BOILER UP — Big Red senior Brody Saccoccia signed his letter of intent Wednesday morning when the signing period opened to continue his academic and wrestling careers at Perdue. Saccoccia is a two-time OVAC champion, state champion and reigning Division II Most Outstanding Wrestler. Joining Brody, front, center, for the occasion were, seated, from left, family members Lucy, Tricia, Jojo and Libby Saccoccia and his youth coach, Jesse Hubbard and back, Big Red wrestling coach Ian Whittington and head football coach Reno Saccoccia. A chair, front left, was left empty to honor his middle school coach, the late Tommie Goff. - Andrew Grimm

STEUBENVILLE — From Big Red to the Big Ten.

Steubenville High School three-sport standout Brody Saccoccia has officially chosen to take his talents to the wrestling mat at the collegiate level.

Saccoccia, the reigning Division II Most Outstanding Wrestler and 150-pound state champion, as well as a two-time OVAC champion, is headed to the highest level of college athletics as he signed to wrestle at Purdue Wednesday morning inside the Crimson Commons as the national signing period opened.

“It means a lot,” Saccoccia said. “I’ve put in a lot of work and a lot of hours into wrestling. Making it official is exciting, I’m excited for the opportunity and can’t wait to get to West Lafayette.”

The signing came one day after Saccoccia was named the East District Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season for his efforts on the football field. He’s also a starter for the Big Red baseball team.

Surrounded by family and coaches, he made what had been a commitment to the Boilermakers mat program official putting pen to paper.

“(Purdue head wrestling coach Tony) Ersland, (head assistant) coach (LeRoy) Vega and (assistant) coach (Jake) Sueflohn are all great coaches and great people and made West Lafayette feel like a home away from home and I felt a good bond with the guys on the team there,” he said. “I just felt the most comfortable there. Boiler up!”

The contributions of those surrounding him were not lost on the senior.

“I’ve always had great support since I was a young child and I can’t thank them enough,” Saccoccia said of his family and coaches. “It takes a village.”

Competing in multiple sports, he said, has helped him reach the next level.

“I think competing in multiple sports has helped me,” Saccoccia said. “A lot of people only do one year-round, but I have a lot of fun doing more than one. It’s helped me a lot as a competitor.”

In addition to the aforementioned championships, he was a state runner up as a freshmen and again a state placer as a sophomore before winning the title last spring. He has a sparkling career record of 117-12.

In addition, he’s been a part of Big Red’s back-to-back state final four appearances on the gridiron, leading the team in tackles a year ago while also being the Herald-Star/Daily Times All-Area Team DPOY.

He’s hoping to add some more hardware to the collection before his time in Crimson and Black is up.

“I’m glad to make it official,” Saccoccia said. “Hopefully in a few weeks we’re in Canton to go for a state (football) title and I’m back in Columbus in March to try to win (a state wrestling title) again.”