Between the afternoons of Thursday, Feb. 24, and Saturday, Feb. 26, there were 14 Division 1 WIAA State Wrestling Champions crowned, one of which was River Falls senior Vito Massa, who took down the 285-pound bracket with a 4-2 victory over Griffin Empey of Stoughton.

The 285-pound state title was not only Massa’s first state championship, it was his first time qualifying for the state tournament in his wrestling career. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he made it to individual sectionals but couldn’t get over the hump to get down to Madison.

Massa’s metaphorical road to Madison wasn’t smooth sailing. It required soul-searching, and according to River Falls wrestling Head Coach Kevin Black, there were difficult decisions along the way that Massa had to make on his own.

“As coaches, we decided

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River Falls senior heavyweight Vito Massa begins his celebration of winning the Division 1 285-pound individual state wrestling championship. River Falls wrestling head coach Kevin Black begins his celebration for Massa in the background.

Photo courtesy of River Falls Wrestling

River Falls High School senior heavyweight Vito Massa takes in the environment at the Kohl Center moments after winning the 285-pound WIAA Division 1 Individual State Championship on Saturday, Feb. 26, in Madison. Photo courtesy of River Falls Wrestling CHAMP

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early that (heavyweight) was the best place for him for a lot of reasons,” Black said. “Mostly because if he was wrestling at heavyweight, he was going to have to give his best effort. At sectionals the last two years, we got a Vito (Massa) that was less than his best.”

Black didn’t specify why Massa was performing at less than his best, but he did know that Massa could get to another level and was more than capable of getting to and potentially winning a state championship as an individual.

“In the end, we left (the weight class decision) up to him,” Black said. “That was a really important part of him owning the story of this. It was his decision. I could have said, ‘We want you at heavyweight, or we want you at 220.’ Then it never would have been his story. He decided the Wednesday before regionals.”

Black stated that he felt as if Massa was going to choose to wrestle at the heavyweight position, but Black couldn’t be sure of the roster until Massa made his decision. Black recalled the final decision from Massa.

“I asked him what the plan was, and he said, ‘Yep. I’m going heavyweight,’” Black recalled of the conversation with Massa. “Heavyweight was where we wanted him, but it had to be his decision for the whole thing to work out.”

While it was Massa’s first time in Madison on the biggest wrestling stage in the state, he didn’t only succeed, he thrived off of the pressure-packed environment and the rowdy crowd in the Kohl Center. Black spoke about Massa’s experience on the big stage, specifically in the semi-final match against Jaren Rohde of Stevens Point.

“It was the final match of the evening,” Black said. “All of the matches were done, so the whole crowd was watching Vito’s match and the crowd fell in love with him. He’s this little heavyweight and he scored a late takedown to win in the third period.”

According to Black, it felt like the entire Kohl Center was cheering for Massa in that semi-final match. As the crowd got louder, Massa wrestled better and put on a show for the spectators.

“The fans loved him, and he reveled in it,” Black said of Massa’s semi-final match. “He’s kind of a spotlight guy and he really soaked it in. Going into the finals, it was like, here we go. Everyone was going to love Vito (Massa) and he was going to build on that. He drew his strength and energy from the crowd. They chanted ‘Vito! Vito!’ He’s the perfect personality and perfect kid to be in that moment. He was a fan favorite.”

In the final match, Massa defeated Empey of Stoughton 4-2 to win the state title. Massa may have wrestled in the 285-pound weight bracket, but on the morning of the tournament, he weighed in at approximately 200 pounds, making him the smallest heavyweight in the building. When his state championship match ended, according to Black, Massa was approximately 193 pounds.

A true David and Goliath story for Massa also had a true storybook ending. It was Massa’s first trip to state, his first state championship victory, and it all happened on his birthday. It’s hard to imagine a better way to end a high school wrestling career.