By Gary Blockus
Of the Morning Call
No wrestler reaches the pinnacle of success without training partners who can push him to the limit and test not only his skills, but his conditioning. While The Morning Call's All-Time All-Area Scholastic Wrestling Team is certainly a room unto itself, there are enough great wrestlers in the area's rich history that each weight class is worthy of producing its own ''room'' of training partners.
A peek at the training room, listed by weight, leading off with the wrestler selected as our all-time high school wrestler at that weight:
98 -- Bob Weaver (Easton). A solid cast would join the future Olympic champion in the room: Brad Silimperi (Nazareth) was a sophomore when he won his 98-pound PIAA title for Nazareth in 1988, and Allentown's scrappy Dick Rushatz (1959) could show the boys how it's done old-school. Might as well toss Jack Cuvo into this room as well, because he was never one to shy away from any competition.
103 -- Jack Cuvo (Easton). The 98-pounders could work out here as well, and add a young Matt Gerhard (Catasauqua) to work with the red-headed ''Cuve.''
112 -- Matt Gerhard (Catasauqua). Matty from Catty is the only District 11 wrestler to win four PIAA championships. The mighty whiz kid would be pushed in this training room by two-time PIAA champions Rich Santoro (Bethlehem Catholic) and Don Rohn (Hellertown/Saucon Valley), who won the first of his two PIAA titles at this weight. Santoro won his first title as a junior at 98, then moved up to 112 to win it here his senior year.
119 -- Don Rohn (Saucon Valley). A two-time champ would get a good go-around with the area's only four-time champ. Gerhard won his titles at four different weight classes. Also in the room are Easton's Matt Ciasulli and Jordan Oliver. Counting the 120-pound class, just six area wrestlers have won championships at this weight.
125 -- Matt Ciasulli (Easton). Ciasulli was a three-time champion, Salisbury's Lee Todora a two-time champion, and they'd push each other even harder with Scott Clymer (Northwestern), Larry Rehrig (Northern Lehigh) and Pat Sculley (Bethlehem Catholic) in the room.
130 -- Jamar Billman (Easton). In a weight class that included Todora and state champions Ryan Nunamaker (Nazareth), Ian ''Whitey'' Chlebove (Whitehall/Northampton), Bryan Klass (Wilson), Gino Fortebuono (Easton) and John Rittenhouse (Quakertown), Billman and Todora rose above the pack as two-time titlists.
135 -- Joe Caramanica (Nazareth). Caramanica and Brian Nesfeder (Salisbury) both won the first of their two titles at this weight, a class that includes Peter Cicchine of Bethlehem High in the room. Cicchine started the ball rolling for area wrestlers by bringing home the area's very first PIAA championship (along with 155-pound teammate William Unangst ) in 1940.
140 -- Scott Hovan (Allen). A two-time titlist, Hovan won his first title at 138. Nesfeder and Billman finished their careers at this weight. The area has produced just five champions at this weight class. Toss in Palmerton's Dave Lucykanish, who won a state title despite battling through torn rib cartilage from the quarterfinals on, and this is one tough room of training partners.
145 -- Tim Darling (Nazareth). As one of just five three-time champions from the area, Darling gets his pick of weight classes. Toss in two-time champ Mike Miller (Nazareth), Dieruff's Charles Housner, Allen's Scott Schleicher, Northampton's Sean Finkbeiner, Easton's Moss Grays and Catty's Chris Gerhard, and Darling would get pushed. Coincidentally, like Darling, Finkbeiner went to Penn State, as did Gerhard's brother, Matt.
152 -- Joey Ecklof (Northampton). The younger of two Ecklof brothers (Jeff won two state crowns) who produced a total of five state titles between them left many area fans breathless and awaiting an NCAA championship that has yet to come. Easton's Mike Rogers, Bethlehem's William Unangst, Northern Lehigh's Ryan Hluschak and Saucon Valley's Joey Killar make this a killer weight.
160 -- Brian Statum (Liberty). The only multiple-time state champion from Liberty won his titles at 155, and would be joined by Al Rushatz (Allentown) and Chuck Amato (Easton) and young guns James Sciascia (Pius X) and Brent Fiorito (Upper Perkiomen).
171 -- Jerry Rodriguez (Saucon Valley) was an absolute beast in claiming a pair of PIAA titles at 167 and 185 in 1976 and 1977, and is the only two-time state champ in this weight range. Christian Luciano (Northampton), who died as the victim of a likely road rage incident earlier this year, was one of the toughest, most-fun-to-watch wrestlers of all time. He's going at it in the fictional practice room with Easton's Darwin Brodt and Nazareth's Travis Frick.
189 -- Jon Trenge (Parkland) was a man among boys when he won his two titles, but so was Bethlehem Catholic's Bernie Brown. Toss in fellow two-time champion Josh Haines (Northampton), Nazareth's Rob Rohn and Quakertown's John Hangey and no one emerges without a black eye or broken finger.
215 -- Jon Oplinger (Northampton). This has traditionally been a thin weight class for area wrestlers in terms of success, and Oplinger owns two of the four state titles contested at this weight. He'd get plenty of work with the guys in the rooms above and below him.
Heavyweight -- George Atiyeh (Dieruff). Toss in brother Dennis Atiyeh and Pen Argyl's big Richie Smith, and the wrestling room would echo the sounds and vibrations of a major thunderstorm.
This story originally appeared in the Sunday, January 13, 2008 edition of The Morning Call . Used with permission.
