Easton Wrestling

The Streak

Special to Easton Wrestling By: Jack Logic

Fifty Five years ago, Easton High School had their first wrestling team. The Red Rovers, according to Joseph Mamana who was Principal of the old Wolf Junior High School located on South Second Street the site of the first Easton High School, actually wanted to have a boxing team rather than wrestling. Mamana said, “Superintendent of Easton Schools Dr. James C. Bay a avid boxing fan, who boxed himself asked Mamana how Easton could start such a program, and Mamana countered that wrestling was the sport of the future.’’ Thank you Mr. Mamana, I guess you can say, the rest is history as Easton under Coach Gust Zarnas fielded their first wrestling team during the 1947-48 season.

The 1947-48 season, saw the Red Rovers crown four District XI Champions during their maiden voyage in the district tournament. Dick Rutt who also won Easton’s First State Championship in 1949 won the 105 pound weight class, and teammates Quindi Pompilli, Charles Debellis and Mario DiVietro added Easton’s second, third & fourth district titles. The four titles, started the Red Rovers on a 54 year run, that they have garnered at least one individual District XI Champion
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The Red Rovers who tied Clearfield High School during the 2001 season for consecutive years of having at least one champ, will break the Pennsylvania State record in February 2002 when the Rovers make it 55 in a row. The Rovers have crowned 149 champions during their 54 years, and on Saturday evening February 23rd, the first champion will be number 150th the most of any team in District XI.

Easton’s wrestling program has been the model of consistency over the years. The Red Rovers have had only six wrestling coaches in their history, Zarnas, Charles Bartolet Sr., John Maitland, Bob Zarbatany, Dave Crowell and Steve Powell. Maitland and Zarbatany are in the Pa. State Hall of Fame, and its mere formality that Crowell who today is the Head Coach at neighboring Wilson High School and Powell will make it four.

The Red Rovers twice during the early years of District XI Wrestling had as many as nine champions, during the 1949 season under Zarnas and in 1951 under Bartolet. The Rovers during the Modern Era of Easton Wrestling that started with decade of the 60’s crowned seven district champions under Powell in 1996, and on four different occasions have crowned five. Powell’s 2001 squad, and Zarbatany’s 1969, 1973 & 1974 squads accomplished the feat.

The unheralded Red Rover district title winners over the years, have been Easton’s lone winners on the awards stand. There have been 17 seasons, that the Red & White have had only one champions. There are familiar names who have gone on to win state titles and underdogs who have kept the streak alive. Gino DeLorenzo and Tom Sulkin kept the streak alive during the 1956 and 1957 seasons, when no one though about the streak. Brothers Ray & Bob Ferraro kept it going during the 1963 and 1966 seasons as did Dwight Danser during the 1967 campaign.

In 1976 it was Bobby Weaver who was in the midst of winning his second of three state championships. Heavyweight Dan Kasperkoski won his second title in 1979 to keep the streak going, and in 1982 a freshman named Jack Cuvo won his first of four district titles. During the 1986 and 1987 seasons, Doug Hager and sophomore Moss Grays who won three district titles at Easton kept the streak going strong making it 40 & 41 years straight.

During the early 90’s the Rovers stretched the streak to 48, as Greg Geiger and Gino Cerulli won Gold Medals in during the 1991 & 1992 seasons. Eric Thompson won the Rovers only titles in the 1993 & 1994 campaigns, and sophomore Jamarr Billman who won three district titled kept the streak alive in 1995.

The Red Rover won three District titles in 1997, to make it 50 in a row. Chris Kelly, Bryan Snyder & Billman not only won district titles, but the trio went on to win Northeast Regional Championships and PIAA State Titles. Two other notable Red Rover kept it going during the 1998 & 1999 season, and they were Freshman Gino Fortebuono & Matt Ciasulli making it 51 & 52 in a row.

Fortebouno and Ciasulli won PIAA State Championship during the 2001 season. Ciasulli who won hissecond, won the Most Outsanding Wrestler award in the 2001 PIAA State Tournament.. Chad Sportelli, Ciasculli, Dan Brown, Ryan Kilpatrick and the tourney’s MOW Justin McLennan won district titles to make it 54 consecutive seasons of having at least one District XI Champion.