Last Updated: January 27, 2008 10:00am

Winners of the
Easton Lions Most Aggressive Wrestler Award
sponsored and presented by The Easton Lions Club
to the most aggressive wrestler in the Easton-Phillipsburg dual meet:

2008 -- Jordan Oliver, Easton
2007 -- Kegan Handlovic, Easton
2006 -- Jordan Oliver, Easton
2005 -- Andrew Goldstein, Easton
2004 --
2003 --
2002 --
2001 --
2000 --
1999 --
1998 --
1997 --
1996 --
1995 --

Easton gets it done early Dispatches archrival P'burg for 10th straight year. Sunday, January 27, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times FORKS TWP. | The Phillipsburg Stateliners' opportunity to walk out of Shawnee Middle School victorious after Saturday night's 71st cross-river wrestling clash against Easton's Red Rovers basically was lost in the first four bouts. But for the first time in a long time, this match included some drama at the end. Easton Area High School captured enough of the close bouts and picked up some crucial bonus points along the way in its 32-24 win over Phillipsburg High School before a crowd of 2,500. The Red Rovers, ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region, won eight bouts in improving to 16-2. No. 3 Phillipsburg is 17-2. With high hopes after being dominated recently in the intense series, the Stateliners promptly lost what were considered tossup bouts at 171, 215 and 285 pounds to start the night. Jeremy Snyder, Chris Wilson and Steve Vas all prevailed in the upper weights for Easton. "There's no question that the Phillipsburg Stateliners could've beat the Easton Red Rovers tonight," said Phillipsburg second-year coach Jason Magditch, a former Easton assistant. "We won the coin toss, set the matchups ... this one was almost gift-wrapped for our team. But it was lost in the first four bouts. We couldn't win matches in the final 30 seconds. "I don't care if we lose by 25 points or one, a loss is a loss." Phillipsburg eventually powered its way back into Saturday's showdown, as junior Nick Pare's surprising pin of senior Eric Burgey at 145 -- the third-to-last individual match of the evening -- made the score Easton 26, P'burg 21. Senior Colin Dailey then closed out the Red Rover victory with a pin over Phillipsburg's Brad Dailey, his cousin, in 118 seconds. The win was the 100th of Colin Dailey's career. "I had to treat it like any other match," Colin Dailey said. "You can't treat it differently or more important than any other match. It's the first time we've ever wrestled -- we never even wrestled in the room. We knew whatever happened in that match, happened in the match. Our family is very close." One of the featured bouts was Easton senior Jordan Oliver, a two-time Pennsylvania state champion, against Stateliners 100-match winner Luke Grassi. Oliver, who won his school-record 162nd match, again showed he's in a class by himself with an impressive 16-1 technical fall. Oliver added The Express-Times' Brad Weaver most outstanding wrestler award and Easton Lions Club most aggressive wrestler award to his trophy case. The match started at 171 pounds with the Stateliners sending out Matt Santini to take on Snyder. The Red Rovers senior turned a 4-2 deficit entering the third period around with 30 seconds remaining. Snyder used a reversal and two back points to earn a 6-4 win. Brian Norrell briefly put P'burg ahead, 5-3, with a 16-1 technical fall over Storm Kruczek at 189. Easton responded with back-to-back victories at 215 and 285 pounds. Wilson's takedown with 3 seconds left off a sloppy shot by Jared Crouse, who controlled most of the bout, was the difference in a 3-2 decision. Vas then bounced back from a 6-4 deficit for an 11-6 win over Jimmy Tersigni. "We expected it to be close this year," said Powell, who has coached the Red Rovers to 10 consecutive wins in the series. "Things went so well for us up top with Snyder, Wilson and Vas. Those were certainly three nice wins." Rylan Watson of Phillipsburg decisioned Mike Fleck 6-5 in a battle of freshmen at 103 pounds. Bob Moyer at 130, Oliver Brukardt 140 and Dan Marino 160 also were winners for the Stateliners. "Definitely, we're light years ahead of where we were in the past, I'd think," Magditch said. "We're certainly going in the right direction. We just really wanted this one." "Phillipsburg put up a good fight tonight," Colin Dailey said, "and with a young team has a really promising future." Joey Rizzolino, the Red Rovers' standout sophomore at 112 pounds, senior Kegan Handlovic at 119 and Mark Hartenstine 125 were victorious Red Rovers. "It's exciting," Colin Dailey said of beating Phillipsburg. "But it's not our ultimate goal. We still have a lot of work ahead." Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com.

