Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio Working Hard to Achieve Lifelong Dream

One year ago, Hopewell athlete Rocco Marcantonio received headlines as one of the top players on the Vikings High School boys’ soccer team but was an unknown commodity in terms of a football kicker.

Fast forward to today and that’s no longer the case, as Marcantonio is still a standout on the soccer team but is now well known for his leg and being one of the best kickers in the state of Pennsylvania.

The senior kicker received headlines last season for connecting on a 55-yard field, which tied a WPIAL record set 22 years ago by East Allegheny’s Josh Miller.

Along with this kick, Rocco also connected on 8 other field goals and was 30 of 31 on PAT attempts.

⁦@mwhiteburgh⁩ pic.twitter.com/BHEPDZPdTb

— Coach Mottes (@jarma72) September 28, 2024

With this success came attention from colleges for Marcantonio as during the season he received an offer from the Akron Zips.

Since then, Marcantonio has been on a number of unofficial college visits, which have included invitations to kick in front the special teams’ coaches. Rocco has been to Penn State, Michigan and over the weekend traveled to both UConn and Buffalo to show off his leg. In the last month, Marcantonio also received an invite to participate in a Kohl’s Kicking Camp in Georgia.

🍑🛫 Atlanta Kohls Showcase, Scores ⬆️, stats coming soon! 💪🏽 🦵🏼 🏈 @kohlskicking #ATAliens #unrivaled #weworking #blessed @NCAAFootball @NCAA @NCAAD1Social pic.twitter.com/6ZxZWg3TwI

— Rocco Marcantonio (@Roccomarc9) May 19, 2025

“Traveling all round and meeting these various coaches has been exciting,” said Marcantonio. “I wouldn’t say it’s been a challenge; I look at it as being fun, a learning experience and good training for me. I believe it keeps me ready for the season.”

“Just being lucky enough to get in front of these coaches and getting my name out there is really exciting. That’s as important to me as getting an offer there.”

In terms of what his day consisted of, Marcantonio says each workout was pretty much the same and he believes that he helped his cause.

Rocco Marcantonio at Michigan

“They were similar but a bit different. When I was at Buffalo, we did a couple different training drills before we did charting and competition,” said Marcantonio. “At Pitt, we did a few different drills than Michigan and UConn. But all the charting and the competitions were the same. Before beginning, all the coaches just told me to relax and stay locked in.”

“I think I did very well, in my opinion. Afterwards, a lot of the coaches told me that I did very well and that they would like to keep in contact with me and would keep me in their contacts.”

I don’t know about you but I would’ve been nervous knowing that I was potentially kicking for a college scholarship but that wasn’t the case with Rocco.

Hopewell’s Rocco Marcantonio at UConn

“Really, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was actually more pumped up to get in front of them and to have another an opportunity to get my name out there.”

In terms of his upcoming schedule, Marcantonio tells PSN that he will be performing at an upcoming camp at Robert Morris along with making a trip to Kent State. After that, his focus will be on the upcoming 2025 Hopewell football season.

“I’m really excited for the upcoming season. I’m ready, excited, focused and ready to get to work.”

@Roccomarc9
12/12 ain’t too bad! Let’s gooo🔥 🔥 🔥 #unrivaled #weworking pic.twitter.com/Ehd52DKUWV

— αямαи∂σ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Steel_Juventino) May 30, 2025

Considering how much work he’s put in over the last year, I wrapped up my talk with Rocco asking him how bad he wants to earn more D-1 scholarships offers?

“I want it really bad,” said Marcantonio. “I would do anything to earn them. I can’t really explain it, but I just want it so bad.”