Last Updated: 01-24-2008 6:30am

Winners of the
Chuck Leiderman Memorial Award
sponsored and presented by The Easton Wrestling Parents
to the outstanding wrestler in the Easton vs Liberty or Bethlehem Catholic dual meet:

2008 - Jordan Oliver, Easton
2007 -- Mark Hartenstine, Easton
2006 -- Jeff Dorsey, Easton
2005 -- Brandon Veres, Easton
2004 -- Alex Krom, Easton
2003 -- Alex Krom, Easton
2002 -- Michael Liberto, Liberty
2001 -- Ryan Kilpatrick, Easton
2000 -- Kyle Dailey, Easton
1999 -- Dan Brown, Easton
1998 --Tommy Ferraro, Easton
1997 -- Bryan Snyder, Easton
1996 -- Jamarr Billman, Easton
1995 -- Gary Olivi, Bethlehem Catholic
1994 -- Jamarr Billman, Easton
1993 -- Rich Morris, Easton
1992 -- Craig Jones, Easton
1991 -- Gino Cerulli, Easton
1990 -- Dan Goffredo, Easton
1989 -- Dave DiSora, Easton
1988 -- Dave Moser, Easton
1987 -- Jim Soloman, Easton
1986 -- Doug Hager, Easton
1985 -- Jack Cuvo, Easton
1984 -- Ron Sabo, Bethlehem Catholic
1983 -- Paul Zarbatany, , Easton
1982 -- Jack Cuvo, Easton
1981 -- Barry Rutt, Easton
1980 -- John Cuvo, Easton

Snyder, Rovers tuned up for Konkrete Kids EASTON 48, LIBERTY 13. Senior Night goes smoothly for all six Easton seniors. Thursday, January 24, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times PALMER TWP. | Jeremy Snyder tuned up for tonight's main event with a close, controversial win Wednesday night. Most of the other Easton Red Rovers also looked ready for prime time in a 48-13 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Liberty at Easton Area High School's 25th Street Gym. "I wrestled all right," said Snyder, who won a 2-1 decision over Liberty's Zach Kisslinger at 160 pounds. "But I'm more focused on (Thursday)." All of the Red Rovers and their faithful fans are anxiously anticipating tonight's mega-match against Northampton. Easton owns a 14-1 record and No. 2 ranking in The Express-Times region; the Konkrete Kids are 16-0 and No. 1. The winner will almost certainly capture the LVC championship and claim the No. 1 seed for next weekend's District 11 Class AAA Duals. On Senior Night, each of the six Red Rover seniors were winners. Kegan Handlovic and Colin Dailey represented their class with pins, Jordan Oliver prevailed by technical fall, and Snyder, Tevin Gibson and Steve Vas won by decision. Oliver was the recipient of the Chuck Leiderman Memorial Award, presented annually to the match's most outstanding wrestler. Snyder earned a particularly close victory, as the 160-pound bout went to the third period scoreless. Snyder, who improved to 20-6 this season, reversed Kisslinger early in the third before the Liberty wrestler made it 2-1 with an escape at the 20-second mark. Kisslinger came close to a match-winning takedown in the final seconds -- and referee Vic Lesky awarded the two points before waiving off the takedown just before the buzzer. "I didn't even think it was too close," Snyder said of the near-takedown. "I was shocked when (the referee) called it. I was definitely relieved when he waved it away. I didn't want to go into (Thursday) with a loss." "Jeremy's a scrapper," Easton coach Steve Powell said, "and he's hard to referee. He gave the points, then he took them away. I don't think there was much of an argument." Liberty coach Jody Karam briefly disputed the call. Red Rover juniors Patrick Corpora and Eric Burgey prevailed in close bouts at 130 and 145 pounds, respectively. Corpora decisioned T.J. Bonilla 6-4. Burgey, ranked No. 2 in the region, came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat No. 4 Shane Kelly 11-5 in a battle of District 11's elite. In another matchup of ranked wrestlers, No. 3 Gibson opened up in the third period to defeat No. 4 Alex Perez 7-2. The featured bout of the evening went the way of the Hurricanes. At 112 pounds, No. 2 Anthony Marino majored No. 5 Joey Rizzolino 18-10. "Marino really dominated Rizzolino," Karam said. "I thought it would be a real close decision either way. I knew Anthony was tough, but I think he really turned the corner tonight." Liberty's other winners were Andrew Fiorini, who upset Mike Fleck 7-6 at 103, and Daryl Klotz, who won by pin at 189. Powell is confident that if his Red Rovers perform as well tonight as they did Wednesday night, Easton-Northampton will end up a thriller. The matchup, which was postponed by inclement weather last Thursday night, is scheduled for 7:30 at Shawnee Middle School. "I was really pleased with our overall attitude and confidence level," Powell said. "I'm very pleased. We're rested and ready to go." Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com. Rovers storm past 'Canes EASTON 64, LIBERTY 3. Freshman Mark Hartenstine walks off with OW award. Thursday, January 18, 2007 By MIKE WEILAMANN The Express-Times PALMER TWP. | The only suspense Wednesday night was which Easton Area High School athlete would be named the outstanding wrestler. The Red Rovers started and ended with pins -- two of six on the night -- and cruised to a 64-3 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Liberty at the 25th Street Gym. Easton (9-0, 5-0 LVC), ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region, won 13 of 14 bouts -- losing only at 215 pounds. "We try to improve every match," said Rovers coach Steve Powell, whose team was coming off a big 32-28 independent win over Upper Perkiomen here on Saturday. "So far, we've seen that. We did a real good job -- getting the pins where we could." Easton freshman 125-pounder Mark Hartenstine was awarded the Chuck Liederman award, presented annually to the outstanding wrestler in this match. Hartenstine scored an impressive technical fall win over T.J. Bonilla. "I really wasn't expecting to win it," said Hartenstine, who improved to 15-9 with the victory. "I knew I had a tough match tonight. It's a real surprise for the most part." No. 6 Liberty (11-6, 2-2), which only had three takedowns in the loss, did its best to stay competitive against a much superior and older squad. Coach Jody Karam's young Hurricanes, who featured seven freshmen and sophomores in their lineup, battled tough in a number of losses. "Our kids went out and fought as hard as they possibly could," said Karam, who was also without junior 135-pounder Shane Kelly, who has the flu. "I'm proud of my kids' effort. Obviously, I'm not happy with the result." Easton vaulted out to a quick 12-0 lead with Joe Piro's pin in the opening bout at 171 and Cory Rutt's forfeit win at 189. The crowd was expecting to see a good matchup between Rutt (15-4) and Sherman Compton (15-4) but Karam opted to bump up Compton to 215 where he picked up the 'Canes' lone win -- 9-6 over Chris Wilson. "I owe it to my team to give us the best shot to score (team) points," said Karam, whose team likely faced being shut out otherwise. Easton's powerful lightweights stretched the lead to 34-3 behind wins from Desmond Moore (103), Kegan Handlovic (112) and Jordan Oliver (119). Handlovic (23-2) had his hands full with good-looking freshman Anthony Marino for the first minute or so before taking Marino to his back for a buzzer-beating pin in 1:59. "Marino was keeping him off-balance," Powell said. Hartenstine made it 39-3 with his victory. The Rover built a 10-1 lead after two periods -- turning Bonilla four times over the last two periods with arm-bar tilts. "Top is my best position and I was just trying to turn him," Hartenstine said. Ju-Ju Drummond's pin in the next bout at 130 sealed it at 45-3 with five bouts left. Easton now turns its attention to Saturday's NHSCA Final Four, which includes Blair Academy and Nazareth. "It'll be a lot of excitement and fun for the crowd and the (wrestlers)," Powell said. Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.

Dorsey's a knockout EASTON 52, LIBERTY 12. Grandson of Larry Holmes makes most of chance in outstanding performance. Thursday, January 19, 2006 By NICK FIERRO The Express-Times BETHLEHEM | With a little help from his little friend, little-used senior Jeff Dorsey made the biggest impression Wednesday night as Easton smashed host Liberty 52-12 in a Lehigh Valley Conference wrestling match. Dorsey came in with just a 2-2 record, but departed Memorial Gymnasium with both a 13-4 major decision over Shane Kelly at 112 pounds and the Chuck Leiderman Memorial Award that goes to the outstanding wrestler of this annual dual meet. Kelly, listed in others to watch at 112 in The Express-Times' rankings, never had a chance. He could manage only four escapes against Dorsey, who took him down four times and tilted him twice. "I knew that he was ranked and I knew that he was a good kid," Dorsey said. "I didn't know much else about him, but (103-pound teammate) Jordan Oliver told me what to do. He wrestled him last year." Added Oliver: "I knew Dorsey was going to win and I'm proud of him. He got the award and he deserved it. But I am surprised that he threw him. That's the one thing I told him not to do." Dorsey's win was just one of many for Easton that left Liberty coach Jody Karam as disgusted with his wrestlers as he was proud of them four days after pulling off a 33-21 upset over Delaware Valley at the Viriginia Duals. "This was one of the most disheartening performances I've ever seen," Karam said. "I mean, I can't understand how our kids weren't fighting back. If you're losing with 30 seconds left, I don't understand why you don't chase the guy." Another big win for the Red Rovers (13-2, 5-0) was provided by Braylin Williams, who scored a 22-9 major decision over Shane Hutchinson at 140. Liberty's top winner, Willy Horwath, did get a 2-1 decision over Mike Biase at 130, but even that was an encouraging sign, according to Easton coach Steve Powell. "He (Biase) did a good job staying close with him," Powell said. Easton received