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Rovers bump up to rip Kids
Easton captures nine bouts in early LVC showdown
Thursday, January 04, 2007
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
NORTHAMPTON | The calendar may read January, but the Easton Red Rovers were in mid-season
wrestling form Wednesday night.
Easton won nine bouts, including a key decision at 215 pounds, to stun host Northampton Area High School, 36-19,
in a key early-season Lehigh Valley Conference showdown.
"I'm real pleased with the result," said Easton coach Steve Powell, who uncharacteristically bumped a
number of his wrestlers up a weight so early in the year. "For this time of year it's a gamble to take your
lineup and move them up a weight. It worked out well."
Easton (3-0, 3-0 LVC), ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region, dominated Northampton (4-2, 2-1) in almost every
phase.
The Konkrete Kids led 9-0 early but that lead was gone by the fifth bout of the night.
"We didn't wrestle good enough to win," Kids coach Terry Daubert said. "I thought some spots we
wrestled well and at others we didn't."
Northampton's Marcus Wilson beat Joe Piro 7-2 at 171 to kick things off before Powell pulled his power play.
Easton gave Justin Wieller a forfeit at 189 and bumped junior Cory Rutt to 215.
Rutt made the move pay off with his clutch 12-5 victory over Aaron Chamberlain in the meet's third bout.
Rutt (10-4) used a five-point flying cement job in the first period to build an early 6-2 lead.
"He was pushing into me and I hit the flying cement job," Rutt said. "I usually don't like to do
power moves but if it's there I'm going to use it."
Rutt said he suspected that Powell would bump him away from Wieller. Last season, Wieller beat Rutt three out of
four meetings.
"I wouldn't have minded wrestling Wieller but it's the coaches' decision," Rutt said.
Chris Wilson (285) and Desmond Moore (103) followed Rutt with key decisions to make it 9-9.
Short-handed in the lower weights, Northampton awarded a forfeit to Nick Slack at 112 and Easton had its first
lead at 15-9.
That's when Powell ran his lineup up from 112-130.
Back-to-back pins from Kegan Handlovic (119) and state champ Jordan Oliver (125) stretched the lead to 27-9 with
six bouts left.
Oliver (17-1) racked up six takedowns before stacking Shane Fenningham for the pin in 4:53.
Easton won three of the next four, including Ju-Ju Drummond's impressive 9-3 win over Jake Stout at 135.
Easton's Colin Dailey clinched it with a 4-2 win at 145.
"It's never easy (beating Northampton)," Powell said. "But this match is always fun. There's a whole
lot of respect between both teams."
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.
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Easton's Cory Rutt (sitting) makes his move
on Northampton's Aaron Chamberlain during their 215-pound bout. Rutt picked up the win. (Denise Sanchez/The Morning
Call)
Easton bumps off Northampton
The Rovers move several up in weight class to top the K- Kids.
By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call
If you knew absolutely nothing about wrestling in the Lehigh Valley and saw Cory
Rutt take the mat against Northampton's Aaron Chamberlain, you would have thought that the Easton junior was in
trouble.
Then came the big move. Rutt, who barely stands 5-9, hit the wrestler everyone calls ''Moose'' with a flying cement
job, putting the much larger, bulkier Chamberlain on his back for a nifty five-point move in the first period that
decided the 215-pound bout.
The 12-5 decision was one of nine wins for Easton as the Red Rovers (5-0, 3-0) powered their way to a 36-19 Lehigh
Valley Conference win at the home of the Konkrete Kids (4-2, 3-1).
''He was pushing into me, so I decided to hit the flying cement job,'' Rutt, a regular 189-pounder, said. ''I don't
usually do the power moves, but it was there. I never wrestled him before.''
Rutt has wrestled Northampton senior Justin Wieller in previous meetings between the teams, but didn't get the
opportunity after Easton coach Steve Powell elected to forfeit to Wieller and send Rutt out against the muscular
Chamberlain instead.
The evening started at 171, and the bump up at 215 was a sign of things to come from the Red Rovers. After receiving
a forfeit win at 112, Powell bumped up his wrestlers at 119, 125, 130 and 135.
''It's a real gamble to take your whole lineup and move them up,'' Powell admitted. ''It's never easy to gamble,
and it's certainly never easy to move that many kids up in weight.''
The initial bump with Rutt paid off as the Rovers won six straight bouts to grab a 27-9 lead that proved insurmountable.
Northampton did not record any nearfall points until junior Mike Wechsler (152) picked up a three-pointer in the
second-last match of the evening.
''We've got to get a lot more consistent to match up with them at district duals,'' Northampton coach Terry Daubert
said. ''Right now, we're very beatable, and by very beatable, I don't mean just Easton and Nazareth. I'm talking
about other teams.''
Rutt's win was no shock to Daubert, who called him ''a quality kid.'' The size disparity, however, was eye-popping.
''Since my size has been so small, forever, I just go out and wrestle my best,'' said Rutt. ''You can never think
down on yourself.''
Easton sophomore Chris Wilson didn't exactly rally off the energy that Rutt's win provide, but scored a takedown
with four seconds left to nip Northampton heavyweight Joe Ciambrone 6-4 as Easton pulled within three points, down
9-6.
Northampton's chances took a decided downward turn at 103, when referee Jim Milot missed an apparent pin by Northampton
freshman Jordan Glykas. Easton senior Desmond Moore, who wrestled at Dieruff last season, tried to hit a carry
for a takedown, but Glykas locked an arm in and turned it into a splaidle as they hit the mat, putting Moore flat
on his back for a few seconds, but the fall went uncalled.
Moore responded with two takedowns in the second period and two in the third for a 9-5 victory, but the swing in
team points was huge. Northampton should have picked up six with the pin, but instead Easton picked up three with
the decision, a virtual nine-point swing, as the Red Rovers tied the match at 9.
The Rovers took the lead and never had to look back after Nick Slack received a forfeit win at 112.
Kegan Handlovic (119), returning state champion Jordan Oliver (125), Leonard ''JuJu'' Drummond (135) Colin Dailey
(145) and Jules Knighton (160) all picked up wins for the Red Rovers.
''We didn't wrestle good enough to win,'' Daubert said. ''We're missing a couple of real key pieces right now.
We don't have enough down low. I was forfeiting at 112 since last week. They matched up real good against us.''
gary.blockus@mcall.com
610-820-6782
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