Easton defeats Phillipsburg 44-6 in annual wrestling showdown

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Easton won the first six bouts and led by 18 points in its annual dual at Phillipsburg on Monday night, but looks were deceiving.

It was not that easy.

The Red Rovers went on to win 12 of 14 bouts and claim a 44-6 victory before a packed house in Phillipsburg's "Pit" as the Stateliners made Easton work for everything it got.

Easton's Mitch Minotti won the Brad Weaver Memorial Award as the Outstanding Wrestler based on his 10-4 win over Dan Brockerhoff. And teammate Robert Rizzolino won the Easton Lions Most Aggressive Wrestler Award by cradling and pinning Justin Lane at 5:40.

Minotti also earned his 100th career win. He watched last year as Misczenski, one of his friends, earned the Weaver Award against Phillipsburg.

"Last year my friend Mark Misczenski won it," he said. "I was kind of jealous. This year, I wanted to be the one who won it. I just do what my coaches want me to do; whatever will help the team."

Easton (16-1) had bonus points in only four bouts — Rizzolino's win, Jalal Paige's 11-3 win over Cody Crouse at 285, Kyle Baker's 13-0 win over Christian Berrigan at 103, and Evan DiSora's second-period pin of Andrew Kaluzny at 119.

Other than that, wins were not easy for Easton, which won the battle of takedowns 37-2.

"I'm sure we did extremely well with numbers, but we had to take 300 shots to get [the first] 20 [takedowns]," Easton coach Steve Powell said. "We'd like a higher percentage. ... We have to be aggressive. That's what people come to see. You can't take too many shots where you're wasting energy and not scoring points. It was a hard-fought match."

Joey Rizzolino trailed P'burg's Ryan Watson 5-2 in the second period in the opening bout at 140, but rallied for a 13-9 win. Anthony Minotti followed with a 13-10 win at 145 in which he led 13-8 late.

Wrestling up one weight, Mitch Minotti used three third-period takedowns to earn a 10-4 win over Brockerhoff, then Mason McIntyre (160), Zach Bambary (171) and Jose Rotger (189) all won close bouts to make it 18-0 in Easton's favor.

Dave Post, in his first year as head coach at Phillipsburg, said he was happy with how his team battled, especially in the first half of the match.

"Those kids [Easton] are far superior kids," he said. "Our kids put themselves in position to win the matches. They did all we can ask them to do. We scrapped with them. We're going to lose matches, but you have to give yourself a chance. We came in thinking we were probably favored in two bouts, and that's what ended up happening."

Brandon Hull (285) and Matt Lane (130) won for P'burg. Hull held on for a 5-4 win over Tyler Greene and Lane earned his 100th career win by defeating Calvin Daly 9-4. Lane and Daly were tied before Lane got a takedown and three nearfall points in the final 12 seconds.

"They're [Easton] a good team," Post said. "They're a great team. There's no doubt that they're the No. 1 team in Pennsylvania. We had a heck of a match with Northampton, and they ran right through Northampton like they weren't even there."

Pete Stanley (112) and Misczenski (135) also won for Easton.

The Phillipsburg student section and fans provided their usual boost of energy to their team. Although the support did not show itself in points on the board, Minotti said the presence is palpable.

"I think it's a great atmosphere," he said. "A lot of people come here nervous. Unlike other gyms, the stands are right on you. That's part of the experience. That's why they call it The Pit. What other gym has a nickname like that?"

EASTON 44, PHILLIPSBURG 6

140: Joey Rizzolino (E) d. Ryan Watson 12-9. 145: Anthony Minotti (E) d. Joey Moyer 13-10. 152: Mitch Minotti (E) d. Dan Brockerhoff 10-4. 160: Mason McIntyre (E) d. Victor Delmonico 14-6. 171: Zach Bambary (E) d. Larry Giammarco 7-3. 189: Jose Rotger (E) d. Anthony Pare 5-4. 215: Brandon Hull (P) d. Tyler Greene (E) 5-4. 285: Jalal Paige (E) md. Cody Crouse 11-3. 103: Kyle Baker (E) md. Christian Berrigan 13-0. 112: Pete Stanley (E) d. Zach Fisher 7-3. 119: Evan DiSora (E) p. Andrew Kaluzny 3:51. 125: Robert Rizzolino (E) p. Justin Lane 5:40. 130: Matt Lane (P) d. Calvin Daly 9-4. 135: Mark Misczenski (E) d. Tyler Rehl 5-1.

Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-easton-pburg-0131-20110201,0,6065896.story