pins from Chris Wilson (275), Ju-Ju Drummond (125), Colin Dailey (145), Jeremy Snyder (152) and Oliver, who is ranked No. 1 in the region by The Express-Times and No. 1 in the country by the Amateur Wrestling News at 103. Snyder, a sophomore, was wrestling his first varsity match. "I just think that it's a sign of our team working hard and the (backups) are showing us up by getting big wins for the team," Oliver said. Dorsey, a grandson of Easton boxing legend Larry Holmes, did not know he would be wrestling in this match until Monday's practice. "We had a guy (Kegan Handlovic) who missed practice and the coaches just told me I was in," Dorsey said. "I had to lose 10 pounds too." "That was a big win for Jeff Dorsey and the award was well-deserved," Powell said. "It was just one of those things where we had a chance to get a senior in who stuck with us. Obviously he's very talented." Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at sports@express-times.com

Red Rovers look sharp,blow away Hurricanes By MIKE WEILAMANN January, 2005 The Express-Times PALMER TWP. - It was another one of those nights at the office for Easton Area High School's wrestling team. Area High School's wrestling team. The Red Rovers were simply too much - even for a very good Liberty team that couldn't catch a break all night long. Easton won 11 bouts in perhaps its most impressive performance to date as it dismantled Liberty 41-11 Wednesday in a Lehigh Valley Conference clash on Senior Night at the 25th Street Gymnasium. "This is as well as we've wrestled all year," said a satisfied Easton coach Steve Powell. "Liberty is a well-balanced team and they have some great kids. It was certainly a good battle." The Red Rovers (13-1 overall, 6-0 LVC), ranked No. 1 in The Express-Times region, are now just one victory away from wrapping up the LVC title. To do so, Powell's team need only to beat Northampton 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Liberty's Memorial Gym in the Rovers' regular-season finale. "I thought today we'd be a little sluggish after Monday (a win over Nazareth) but we dominated," said 135-pounder Alex Krom, one of seven seniors to win their final home match. "I would have been disappointed if I didn't (win). Wrestling here has been a joy." No. 4 Liberty (18-3, 3-2) lost every close one and even some where it was favored. Needless to say, it made for long evening for the Hurricanes and coach Jody Karam. "I knew what we were in for," said Karam, an Easton alum and former star wrestler. " Easton is well-coached and very experienced. We're definitely not on that level yet." The first bout on Wednesday pretty much foretold what kind of night it would be for the Hurricanes. Senior Zach Pizarro got the ball rolling by edging Chris Ramos 11-10 at 189 pounds. The heavily-favored Pizarro (17-2), ranked second by The Express-Times at 189, had to fight off his back in the third period and needed a takedown with 36 seconds left to win. The upset-minded Ramos (8-7) actually led 9-8 after putting the Rover to his back for five with 1:20 to go. Easton went up 6-0 after 215, where freshman Cory Rutt took Sherman Compton down with five seconds left in overtime for a 6-4 victory. After the teams traded wins at 275 and 103, sophomore Brandon Veres stunned everyone by decking Liberty junior Josh Osorto at 112. After the match, Veres garnered the Chuck Leiderman Memorial Award as the meet's outstanding wrestler. "I've been in a slump for a while so it felt good to get a win," said Veres, who had lost five straight coming into Wednesday. "I knew (Osorto) was ranked (fourth) in The Express-Times but I didn't know anything about him. I just tried to go out and get a win." Veres (9-9) trailed 5-4 late before taking Osorto down to his back in the closing seconds and applying a half-nelson. Referee Tony Phillips counted back points and appeared to slap the mat a good two seconds after the buzzer had sounded. Almost immediately, Karam ran over to the scorer's table to question both Phillips and the clock operator who said the ref whistled for the fall before the buzzer sounded. Phillips eventually heard enough from Karam and deducted one team point from Liberty for unsportsmanlike conduct. "I'll give one hundred dollars to the charity of that scorekeeper's choice if I'm wrong," Karam said. "And I'm right because I already watched the tape." Even Veres was stunned to learn he got six points. "I didn't know it until we shook hands," he said. From there it was all downhill as Easton won the next six to go up 38-5 with three bouts left. During that run, senior Seth Ciasulli knocked off Willy Horwath 3-0 in a good matchup at 125 and junior Braylin Williams nipped Keith Kelly 5-4 at 145 in another clash of ranked wrestlers. "Every time you think you have a chance to breathe they march out another state runner-up or placewinner," Karam said.

