Easton crowns 3 Regional Champs and advances 8 to the PIAA State Tournament! Jordon Oliver, Alex Krom, and Andrew Goldstein win Regional Gold Medals. Seth Ciasulli, Josh Oliver and Zack Pizarro are Regional Silver Medalists! Brad Gentzle and Braylin Williams, are Regional Bronze Medalists!

From The Express-Times Rovers seeing red after loss Thursday, February 24, 2005 By BRIAN FORTNER The Express-Times Patience is a virtue, so they say. No one knows that better than Easton's Josh Oliver. It comes with the territory as a member of the nationally-ranked Red Rovers wrestling program -- even for an athlete of Oliver's caliber. It's been two weeks since the Red Rovers' disappointing second-place finish at the PIAA state team championships in Hershey, and Oliver's patience has run out. "We have a lot to make up for," Oliver said. "It's been a long two weeks and we can't wait to get back out on the mat." The 34-25 loss to Connellsville snapped Easton's run of four straight Class AAA team titles. Oliver found himself right in the thick of things against Connellsville when he was pinned by state place-winner Steven Bell as time expired in a match he led almost the whole way, setting off a chain of negative events that led to the end of the Rovers' dominance in the event. Oliver and his teammates get back in action Friday afternoon when the District 11 Class AAA Tournament kicks off at Liberty High School's Memorial Gym. Preliminary and first-round action begins at 4 p.m. with the quarterfinals set for 7, followed by first-round consolations at 9. The top six finishers in each weight class advance to the Class AAA Northeast Regional, March 4-5 at the same site. "This is the first time in four years that we're not going into districts as state champs," said Oliver, who placed third at 119 pounds a year ago. "It's a different feeling. We're using it as motivation the next few weeks." Oliver's first two seasons were spent waiting for his chance to crack the loaded Red Rovers varsity lineup. When the opportunity arrived he made the most of it, going 41-6 and finishing second in the state at 119 pounds. Now Oliver waits for a possible rematch with Nazareth sophomore Tim Darling. The two have waged war several times over the past two seasons with Darling gaining a 5-2 edge in seven head-to-head meetings -- including a pair of victories this season. With tournament seeding scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at Liberty, an Oliver-Darling rematch remains likely. Hopefully, it comes in the finals at 130. "Our kids have learned to benefit from the good and bad that can happen," said Easton coach Steve Powell, whose team is the favorite to claim the team points championship. "Josh is a good example. With our schedule, it's like being in the state finals 30 times a year. That's one of the benefits." Northampton, the defending district and state champ, enters the weekend with four of the tournament's six returning champions. Steve Mytych, Dave Gilio, John Paukovits, and two-time state champ Joey Ecklof make the Konkrete Kids a legitimate contender to unseat the Red Rovers. The big question heading into tonight's seeding is whether Ecklof with be at 152 or 160. Reached at home Wednesday night, Northampton coach Terry Daubert would not reveal the team's strategy. Even after learning that Ecklof's perceived toughest state opponent -- Greensburg Salem's Donnie Jones -- already has been seeded in the District 7 Tournament at 152, Daubert wasn't talking. "That won't necessarily influence what we do," he said. Other returning District 11 champs are Nazareth's Andrew Flegler (112 last year) and Parkland's Nick Guida (171 last year). From The Express-Times District 11 dominance intact Easton, Nazareth and Northampton send 22 to semis. Saturday, March 05, 2005 By NICK FIERRO The Express-Times BETHLEHEM -- Some things never change. Even in today's age of little or no high school wrestling mysteries due to travel, the Internet