Santa Claus makes his annual visit to area wrestling rooms

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Santa Claus has once again strapped on his red-and-green singlet and has slipped into area wrestling rooms via the heating ducts to leave much-needed gifts under the trainer's table for all!

We got a look at the list.

To all area scholastic programs: More upper weight wrestlers. Which means more cooperative football coaches (Santa's not holding his breath).

To Lehigh coach Pat Santoro: a fully healthy team coming into a stretch of three meets in 12 days against the class of the EIWA -- Cornell, Navy and Rutgers.

To Easton fans: a match in Northampton County before January.

To Delaware Valley's student section: A nickname. They are too good not to have one. Terrier Terrors, maybe?

To Bethlehem Catholic coach Jeff Karam: Best wishes. What else do you get the man that has already has everything?

To the winners of the PIAA team titles: Five minutes to properly celebrate your championships before being booted by officious Hersheypark security.

To Allen coach Andrew Drake: Patience.

To the NJSIAA: Common sense. Every team around Delaware Valley is in the North 2 section. DelVal is in Central, where, yes, they have historically been. History is bunk, Santa says.

To Easton's Jordan Oliver, High Bridge's Kellen Russell and Lehigh's Zach Rey: The only thing better than one NCAA title: a second.

To Dieruff wrestlers: Better postseason refereeing. No team got hosed on calls last year more than the Huskies.

To Easton coach Steve Powell: A 106-pounder. Santa is stunned there's no Red Rover pup to fill the gap at Easton, longtime home of lightweight powers.

To Pen Argyl's fans: Becahi deciding to wrestle up in Class AAA next season.

To new Northampton coach Seth Lisa: Patience for his fans.

To the table and stat crew at Phillipsburg: Santa's gold star for assisting Santa's helpers in the press.

To locals in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic: Santa's best good luck package, a rabbit's foot wrapped in a four-leaf clover. Given the killer field they'll need every bit of luck they can get.

To Franklin coach Ricky Krieger: A picture snapped at the exact moment the Warriors clinched their first win over P'burg. Would tell a thousand stories.

To the PIAA: An alarm clock that doesn't go off before 9 a.m., thus preventing ludicrous 8 a.m. wrestling at the state tournament.

To former Pen Argyl coach Vic Stanley: best of health in retirement.

To the press covering District 11 tournaments at Freedom and Liberty: Wifi that actually works.

To Gene Waas: A whistle so he can come back and show these young whippersnappers what a great official looks like.

To every area team at least once a year: a dual meet as gripping, intense, ferocious and thrilling as Franklin's win over Phillipsburg on Thursday. A match for the ages.

To new Saucon Valley assistant coach Don Rohn: A rocking chair in layway until 2026 or so when he actually, really, completely "retires" from coaching.

To North Hunterdon's program: Santa already delivered, with that first win over Hunterdon Central since 2003.

To Pennsylvania fans: A Bethlehem Catholic-Canon McMillan dual meet.

To New Jersey fans: A Trump One card, which means you can park for $5 at states across the street from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City instead of $25 at it.

To Nazareth coach Dave Crowell: an overflowing stocking as befits the best-liked man in the sport around here (and deservedly so).

To area athletic directors: snowstorms only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays as to not disrupt the wrestling.

To Becahi's Randy Cruz: a third-time-charm to win his first PIAA title in attempt No. 3.

To everybody: good health, good wrestling and to all a Merry Christmas and Good Night!

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/brad-wilson/index.ssf/2011/12/santa_claus_makes.html