Easton gearing up for D11 Duals Throttle Hurricanes by claiming 11 of 14 bouts in 44-6 victory. By BRIAN FORTNER The Express-Times - BETHLEHEM BETHLEHEM - The Lehigh Valley Conference wrestling showdown between Easton and Liberty on Wednesday night had the potential to present some serious problems for the heavily-favored Red Rovers. Liberty could make it interesting by winning the bulk of the tossup bouts and then scoring an upset or two. It wouldn't hurt either if Easton was looking ahead to Saturdays District 11 Class AAA Duals. And after losing a day of practice on Tuesday and missing school Wednesday because of inclement weather, maybe the Red Rovers would come out a little flat. Instead, visiting Easton turned the match into little more than a tuneup for a potential rematch with Northampton this weekend with a 44-6 pasting of the Hurricanes at Liberty High School's Memorial Gymnasium. "There wasn't a whole lot of excitement, but 44-6 is still pretty impressive," Easton coach Steve Powell said. "It's hard to believe this is the same gym we were in last Saturday (where the Rovers lost 31-30 to Northampton in a regular-season dual meet). Liberty is a tough team. There were a lot of feature matches and we won most of them. Make that all of them. Easton (13-2 overall, 6-1 LVC), ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region and No. 5 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, won 12 of 14 bouts en route to its 16th straight win over Liberty - dating to the Hurricanes' 32-18 victory in January of 1990. "It's the same old story," Liberty coach Jody Karam said. "We didn't wrestle that bad, but the final score doesn't show it. We just didn't win the close ones." Easton junior Alex Krom highlighted the night by scoring a 10-1 major of Liberty's Ricci Bass to close out the match at 125 pounds. Krom, who beat Bass 9-7 in the District 11 finals in 2001 as a freshman, improved to 26-5 on the season. The Red Rover took Bass down three times, the last one on the front end of a 5-point move at the end of the second period. "Ricci Bass is an up top kind of wrestler who likes to throw you," Krom said. "After I got the two takedowns in the first period, I got him out of his groove. Then I just wanted to push him and use my conditioning." Krom's win earned him the 25th annual Chuck Leiderman Memorial Award, presented to the meet's outstanding wrestler. Leiderman was a former Easton standout who was killed in an automobile accident in 1979. The award which bears his name has been given to the outstanding wrestler of this match ever since. Krom also won the award last season after beating Mike Pena 9-3 in Easton's 42-25 win at its 25th Street Gym. This year it was Seth Ciasulli's turn to shut down Pena. In another marquee matchup at 119, Ciasulli used a second-period escape and a takedown to hand Pena a 3-1 loss. "I wanted to slow him down on his feet and get a couple shots of my own on him," said Ciasulli, a PIAA Class AAA state runner-up at 103 last season. "It usually takes the first minute of the match to tell how things are going to go. After the first period I was pretty confident." No. 4 Liberty (12-5, 4-3) won two of the first three bouts before Easton ran the table - winning the final 11 battles of the night. Brian Ellis put Liberty up 3-0 with a 5-2 decision over Easton's Andrew Goldstein to open the match at 130. After Easton sophomore Braylin Williams tied the match at 3 with a 3-2 decision over Dan Kelly at 135, Andrew Dally scored a 6-3 decision over Robert Quinn, who was subbing for Nick Burgey at 140. Easton wouldn't lose another bout. Wins by Jordan Nettuno (145), Mike Rogers (152), Sean Richmond (160), Kyle Dailey (171), Zach Pizarro (189) and Marcus Millen (215) gave the Rovers a 21-point lead heading into another of the night's featured bouts - the 275-pound clash between Easton's Jason Groller and Devin Derrico. Groller (26-3), ranked No. 2 by The Express-Times at 275, extended his team's lead to 30-6 with four bouts remaining by virtue of a 2-1 double-overtime win over No. 3 Derrico. After battling to a 1-1 tie after three periods and a one-minute overtime session, Groller rode Derrico out the final 30 seconds to earn the win. "Devin lost a real tough one," Karam said. "But we'll trade a win tonight for a win in the districts or regionals any day." "We had a few different guys who could have been most outstanding," Powell said. "Certainly Alex (Krom) deserved it, but Seth (Ciasulli) and Jason (Groller) wrestled extremely well also. Alex has been a consistent winner for us for three years now. He's wrestling real well now and that's the goal of our program, to peak in February and March."