and mega-tournaments, the singlets of many District 11 programs still come with a built-in psychological edge for just about anyone who earns the right to wear them. This is particularly true of the red and black of Easton, the blue and white of Nazareth and the orange and black of Northampton. The evidence was all over the bracket sheets Friday in the first day of the PIAA Class AAA Northeast Regional tournament at Liberty High's Memorial Gym. Of the 56 wrestlers to advance to this morning's semifinals, 42 of them are from District 11. Of those, 10 are from Easton, seven from Northampton and five from Nazareth. Easton leads the team scoring with 46 points, followed closely by Nazareth (42) and Northampton (41.5). Whitehall (26) is fourth, making today's final rounds a three-horse race. "I'd like to think the Easton uniform is worth some points," Red Rovers coach Steve Powell said. It certainly was Friday at Liberty, starting at 112 pounds, where sophomore Brandon Veres entered with a 14-17 record but still found his way to the semifinals with a 4-2 overtime decision over District 2 runner-up Tyler Perry of Berwick. Perry (27-7) shot in on a single-leg in the overtime. Veres cut him off, spun behind him and instantly earned a semifinal berth opposite District 11 champion Ray Ward of Stroudsburg. "My goal was just to make it to regionals," Veres said. "But once I got here and saw the brackets ... my goal now is to make states." At 145, Easton's Braylin Williams handed District 2 champ Josh Evans, of Abington Heights, just his second loss of the season, 5-3, in the quarterfinals. "And he looked good doing it, too," Powell added. Later, at 160, Easton's Sal Crivellaro added to the Easton/District 11 mystique by similarly frustrating Shikellamy's Justin Blessing en route to a 5-3 quarterfinal decision. The wrestlers from District 4, once the state's hotbed, were particularly baffled. Only one -- Milton's Charlie Johnson at 189 -- is still alive for a gold medal. But District 2, which advanced just 13 of 56, had a rough night as well. A prime example was provided by Nazareth's Andrew Flegler, who won a 9-0 major decision over District 2 champ Jake Winowich in the quarterfinals at 112. Winowich came in with a 24-1 mark. Not all the Lehigh Valley favorites were dominant, however. Easton's Josh Oliver did just enough to squeeze by Liberty's Shane Hutchinson, 9-7, in the first round at 130, then let freshman Josh Roosa, of Crestwood, get the first takedown on him before coming back to pull out their quarterfinal match, 8-6. Oliver's teammate, Andrew Goldstein, appeared sick during and after his 6-3 decision over Crestwood's Mike Reilly in their first-round bout at 140, but seemed to have a little more energy for his 19-8 quarterfinal major over Shikellamy's Scott Driscoll. "(Oliver) was nervous before both matches," Powell said. "He normally thrives in situations like this. ... (Goldstein) just had a little acid problem. He's OK." Like Easton, Northampton enjoyed an extremely productive first day. Chris Wieller upset top seed Denny Wertz, 3-1, in the quarterfinals at 119, and Justin Wieller also advanced with a 3-1 decision over Delaware Valley's Dom Loguercio in the 215-pound quarterfinals. Marcus Wilson held off Shikellamy's Brandon Geiswhite for a 7-5 triumph in the quarterfinals at 145. Their teammate, senior Joey Ecklof, is bidding for his third straight state title, something no Northampton wrestler has ever achieved. He took another step toward that goal with a cautious but solid 7-5 decision over Freedom's Kyle Crouthamel. "Coming off an injury, going (six minutes) helps me get more of what I want to accomplish on the mat," said Ecklof, who admits to not being in peak form yet. "I'm in good enough shape to just go out and do what I do." Ecklof is happier so many of his teammates also will be in the semifinals with him. "We've had a huge reputation over the years," he said, "and we want to keep it that way."

