Easton Win Over Bethlehem Catholic Leads to LVC Title

After coming up short against Central Dauphin in Hershey over the weekend, the Red Rovers rebounded in a big way Wednesday night at Bethlehem Catholic, winning a 35-22 victory against the Hawks, and with it, the Lehigh Valley Conference championship.

Cars overflowed from the high school Wednesday night, lining the nearby streets for the Hawk’s LVC Championship match versus the Easton Red Rovers.

 The Hawks (13-2), fresh off their first ever PIAA Class AA state championship, and the Rovers (23-2), who , finally met in a highly anticipated match originally scheduled for February 2.

Easton took the mat first in front of a packed house.  A rowdy student section welcomed them with chants of “second place,” adding salt to their wounds of a second place finish in Hershey.  

However, the booming crowd was quickly quieted as Easton opened up with two commanding wins, the first of which was a fall from Mark Misczenski at 140 lb. and the second a controlling win by Mitch Minotti at 145.

Although Easton jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, it was the 152 lb. bout, Easton’s senior Mason McIntyre facing off against Bethlehem Catholic senior Kyle Dehaut, that set the tone for the rest of the match.  

In less than one minute, McIntyre caught Dehaut in a quarter-nelson, which quickly lead to the fall, putting Easton up 15-0 and draining the wind beneath the Hawk’s wings.

“When I was a sophomore, Dehaut pinned me in 23 seconds,” McIntyre remembers.  “I’ll never forget that.  I was going to do whatever it took, there was no way I was going to lose this match.”

While Bethlehem Catholic was able to cut the lead to 28-19, Robbie Rizzolino’s victory at 125 lb. nullified any chance of a Hawk’s comeback.

After the victory was final and the Red Rovers were crowned LVC Champions, Easton head coach Steve Powell shook hands with Jeff Karam, a one-time Easton wrestler who has turned around Bethlehem Catholic’s program.  

“These kinds of matches, I’m sure he didn’t have to give a pep talk,” Powell said of Karam.  “These kids know what’s on the line.”