Red Rovers maintain their hold on Stateliners Easton 44, Phillipsburg 16. Claim 11 bouts to run their winning streak to nine straight in series. Sunday, January 28, 2007 By MIKE WEILAMANN The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Kegan Handlovic tried his best to juggle his awards while thanking his well-wishers. But Handlovic was in total control on the mat. The junior 112-pounder's impressive victory was among the highlights Saturday night in Easton's 44-16 independent victory over rival Phillipsburg before a crowd of over 1,000 at The Pit. Easton (12-2), 57-13 all-time against the Stateliners, rolled to its ninth straight win in the series by capturing 11 of 14 bouts in the 70th meeting since 1947. "Phillipsburg always comes to wrestle," said Easton coach Steve Powell, now 21-2 against P'burg. "I think some of our kids thought P'burg was going to lie down in spots. That didn't happen. Our kids worked for what they got." "Before we came out I told the kids that we were outmanned here tonight," said first-year Phillipsburg coach and former Easton assistant Jason Magditch. "They went out there and did their best and that's really all you can ask against an experienced team like Easton." Handlovic majored New Jersey state qualifier Charlie McGuinness -- 18-5 to seal the Rovers' victory with two bouts left -- and earned the Brad Weaver Award, sponsored by The Express-Times and presented to the meet's outstanding wrestler. "I really didn't think about (the award), I just went out there looking for the pin," said Handlovic, who also picked up the Easton Lions most aggressive award. "It'll feel good to see my name with (former Easton state champs) Jack Cuvo and Bobby Weaver." Things didn't start off well for Phillipsburg (11-3), which fell into an early 6-0 hole -- thanks largely to Ju-Ju Drummond's 9-3 win over 'Liner Luke Grassi in a battle of state qualifiers to open things at 130. Drummond (26-6) surrendered an early takedown, but got one back at the first-period buzzer to go up 3-2. Grassi (14-7) made the tactical mistake of taking bottom to start the second period and Drummond made him pay by tilting him for three back points to go up 6-2 after two periods. "We were ready to wrestle," Drummond said. "We knew what they had and we knew we could beat them." "That was a real nice win for Ju-Ju," Powell said. "Grassi is one of their better, if not their best kids." Tevin Gibson followed with a tight 4-3 win over P'burg freshman Oliver Brukardt, who made the Rover fight off a deep single-leg attempt in the final 20 seconds. Sophomore Nick Pare got the 'Liners on the board at 140 with an impressive 12-3 major of Eric Burgey. Easton won the next three -- including Jeremy Snyder's pin at 152 in a close bout -- to go up 19-4. Matt Santini ended the run with 45-second pin of Easton reserve Deven Amin at 171. Easton starting 171-pounder Joe Piro (21-8) missed the match due to illness. "I thought we had a chance at 135," Magditch said. "I started with Grassi to hopefully get things rolling. We lost some close matches. I thought maybe we could get on a run and get (Easton) rattled." Easton stretched its lead to 26-10 with Cory Rutt's major at 189 and Chris Wilson's 5-4 marathon win in four overtimes at 215. Jared Crouse gave the Stateliner faithful one last thing to cheer about. Crouse cradled up Nick Williams for a pin at 285 and cut the deficit to 26-16 with four bouts left. Desmond Moore's pin at 103 set the stage for Handlovic to clinch it. Handlovic was on the attack from the onset -- converting six takedowns and turning McGuinness twice to his back in the victory. "I went out there and tried to control the tempo," Handlovic said. "He did a good job of slowing me down. I just kept moving and tried to be aggressive." Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.

Easton's Oliver makes his mark as Red Rover Friday, January 06, 2006 By ED RABINOWITZ The Express-Times PALMER TWP. | Every athlete sets goals. Some high school athletes aim to earn individual honors and team glory. Jordan Oliver, Easton Area High School's 103-pound wrestling dynamo, has his own goals. One of those was to be named the outstanding wrestler in the much-anticipated Phillipsburg-Easton wrestling clash. Thursday night, Oliver made good on that goal -- capturing the Brad Weaver Memorial Award presented and sponsored by The Express-Times to the meet's outstanding wrestler. "This (winning the award) feels great," said Oliver, who improved to 20-0 on the season with a 21-4 technical fall win over Phillipsburg's Charlie McGuinness. "I came out and was prepared. I was working to get this (award), I wanted it so bad." Wrestling fourth on the night, Oliver brought the packed house at Easton's 25th Street Gym to its feet. The win sparked the Red Rovers to a 45-15 victory -- their eighth straight over the rival Stateliners. "Wrestling for Easton is wild and exciting, and it's something I'll always remember," said Oliver, sounding more like a senior than a sophomore. "But you have to work hard at it." Oliver, a PIAA Class AAA runner-up as a freshman, said he began working at wrestling at the tender age of 4. He learned moves from his older brother Josh, a standout wrestler at Easton who graduated last spring. The younger Oliver practiced those moves even before he began wrestling competitively. Oliver, ranked No. 1 by The Express-Times, obviously paid attention and learned his lessons well. He burst onto the high school scene last season with a 42-4 record, the most wins ever by a freshman in Easton history. Red Rovers coach Steve Powell praised his prized pupil. "Jordan takes his wrestling with a passion," Powell said. "He's committed to the sport, he does it year round. He may wrestle 50 to 100 matches in the summer time. You go to a tournament, he pretty much knows everybody in his weight class across the country." Oliver said one of the most enjoyable aspects of wrestling for Easton is the traveling to tournaments in faraway places like Reno, Nev. "They're fun, and they're a great experience," Oliver said. "Going out west, we get to see a lot of different talent." Now back to those other goals. Oliver said he was disappointed last season, finishing second at states and earning the silver medal. This year, he's going for the gold. And there's one other thing he'd like to accomplish. "I want to go undefeated," Oliver said without the slightest hesitation. Ed Rabinowitz can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at sports@express-times.com

