History of the NHSCA Final Four By Bob Volkert EAHS Class of 1991 EASTON, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley has always been well respected for the quality of its high school wrestling. Easton, Freedom (Bethlehem), Liberty (Bethlehem), Nazareth, Northampton, Parkland and Phillipsburg (N.J.) all lie within the boundaries of this grappling hotbed. The National High School Coaches Association has chosen this area as the center of the wrestling universe, while it has presented the NHSCA Final Four, for just that reason over the past five seasons. The annual event kicked off in 2001 with national powers Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Blair Academy (N.J.), Easton (Pa.) and Midwest City (Okla.) taking center stage to determine a real national champion of high school wrestling for the first time ever. Blair Academy and Easton have been the two mainstays in the annual event, with two other nationally ranked teams being invited to compete each year. The Final Four brings together nearly 100 wrestlers and coaches, more than 1,400 rowdy fans, and a large media contingent in a single day for a chance to see the best-of-the-best in high school wrestling at Easton Area High School's 25th Street Gymnasium. It's not unusual to see two live television, and two live radio broadcasts from the event with coverage from local and statewide newspapers, as well as national magazines. District, regional, state and national champions have all wrestled in the event. Many of the competitors have moved on to compete for collegiate powers such as Lehigh, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois and Iowa State. A small gym with an intimate setting, the 25th Street Gym hosts the four teams in a round-robin format. Blair Academy and Easton each battle one of the two other teams in a dual meet held on two mats simultaneously at 10 a.m. The Buccaneers and Red Rovers switch opponents for two more dual meets at 2 p.m. At 6 p.m., the two invited teams face-off on a single mat. The event concludes with the feature match between Blair Academy and Easton at 8 p.m. under a single spotlight in front of a standing-room only crowd. It is certainly a spectacle for all to witness. Bob Ferraro, the Executive Director of the NHSCA, envisioned an event like the Final Four, and chose Easton to host the first event in 2001 when the Red Rovers were ranked No. 2 in the country. Easton has been a Top 5 national team since, and has hosted the Final Four every year. "This was one of Bob Ferraro's visions," said Steve Pados, an Assistant Director at the NHSCA. "He started it and we've branched out from there. We've been able to secure some really talented teams to come here and do battle." Those teams include national powers Blair Academy, Easton, Midwest City (Okla.), Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Solon (Ohio), Washington Township (N.J.), Edmond North (Okla.), Apple Valley (Minn.) and St. Paris Graham (Ohio). Days, weeks and months are spent well in advance of the Final Four to determine which teams will be invited. In fact, preparations are already taking place for the 2006 event. Easton has been chosen as the host site for several reasons. One reason is that the NHSCA offices are located in Easton. "One reason is because of their proximity to our office," Pados said. "That and the fact that they have a great program. They have great local support and Easton has a strong Booster Club. It also helps that it is one of the very few events where we don't have to get in a trailer and drive eight to 10 hours to do an event." But make no mistake about it, Easton would not host the event without having a great program, one which was ranked by USA Wrestling as the third best team in the country during the 1990s. Link to a brief history of the NHSCA Final Four results