From The Express-Times Easton sending eight to Hershey Alex Krom, Andrew Goldstein and Jordan Oliver win region crowns for the Red Rovers. Sunday, March 06, 2005 By NICK FIERRO The Express-Times BETHLEHEM -- Alex Krom was predictably delighted to become the all-time wins leader in District 11. His senior classmate at Easton Area High School, Andrew Goldstein, was equally enthused to get his name permanently added to the wall in the team's wrestling room. Together, they helped the Red Rovers secure another PIAA Class AAA Northeast Regional team championship Saturday night at Liberty's Memorial Gym by winning two of Easton's three gold medals and leading a parade of eight teammates who will visit Hershey next weekend to compete in the state tournament. Easton (148 points) was followed by Northampton (137.5) and Nazareth (124). Krom, who set Easton's wins record the previous week en route to winning the District 11 title, broke the district mark in style Saturday, holding off Northampton's Dave Gilio for a 4-3 win in the 135-pound finals. Krom (40-2 this season, 157-21 career) broke the mark set last year by Josh Haines of Northampton. "It feels great," Krom said. "I don't know what to say. To be that consistent and do it for myself as well as for the team for four years, it's just great. I think the neat part about it is the guy who had the record, I'll be going to school with him (at the University of Maryland) next year." Krom admitted to having one eye on Gilio and another on the state bracket. "I had to win tonight to avoid (Connellsville's Ashtin) Primus and (Upper Perkiomen's Zack) Kemmerer in my half," he said. "If they both win their regionals, they'll be up top. Eventually you have to wrestle them, but it's better to do it at the end." For Krom, the only thing left for him to accomplish is winning a state championship. Because despite all his victories, the highest he's ever finished in Hershey is fourth. Goldstein didn't even crack the lineup until he was a junior, one year after nearly quitting the sport for good. "I came out late because I just didn't know if I wanted to wrestle or not anymore," he said of his sophomore season. "When I came back, the coach said I wasn't going to get a varsity elimination." What that meant was another year on the JV team and much more dues-paying. Consider Saturday night's climb to the top of the medal platform the ultimate reward. Goldstein made it there by upsetting District 11 champion and top seed John Paukovits of Northampton, 3-1, in overtime of their championship bout at 140. Paukovits beat Goldstein, 3-2, in the district finals a week ago. "I went out very relaxed, knowing I was the underdog," Goldstein said. "It just worked out very well for me." Though he already owns victories over state champions from Virginia and Delaware, Goldstein's win over Paukovits was more special. "It's probably my best win ever," he said, "because I finally get my name on the wall (with all the other district, regional and state champions) down there." Easton also was involved in a pair of forfeited finals. Jordan Oliver was the beneficiary at 103 when Stroudsburg's Bobby Ward did not come out. And Zach Pizarro conceded to undefeated senior Josh Arnone of Honesdale at 189 because of a hip pointer. Northampton also produced three champions as Steve Mytych (125), Joey Ecklof (152) and Justin Wieller (215) won gold. Mytych beat Easton's Seth Ciasulli in the finals for a second straight week, winning a 4-3 decision Saturday with a pair of third-period takedowns after being ridden the entire second period. Ecklof, untouchable in this region, will head to Hershey in quest of a school-record third state title after scoring a 12-3 major decision over Thad Frick of Nazareth. Wieller emerged as perhaps the most surprising champion, beating Coughlin's Victor Cruz and Freedom's Mike Lovett by one point each on the way to his title. Lovett beat Wieller, 3-2, for the district crown a week ago. The tournament's two other defending state champions -- Nazareth's Joe Caramanica (145) and Parkland's Nick Guida (171) -- also won gold, though both struggled a bit. Caramanica's 1-0 win over Whitehall's Tim McGoldrick in the finals was achieved basically by riding him out the entire second period. Guida, who forfeited to Scott Hunter of Emmaus in the district final a week earlier to a cranky right knee, showed up this time and won a 3-1 decision. Caramanica joined teammate Tim Darling (130) as a regional champion. Darling won his gold by defeating Easton rival Josh Oliver for the fourth time this season, 3-1. Darling wouldn't be surprised to run into Oliver again next Saturday in the state finals. "He's probably the next best guy," Darling said, "so I definitely expect to run into him." The semifinals featured a few sensational bouts as well as some controversy. At 119, Northampton's Chris Wieller clinched a state berth with a 2-1 double-overtime win over Blue Mountain's Jeremy Cresswell. Wieller escaped in the rideout session to earn the win and avenge a 9-3 defeat from the week before. Wieller's younger brother, Justin, later became the last of six Konkrete Kids to qualify for the finals when he was awarded a stalling point in overtime against Cruz. Gilio also atoned for a loss from the previous week by riding out Nazareth's Phil Santee for 30 seconds and a 4-3 win in a 135-pound bout that was eerily reminiscent of their District 11 quarterfinal bout -- except for the final result. Last week, Gilio took Santee down with 8.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime for a 5-3 win. Another revenge bout took place at 145, with McGoldrick clearly anxious to make up for a 2-1 rideout loss to Easton's Braylin Williams at districts. He accomplished his goal, but it wasn't easy. After going ahead 5-2 with a takedown in the third period, McGoldrick appeared to have it locked up. Williams responded, however, with an escape and a late takedown to tie it. McGoldrick avoided overtime by exploding from the bottom off a restart with 12.1 seconds remaining and getting an almost instant escape. The controversy came at 160, where Pittston's Dave Woodall survived a grueling battle with crippled Easton senior Sal Crivellaro -- which left Crivellaro on the mat as a twisted heap of human flotsam long after Woodall walked off with a 6-3 victory. Crivellaro, competing on two gimpy knees, appeared to tilt Woodall for at least two back points following a takedown midway through the second period. But nothing was awarded, and it changed the way the rest of the match unfolded. Woodall eventually scored the go-ahead takedown, his only one of the match, with 1:16 remaining in the third period and added two back points against his desperate opponent at the buzzer. Crivellaro, winded nearly to the point of hyperventilating, also injured his left knee so badly that he was not able to stand on his own. As he lay on the mat in agony while being tended to by a trainer following the match, the picture portrayed the brutality of the sport better than any words ever will. A physical wreck, Crivellaro's high school career was over following a match many people believed he should have won. He was not even close to being able to continue and had to forfeit his consolation semifinal match against Jersey Shore's Sam Eck, who eventually earned a state bid with an overtime takedown of Shikellamy's Justin Blessing in the third-place match. NOTES: The other regional championships went to Stroudsburg's Ray Ward (112), Berwick's Roland Singletary (119), Delaware Valley's Frankie Colletta (160) and Emmaus' Bryan Reiss (275).

