By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher The 2013-2014 school year brought us so many good stories throughout the various Cape-Atlantic League sports. There were teams that played for, and won, state championships, last-second goals, late-game heroics. Everything you would expect in an area that has so many competitive teams and so many neighboring schools. But the story that garnered the most response from Glory Days Magazine fans involved a little girl who is just 3 years old. Ocean City’s Cooper Gallagher was one of the best wrestlers in the state this season, a 182-pound wrecking machine whose body looked as though it were carved out of stone. He manhandled opponents on his way to a 36-win season that included a trip to the state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. But his tender side shined through after each match, as a cute little 3-year old girl with bangs and a red warmup jacket would leap into his arms, whether he won or lost. Alyssa Castellini is the daughter of Red Raiders wrestling coach Dave Castellini and his wife, Kelly. And she was Cooper’s biggest fan. She attended nearly every meet and knew all the Ocean City wrestlers by name, but Cooper was by far her favorite. Dave and Kelly even bought her a little camera so that she could take pictures of her hero doing his work on the mat. 
Alyssa Castellini, the 3-year-old daughter of Ocean City wrestling coach Dave Castellini and wife Kelly, was the biggest fan of senior 182-pounder Cooper Gallagher this past season. She even knew the scoring system, here displaying the call a referee would make for back points. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) When the story was posted on our website, acglorydays.com, it was shared dozens of times through social media outlets and was viewed by thousands of high school sports fans, making Alyssa an instant celebrity, even if she has no idea what a celebrity is yet. The special relationship between Cooper and Alyssa brought families closer together and strengthened the bond between a coach and his star athlete. That story was one of our favorites to tell, and here is a quick recap of some of the top stories we worked on this past school year Tony Granieri: The tale of the former Mainland Regional baseball player whose face was shattered during a horrific on-field collision was both gripping and inspirational. Doctors had to reconstruct Granieri’s face after he collided head-on with his fellow outfielder while diving for a line drive in the gap. He had to endure extensive surgery and has lived with the nightmare of that moment for nearly two decades. Yet Granieri has thrived in his adult life. He has a young son and a great job in the production department with ESPN. Joe Cutugno: One of our cover stories for the winter season was about Atlantic City wrestler Joe Cutugno. The senior 160-pounder was a true example of a student-athlete who is driven to succeed in all walks of life. He battled hard through a knee injury all season, and although he was denied a district and region title, he showed how much persistence can pay off by earning a trip to the state championships at Boardwalk Hall. He was just as competitive in the classroom, where he finished as one of the top students in his graduating class and was the foreman on a Physics Club project that was testing the viability of solar energy use at the high school. Essence Pittman: We found out from the Oakcrest senior that talented students don’t necessarily have to step on the field. Well, unless it’s during pregame. Pittman stunned crowds at football games with her incredible voice while singing the national anthem, and also played instruments in the marching band. In addition, she had grades that were worthy of the Ivy League. 
In what was an emotional day for Egg Harbor Township sophomore catcher Kate Korte, she blasted a 2-run home run in her first at-bat just one day after her beloved travel coach passed away. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) Kate Korte: Sometimes in high school sports, athletes have to deal with tragedy. Even though they might be young and in the prime of their lives, they are not immune to having to deal with real-life situations. Egg Harbor Township sophomore Kate Korte found that out during the softball season. Her beloved travel coach passed away the night before the Eagles were set to play Hammonton. Kate struggled with her emotions throughout the day at school, but her mother, Michelle, urged EHT coach Mary Dunlap to encourage Kate to play in the game, thinking softball was the distraction Kate needed to make it through such a difficult time. In her first at-bat against the Blue Devils, Kate smashed a 2-run home run to deep left-center. As she was rounding third, Kate broke into tears as all the emotions of the day came pouring out. A few weeks later, she talked about the experience and the home run, and it was clear that coach Ken Esser had made a profound impact on this young athlete’s life. We certainly have enjoyed bringing you so many great stories throughout this past school year and look forward to continue bringing you closer to high school sports, and all the people who make high school athletics such an important part of our local communities. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Stories of the Year: Little girl captured the hearts of wrestling fans