Easton fends off 'Liners' best shot Krom, Goldstein pins help Rovers foil upset bid. Friday, January 21, 2005 By MIKE WEILAMANN The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG -- Easton Area High School's wrestling team might have been caught looking ahead. Or maybe those mysterious spirits in The Pit were in a haunting mood. Whatever the case, Phillipsburg didn't go down with a whimper this time. The Red Rovers captured nine of 14 bouts, but the Stateliners mixed in a few big victories of their own as Easton prevailed 39-18 Thursday night before a sellout crowd in the 68th meeting between these rivals. "(Phillipsburg) wrestled well where they could, but I can't take anything away from our kids," said Easton coach Steve Powell, 20-2 all-time against the Stateliners. "We should have been physically prepared to wrestle Nazareth (Wednesday). Even with the day off, we should've been rested and really shined tonight." Easton (9-0), ranked No. 1 in The Express-Times region, has won seven straight over No. 10 Phillipsburg (7-4). The seventh wasn't as easy as the last six thanks to upset wins by Stateliners Jon Gregory (103), Brandon Stillo (130) and Chris Norrell (145). Unlike previous years, this one had some drama. Norrell converted a takedown with two seconds left to knock off Braylin Williams 6-5. His win, which avenged a 2-1 loss to Williams last year, pulled the Stateliners within five points at 23-18, but that's as close as they would get. Kyle Hershey's 5-3 win over favored Anthony Cronce at 152 started a string of four straight Easton wins to close it out. The night was capped by Zach Pizarro's 13-5 major of P'burg senior Bryan Kopesky at 189. "I'm pleased with our effort and I hate to say it but we still lost," Phillipsburg coach Rick Thompson, said. "We proved that we can wrestle with the best in Pennsylvania and the nation, but I want to win a big (match)." Amazingly, the Stateliners were still in the match after 10 bouts, despite Easton's 17-6 advantage in takedowns after the 145-pound bout. Senior 275-pounder Walt Pierson had four of those P'burg takedowns before pinning Jarrid Myers in the evening's second bout. The Rovers finished with 27 takedowns to Phillipsburg's seven. "Part of coaching is wrestling aggressively," said Powell, whose team needs to pick it up before Saturday's Final Four at its 25th Street Gym. "We were taking 10 shots in the first periods and wasting a lot of energy and chasing their kids near the out of bounds. You have to make your shots count." The match started at 215 pounds with Easton freshman Cory Rutt posting an 8-3 decision over Shane Ostoyic. Down 3-0, Pierson ignited the P'burg crowd by decking Myers with a bear hug in 2:48. "We couldn't even get the flip," Stateliners coach Rick Thompson said. "We didn't want to put Kopesky out there right away against Pizarro and take us out of the match. Juicyfruit (Pierson) did a good job." Gregory gave the hosts a 9-3 lead after his 4-3 win over freshman Jordan Oliver, ranked No. 2 by The Express-Times at 103. The Stateliner, who's ranked sixth, escaped with 37 seconds left in the third period and fought off two single leg takedown attempts in the closing seconds to win. However, the upset of the night came at 130 where Brandon Stillo knocked off Easton's state runner-up Josh Oliver, 5-4, in a battle of top-ranked 130 pounders -- giving the 'Liners a 15-11 lead through seven bouts. Stillo (13-1) earned the Brad Weaver Memorial Award, sponsored by The Express-Times, as the meet's outstanding wrestler. But any thoughts of an upset were quickly squashed by pins from Easton seniors Alex Krom (135) and Andrew Goldstein (140). Krom needed just 53 seconds to put away Brian Norrell, while Goldstein used a near-side cradle to pack Pete Gitto in just 13 seconds. "We saw the P'burg fans were going crazy, and I think Krom and I fed off the crowd's energy," Goldstein said. Goldstein, who earned the Easton Lions Club Award for the most aggressive wrestler, was miffed to why his team looked so flat. "In the end it has to do with who has the most heart and wants to win the most," he said. "I think P'burg showed they had a little more heart. Maybe some of my teammates took Phillipsburg too lightly."