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06/14/2018 12:00 AMMarzio Mastroianni had an historic junior year for the boys’ indoor and outdoor track teams at Branford High School. Marzio ran on school-record relays in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, earning the Most Valuable Player Award for the Hornets’ outdoor team this spring.
Last fall, Marzio helped the Branford boys’ soccer team win 13 games and advance to the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament. He will be a captain for all three of his teams as a senior next year.
While Marzio has earned plenty of accolades, he feels that being named a three-sport captain is one of his biggest accomplishments at Branford. Marzio likes doing everything he can to help his teammates perform at their peak.
“A lot of the kids look up to me at practices and ask me about how I run so much and how to get good at it. I tell them to put the work in. They can do it, too, if they train and put the time in, and most of my teammates do,” says Marzio. “I’ll make sure that everyone is working hard. If someone has a bad day, you have to tell them to keep working hard, put your head down, and keep it up. What you put in is what you’re going to get out.”
There’s no denying the results of Marzio’s work. In his individual events for outdoor track, he won the 1,600-meter run at the SCC West Sectional Championship, the SCC Championship, and the Class MM State Championship, before finishing 11th at the State Open during the recent season. He also won the 800 at sectionals and SCCs, after which he took second place in states.
On top of that, Marzio and his 4x400 relay teammates finished fourth at the Class MM meet, setting a school record with a time of 3:28.06. Marzio was named Branford’s MVP after leading the team in points, although he wants to improve upon his total next season.
“I’ve gotten a lot better than last year. The training this year was different. I was doing a lot more miles, 50-mile weeks,” Marzio says. “Last summer, I didn’t run as much. I just did soccer. I sprained my ankle and was out for a while, so I couldn’t train as much. I think this year, I want to run a lot during the summer. I will already be at the level I am at now for indoor next year.”
As a member of the Hornets’ indoor squad, Marzio won the 1,000 at the SCC Championship and helped his 1,600 sprint medley relay break the school record at two postseason meets. Marzio and company set the record when they took first at SCCs and then broke it again with a time of 3:44.01 in a second-place finish at the Class M State Championship. This all happened while Marzio was still getting back into running shape and dealing with a challenging environment on the indoor circuit.
“Indoor was building up to outdoor this year. I wasn’t in the shape I’m in now,” he says. “Indoor, the breathing is different and there’s a lot more noise. You have to run double the amount of laps and it just seems longer, even though it’s not.”
Boys’ track Head Coach Rich Biondi says that Marzio’s achievements have earned him a spot in Hornets’ history. However, he believes that Marzio’s greatest achievements may still lie ahead in his senior year.
“I’ve been coaching Branford track for 30 years, and I know all the greats back to ‘59. I believe he is the most talented long-distance runner in the history of the program. He is the guy. He’s a flagship for our team,” Biondi says. “He has incredible strength and speed. He’s a naturally talented kid. It’s off the charts. He could run any event from the 200 to the 3,200. He’s a once-per-coaching-career kind of kid.”
Marzio’s improvement on the track goes beyond his physical abilities. Early in his career, nerves would make a big race more challenging for Marzio, but that’s no longer the case. Marzio knows that the pre-race jitters are normal, and now that’s something he overcomes in order to get a victory.
“First and second year, it was hard for me. I was always really nervous. I knew it would really hurt, but I calmed myself down,” says Marzio. “It feels really good winning, so I stick through the pain. Plus, every other runner is nervous, too. It’s not like you’re the only one.”
In addition to running track, Marzio has started for the Branford boys’ soccer squad since his freshman year. Marzio finds the up-and-down flow of soccer much different than distance running.
“With soccer, you don’t think about it as much. Your body is tired, and you just keep doing it. For running, it’s hard mentally because you aren’t doing anything else,” says Marzio. “You take breaks, and then you’ll sprint in soccer. You don’t think as much about it, because you’re just looking at the ball.”
Even though soccer was his first sport, Marzio sees track as his future at the collegiate level. Marzio is focused on reaching a new level of success as a senior and will see where that takes him.
“At first, I thought I would play Division I soccer. Then I started running, and I realized I could go really far with it and maybe get a scholarship if I keep it up,” Marzio says. “Next year, I want to try to break the school record in the 3,200. I think if I run it rested, I can beat the record. I want to win the State Open next year.”