The Morning Call -- February 28, 2005 District 11 boys teams rarely get to celebrate in Hershey ''Cheese.'' That's what everyone was saying on the floor following the District 11 boys basketball title games over the weekend. District celebrations have become like a trip to Disney World or a child's first birthday party. Parents, aunts, uncles, best friends, etc., empty their film with shot after shot. They snap virtually every player/family combination possible before they're done. While it's somewhat of a nuisance for a writer on deadline needing to get interviews done quickly, you can't blame the kids and their families for wanting to capture the moment because, let's face it, chances of another celebration at Hershey are not very good. Every year about this time I have to point out the fact that no District 11 boys team has won a state championship since Central Catholic in 1986. I would love to not have to mention that again next year. But can any of the four newly crowned district boys champs — Whitehall, Central Catholic, Notre Dame of Green Pond and N.D. of East Stroudsburg — end the streak? Central Catholic coach Ron Hassler has come as close as any mentor to having one of his teams end District 11's futility. His 2001 club reached the 3A title game and went to overtime before falling to Franklin. He has a special feeling about his team, which will begin PIAA play Friday night at Allen against York Suburban, District 3's No. 5 team. ''We've been there, we've seen it,'' Hassler of the five-game gauntlet any team needs to survive to bring back state gold. ''We haven't won it yet. But I know as well as anyone that this team could win it. I know Steelton's out there and they are very good. ''Still, our guys find a way somehow. My toughest job right now is being able to sit back a little and trust in them. I've found that I've got to let them enjoy playing basketball the way they can.'' Contrary to those who think Hassler can't adapt, he clearly has loosened the reins with this Central team and allowed them to get up and down the floor in a hurry in the 58-38 rout of Becahi. During his Whitehall days, Hassler seldom used more than six or seven players. This year, he regularly uses 9 or 10. In the past, he took heat for not playing enough guys. This year, there has been criticism for playing too many. ''There really isn't one way to do things,'' he said. ''It depends on how the team is going that year. Late in the [district title game] Dennis [Laub, a CCHS assistant] said 'This doesn't get old, does it?' And he's right, it doesn't.'' The bottom line for Hassler is 456 wins, nine district titles, six league banners, three Eastern final appearances and one Eastern crown. When he says his team has a chance of going the distance, you listen. It is clear he is enjoying this team, maybe more than any he has ever coached. He'll never admit it, but those close to the situation say he was hurt when two players transferred out of the program after last season, including all-star Kyle Griffin. Things have worked out fine for the two players who left and it's frankly hard to imagine how Central could be any better, or more unified, had the other players stayed. After two mediocre efforts early in the district tourney, he vowed to shake things up at practice. The kids responded and Hassler toned it down. ''I think they were a little scared,'' he said. ''They were flying all over the place, and after 20 minutes, I just had to stop. I just had to tell them how lucky we felt as coaches to have this group together. I told them how proud we were and that I wanted them to enjoy the atmosphere of playing for a championship.'' Hopefully, CCHS and several other District 11 entries will enjoy it until March 18 or 19. keith.groller@mcall.com 610-820-6740