Easton Wrestling Just Keeps Reloading...

[ngineer]

The Red Rovers started their dual meet season in conference with a bang last night knocking off a good Whitehall team, 43-12. Easton lost 7 starting seniors from last year's team and most view this year as one of 'transition' or 'rebuilding'. The Rovers are a perennial State Championship contender both in Dual and Tournament venues. Winning 10 of 14 bouts last night shows how deep the program runs and a credit to the coaches for being able to keep so many talented kids when only one can start at each weight. Northampton HS is the heavy favorite among the perennials this year in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

[Franks Tanks]

The Red Rovers started their dual meet season in conference with a bang last night knocking off a good Whitehall team, 43-12. Easton lost 7 starting seniors from last year's team and most view this year as one of 'transition' or 'rebuilding'. The Rovers are a perennial State Championship contender both in Dual and Tournament venues. Winning 10 of 14 bouts last night shows how deep the program runs and a credit to the coaches for being able to keep so many talented kids when only one can start at each weight. Northampton HS is the heavy favorite among the perennials this year in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

Ahh Ngineer-- the perennial wrastling fan. There is a reason the same schools are always good in wrestling--nobody else cares. In my hometown, Hazleton, they can barely fill a roster despite having about 3,000 kids in the school. If you can get kids to actually care about wrestling, maintaining a good program should be pretty easy.

Really what bothers me about wresting is two fold.

1.) Too many weight classes and too many low weight classes. My dog weighs more the half of the kids in these matches, and do we really need a new weight class every 7 pounds?

2.) Most of the best athletes are playing other sports. Football, basketball etc.

I may be kicked out of the Lehigh valley some day but I just dont get this whole wrestling thing.

[BlueHen86]

Ahh Ngineer-- the perennial wrastling fan. There is a reason the same schools are always good in wrestling--nobody else cares. In my hometown, Hazleton, they can barely fill a roster despite having about 3,000 kids in the school. If you can get kids to actually care about wrestling, maintaining a good program should be pretty easy.

Really what bothers me about wresting is two fold.

1.) Too many weight classes and too many low weight classes. My dog weighs more the half of the kids in these matches, and do we really need a new weight class every 7 pounds?

2.) Most of the best athletes are playing other sports. Football, basketball etc.

I may be kicked out of the Lehigh valley some day but I just dont get this whole wrestling thing.

You are way off on so many levels. Lots of people care about wrestling, especially in PA.

The key to a successful program is the youth organization. When my older son started wrestling in 2nd grade our program had about 60 wrestlers. Now my older boy is in 8th grade and our local youth program has over 120 wrestlers, my sons middle school team (Owen J Roberts Middle School) has over 30 wrestlers for 18 weight classes - they fill every weight class and are 4 deep at some weights, in a few years the high school will be loaded.xthumbsupx

Depending on where you live, the sport is growing.

[Franks Tanks]

You are way off on so many levels. Lots of people care about wrestling, especially in PA.

The key to a successful program is the youth organization. When my older son started wrestling in 2nd grade our program had about 60 wrestlers. Now my older boy is in 8th grade and our local youth program has over 120 wrestlers, my sons middle school team (Owen J Roberts Middle School) has over 30 wrestlers for 18 weight classes - they fill every weight class and are 4 deep at some weights, in a few years the high school will be loaded.xthumbsupx

Depending on where you live, the sport is growing.


I just cant get excited about two dudes that weigh less my dog. 150 or so and above? Ok, now we are talking. The minimum weight class in college is 125-125? Mot women weight more then that. My parents Golden Retriever weighs more then that. Their is too much weight class manipulation and all that stuff. Also just because kids participate in a sport doesnt make it viable. Plenty of kids play soccer, but nobody cares.

[BlueHen86]

I just cant get excited about two dudes that weigh less my dog. 150 or so and above? Ok, now we are talking. The minimum weight class in college is 125-125? Mot women weight more then that. My parents Golden Retriever weighs more then that. Their is too much weight class manipulation and all that stuff. Also just because kids participate in a sport doesnt make it viable. Plenty of kids play soccer, but nobody cares.

The kids who play the sport care, as do their parents. Most kids who play a sport aren't going pro. They participate because they enjoy the sport.

[Franks Tanks]

The kids who play the sport care, as do their parents. Most kids who play a sport aren't going pro. They participate because they enjoy the sport.

Hey if people like it fine. I dont have to watch and I wont :)

[BlueHen86]

Hey if people like it fine. I dont have to watch and I wont :)

xthumbsupx

[ngineer]

The reason for alot of weight classes is that is has reduced the serious cutting of weight, that many of us went through years ago. Plus at the high school level, especially with boys who mature later than girls, a lot of guys even in their junior and senior years are under 150 lbs. It is a sport where size does not matter as opposed to many like football and basketball where size has major impact.

In District 11 in Pa, which makes up all of the Lehigh Valley, wrestling is a major sport. Success breeds success.

Hey, Blue--glad to see my ol' Alma Mater, OJR is rising in wrestling. We were Ches-Mont Champs for six straight years back when I was there. Still, District 1 is still a weak step sister to District 11.

[grizband]

Wrestling is a very competitive sport in Montana as well. We have a few perennial powers here (Skyview, Butte, Great Falls, Flathead) that have been nationally ranked - I wish I could find the specific articles...

[BlueHen86]

The reason for alot of weight classes is that is has reduced the serious cutting of weight, that many of us went through years ago. Plus at the high school level, especially with boys who mature later than girls, a lot of guys even in their junior and senior years are under 150 lbs. It is a sport where size does not matter as opposed to many like football and basketball where size has major impact.

In District 11 in Pa, which makes up all of the Lehigh Valley, wrestling is a major sport. Success breeds success.

Hey, Blue--glad to see my ol' Alma Mater, OJR is rising in wrestling. We were Ches-Mont Champs for six straight years back when I was there. Still, District 1 is still a weak step sister to District 11.

OJR is definitely on the upswing. They have a lot of freshman and sophomore talent and the middle school and youth program are loaded.xthumbsupx

[Marcus Garvey]

Hey, who remembers when half , if not more, of the wrestling squad at most high schools were also football players? These days, it's kind of tough to play football when you weigh 150 lbs, even at the high school level.

[93henfan]

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

You ever seen a grown man naked?

[ngineer]

Wrestling is a very competitive sport in Montana as well. We have a few perennial powers here (Skyview, Butte, Great Falls, Flathead) that have been nationally ranked - I wish I could find the specific articles...

Lehigh's National Champion Matt Ruppel came from Montana. Can't remember the town, but he was one of the best upper weights we ever had.xthumbsupx

[ngineer]

OJR is definitely on the upswing. They have a lot of freshman and sophomore talent and the middle school and youth program are loaded.xthumbsupx

Glad to hear it. Is Howie Sage still coaching? He arrived at Owen J. when I was junior in 1968. I know he was still there a few years back.

[BlueHen86]

Glad to hear it. Is Howie Sage still coaching? He arrived at Owen J. when I was junior in 1968. I know he was still there a few years back.
No. The current coach is Steve DeRaffelo. He's only been there a few years, but the team has improved every year since he arrived. The home side of the gym is almost full during matches.xthumbsupx Years ago, the gym was pretty empty. It's cool to watch a program grow.xnodx

So far, the middle school's closest match was 72-30. Next year both the high school and middle school will be even better. My younger son, who qualified for the youth state championships as a 5th grader, probably won't make the middle school line up next year they are that stacked.