College Corner: Wagner Offensive Lineman Steve Ciocci

Steve Ciocci made the move from Spring-Ford High School to Temple University after graduation. Ciocci’s next move put him in the front lines at Wagner.

Ciocci played high school football at Spring-Ford and was looking forward to playing for the Temple Owls. However, Ciocci soon realized he needed a change from the challenges of the Division I school. In 2009, Ciocci transferred from Temple to Wagner and has found a happy home at the Subdivision school.

“There’s a lot more competition at the Division I level,” said Ciocci. “At the Subdivision level, you can make more of an impact. There wasn’t as much competition here then there was for me at Temple. It’s still a challenge.”

Ciocci has become a fixture on the offensive line for Wagner. The Royersford native moved into the starting lineup two years ago thanks to an injury to one of his teammates and hasn’t been out since. Last year, Ciocci became the starting right guard. This fall, Ciocci slid over to the right tackle position.

“It’s been fun to play so many positions on the offensive line,” Ciocci said. “It’s been a unique experience.”

Ciocci is not only trying to protect his quarterback and lead the way for his running backs, but he is also looking to provide leadership on a team which has several young faces in the lineup.

“We’re a very young team in a lot of areas,” said Ciocci. “One of those areas is the offensive live. We have four new starters. We’re improving and we’re trying to get a lot of momentum going.”

It all began for Ciocci at Spring-Ford High School. He was a three-year letter winner and a First-Team All-Pioneer Athletic Conference and first-team All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection. Ciocci credits Spring-Ford Head Coach Gary Rhodenbaugh for allowing him to succeed at the college level.

“Playing for Spring-Ford was a blast,” Ciocci said. “I really love it and I really loved the high school.  Coach Rhodenbaugh really helped me. His whole teaching method was about discipline. It really impacted me when I got to college.”

Ciocci had plenty of offers from colleges across the country. However, Ciocci’s decision to go to Temple and to eventually transfer to Wagner was based on his desire to stay close to home.

“My family really means a lot to me,” Ciocci said. “Being in the area is really what I wanted. I wanted my family to see me play my games. I had interest from some schools around the country but I want to stay local.”

Ciocci is equally successful in the classroom. He is a Member of the 2010 NEC Academic Honor Roll and was a U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar-Athlete Award recipient at Spring-Ford.

“Time management is the key,” said Ciocci. “It’s very challenging. We have early morning practices. Sometimes we have meetings that start at 6am. Whatever free time you have, you really have to take advantage of it.”

Ciocci has found is comfort zone at Wagner. Now all he needs is a championship.

“I really think we’re going to win a championship here,” Ciocci. “We’re really building towards it. I’m really excited about it. We’re taking Wagner into a new direction. We’re struggling a bit right now, but we’re getting better. The best decision I made was coming here.”