D-11 Sports
In most states, High School wrestling is largely an afterthought. But not in Pennsylvania, which is the country’s premier wrestling state thanks in large parts to two areas: one outside of Pittsburgh and the other in the Lehigh Valley north of Philadelphia.
The latter is hotbed from high school wrestling and home to one of the most historic rivalries in the sport’s history between Nazareth and Easton. The two schools are separated by just six miles and produced countless stars of the sport. They’ve met 98 times, with Easton leading the series 60-34-4. Although the Rovers have one just once since 2024.
On Wednesday night, it appeared that they picked up their second win in that time frame when Kurtis Crossman picked up a 19-4 technical fall victory over Nazareth’s Vincent Giacobbe at 215 pounds. But that’s when things went off the rails.
So here is the entire final sequence from the Easton/Nazareth match along with the unsportsmanlike conduct section of the rulebook. I just don’t know if it’s a mandatory unsportsmanlike and a team point, or if there is discretion allowed by the official. pic.twitter.com/YVxWdYZcnz
— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) December 12, 2024
The victory gave Easton a 28-27 lead and, essentially, the victory after the final match. Crossman celebrated by letting out a roar and briefly tossing aside his headgear to the Easton bench.
That’s when referee Mark Getz, a Nazareth grad who won a state championship for the Blue Eagles in 1994, decided to get involved. Getz ruled that Crossman “threw” his headgear in an illegal fashion. Doing so results in a one-point deduction for the team. That meant the match was tied at 27-27, and Nazareth won on a tiebreaker having won more individual bouts.
Fans couldn’t believe the decision. Not only did Getz overstep his boundaries, but he also appears to have improperly applied the rules.
This part is important. It states that throwing it in an intentional unsportsmanlike act is a penalty. Meaning angry you lost or celebrating a win etc… tossing it to bench or side is not considered penalty. pic.twitter.com/QW5KKaHZg5
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) December 12, 2024
To his credit, legendary Easton coach Jody Karam remained calm through the entire situation. But Karam, and his son Sage (and IndyCar driver) did take to Twitter to voice their disappointment.
“Very sure the rule was misapplied. Pretty sure the right decision will be made,” Jody tweeted.
“Unbelievable. Looks like a clear toss to a teammate if you ask me. He didn’t taunt the kid, bench or fans. Alum of schools shouldn’t be allowed to ref their school,” Sage said.
Ultimately, it’s a black eye on a sport that doesn’t need the negativity publicity. And it’s a stain on one of the country’s great high school sporting rivalries.