Family, friends honor life of former Syosset High School wrestler Michael Rampanelli

The Syosset High School gymnasium was flooded with hundreds of people wearing red for the wrestling team’s alumni meet on Friday night. Red was Michael Rampanelli’s favorite color.

Rampanelli, a former Syosset varsity wrestler, died in a motorcycle accident on Sept. 15, 2024. He had just turned 21 in August.

Syosset defeated Uniondale, 54-13, a win that felt even more special because the team was able to do it for Rampanelli.

“If you looked around and saw the number of people here . . . everybody from friends, friends of friends and past wrestlers, everybody wanted to be a part of this,” said Rocco Graziosi, Syosset’s JV coach and Rampanelli’s former coach. “It just shows you who he was as a person and how many people cared about him.”

Rampanelli found his passion for wrestling when he was 8. He wrestled through Syosset’s youth program and continued at the middle and high school levels. In his senior season in 2021, he served as team captain and earned All-County honors.

“Wrestling was everything to him. He absolutely loved it,” said his mother, Kim Rampanelli. “Even when he graduated, he still wrestled with friends. I think that wrestling really shaped him into the person he had become.”

Graziosi added: “His dedication was unmatched. He lived every day by our mantra, ‘honor, pride and heart.’ He always fought hard no matter what the situation was and had an incredible work ethic, always striving to be the best he could. He really led by example in that way.”

Upon graduating, Rampanelli served as an apprentice lineman for the Village of Rockville Centre Electric Department. But despite his busy schedule, he always made it a priority to support Syosset’s wrestling team.

“After he graduated, he literally came to everything. Every home match, every tournament, he was always there,” Graziosi said. “That just shows the connection we had and how we’re really more than a wrestling team, we’re a family. He was really the core of that family.”

The ceremony before the meet included Rampanelli’s older sister, Nicole, singing the national anthem. There were speeches from former coaches and teammates, and each speaker emphasized Rampanelli’s bright personality and his big heart.

“I was always a goof, but this kid took that word to a whole new level,” said Max Horowitz, Rampanelli’s teammate and a 2020 graduate. “I was enamored by him. He was like a really strong magnet; everybody he surrounded never wanted to leave his side.”

Steven Silipo, who served as co-captain with Rampanelli in 2021, said: “There was really no one else like Mikey. No one ever had anything negative to say about him. Everyone looked up to him both as an athlete and as a person.”

With wrestling being a big part of the Rampanelli family, they created the Michael Rampanelli Scholarship Fund, which will offer financial assistance to two Syosset senior wrestlers.

Within about a month, through raffles, sales of T-shirts and sweatshirts, and just general donations, more than $7,000 has been raised.

“The love and support from the community has been absolutely amazing,” Kim Rampanelli said. “He really impacted so many lives, and it’s really special to honor him and keep his legacy alive.”

Rampanelli’s legacy has forever shaped the Syosset wrestling program.

“He may not be here physically today, but I know he’s standing by all of our sides, proud of this program and the men we’ve all become,” Horowitz said. “Mike will forever be missed and will always live in our hearts.”