturing the 132-pound title as a sophomore in 2014, finishing sixth at 160 in 2015 and fourth at 152 in 2016.
It’s a mindset he’s hoping he’ll be able to use next season as well.
“There’s no losing after you come that far,” Mauriello said. “This offseason is a chance to get even better and I’m ready to go after another title.”
