BC's Mastio just wants to be best

, games of Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64 at the Mastio household could get rather heated."My brothers and I were always competitive in everything," said Central senior wrestling standout Curt Mastio, who has 3 brothers (Brett, Kyle and Mark). "They molded my personality and made me hate losing,. We would have fist fights over video games because of how competitive everything got. With Mario Kart we would argue over who would get what character -- trivial nonsense like that. It was the competitive nature inside of us."In fact, Mastio hates losing so much that he hasn't done it once this season.Mastio sports an area-best 33-0 mark and will look to add to that lofty record in the 145-pound division of the Class AA Sycamore regional Saturday."What's led to his undefeated record is hard work," said Central coach Tony Rigitano. "He busts his butt in practice every day. He hates to lose. Curt is a competitor."That never-say-die attitude has taken Mastio for a quite a ride this season."He's not the most gifted athlete in terms of running, quickness, jumping and sheer explosiveness," said Rigitano. "But if you want a kid that will go 110 percent hard all the time and someone that thinks they can always do it and someone who will never give up, Curt is your kid. He's developed himself into an elite wrestler by sheer work and determination and because of everything he puts into it."Mastio, an all-conference football performer for Central at linebacker this past season, can't quite pinpoint the secret behind being 33-0."I don't know how to really answer that," said Mastio, who surprisingly has only drawn an honorable mention ranking in the state this season (currently listed as an honorable mention entry at 140 pounds by Illinois Matmen)."I show up and work hard and do the little things right. I don't do anything extraordinary. I focus on the things I can do and I work on the things I can control. Without a strong work ethic, you won't be able to win and compete. My hard work comes from wanting to be the best."A different way of approaching things, he says, may have something to do with it."I've gotten tougher," said Mastio, who has won 4 tournament titles this season including a Big Northern Conference crown. "I expect to win. Last year and in the past maybe I doubted myself sometimes. Now I have expectations and now I go out there knowing I can win and knowing nobody should beat me."That toughness goes back to the sibling thing. Mastio is the third of four brothers. Brett Mastio played football, basketball and ran track at Central. Kyle Mastio played football, while younger brother, Mark, plays basketball at Central."It comes from my three brothers and always competing with them," said Mastio, who has supplemented a strong defense on the mat with improved success with takedowns."We would compete in anything. We always had that desire to win. I can deal with intangibles on the mat. I can deal with pain better than most people. I have a stronger focus in matches and that's one thing that wins matches for me. I want to get better each and every day instead of not getting anywhere. I'm always thinking that I can improve. I'm never content where I'm at.""His number one asset is how strong he is mentally," said Rigitano. "He's never out of a match. He always thinks he can win it."Mastio's mastery on the mat this season comes on the heels of him recovering from ACL surgery in the off-season. Mastio actually injured his knee during the 2006-2007 season and wrestled with the malady."I injured my knee about 3#189; weeks before regionals," said Mastio. "After it happened I lost two matches in a row. I was feeling bad because of the knee. I told myself I had to put it out of my mind and stop feeling sorry for myself. I had surgery in the off-season in March. I didn't get much wrestling in during the summer. I rehabbed and tried to come back strong."The word setback doesn't appear to be in Mastio's vocabulary. He's worn hearing aides in both ears since the age of 3 when he was diagnosed with partial hearing loss. Again, a non-factor in the grand scheme of things."It's not severe," said Mastio. "It's no big deal. I don't wear them for football or wrestling. It's no big deal to me. Everybody that knows me doesn't think twice about it and neither do I, really."Mastio won a regional title last year as a junior and missed a state berth by 1 place (he finished fourth at the sectional level). That loss in the third-place match to Hononegah's Rob Fenicle (7-2) at the Rockford East sectional was the last time Mastio lost a high school match. He finished his junior year 28-12 after having a below .500 mark as a sophomore."That boosted my confidence and raised my expectations," said Mastio of the near state miss. "I expect to be in situations where I can win and compete with the best guys in the state. Last year helped my confidence. It was a big motivator. When I was rehabbing my knee I was remembering how I felt after losing that match. I can recall that match pretty much anytime I want and can remember the feeling of not going to state. I don't want to feel like that again. That's why I keep pushing forward."Rigitano said replacing an individual of Mastio's overall character is going to be a tough chore."The program will really miss him and his leadership," said Rigitano. "He's a quiet leader who goes about his business. He is a perfect example to young guys, especially guys with minimal experience. He's a huge reason why we turned it around. There's only one way he knows how to do it and that's to work hard. I can't tell you how proud I am of him."But Mastio's wrestling isn't the only bright light in his life. He sports a 3.896 grade-point average and is ranked 16th out of a Central senior class of 264 students.He's been accepted into the University of Illinois school of business."I kind of have a vision of what I want to do in my head, but I'm not sure what area I want to go into," said Mastio. "I'm eyeing entrepreneurship. That's something that intrigues me."A trip to the state finals in Champaign also intrigues Mastio."It's been on my mind since I took fourth at sectionals," said Mastio.So much so that when he went down to watch the state finals last year, he took a picture of the famous grand march at Assembly Hall."That's the background in my phone," said Mastio. "I see it every day. When you see that there, it's something you dream of being a part of. My focus is on going down to Champaign and being a part of that."And for Mastio, that quest to reach Champaign begins in earnest on Saturday.