Best PA District
- Thread starter BigFella235
- Start date
It's easy to forget how insanely good Courts was in HS -- and he was electric -- because his college career did not live up to that promise. He did lose his FR year to injury, and maybe had other injuries later.
Also: insert "Ohio State on bottom" joke here. Nate Brown might still be riding him today.
While looking up his record, stumbled upon this gem -- he ain't wrong:
Who tweets too much on your team – Tom Ryan
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Also: insert "Ohio State on bottom" joke here. Nate Brown might still be riding him today.
While looking up his record, stumbled upon this gem -- he ain't wrong:
Who tweets too much on your team – Tom Ryan
Student-Athlete Spotlight: Kenny Courts, Wrestling – Ohio State Buckeyes - Ohio State
Nov. 12, 2014 Wrestling | Wrestling Kenny Courts RS Junior Wrestling, 184 lbs. Harrisburg...
I saw Courts wrestle the bravest match I've ever seen. It was at the Beast of the East his freshman year. He had run rampant through the weight class. Early in the final bout, Courts significantly injured his knee. He would wrestle for a few seconds, then be forced to take injury time, rinse and repeat. Late in the first period Courts had about 10 seconds of injury time left before he would have to default. Everyone knew the bout was over. This was the injury that ended his season that year.
Courts stood the crowd on its head because instead of defaulting, he decked the kid. In the finals of the Beast. An amazing performance.
Courts stood the crowd on its head because instead of defaulting, he decked the kid. In the finals of the Beast. An amazing performance.
My daughter used to get bullied in high school. Kenny stood up for her and made it stop. He did not have to do that. Stepping up for a nerdy shy girl when his friends laughed. We all talk we would do it Kenny did. who would you root for?
No. 6 Central Dauphin's Kenny Courts: District 3's 25 best wrestlers in the last 25 years
Despite suffering a major knee injury as a freshman, Courts earned three district titles and was a two-time state champion and three-time state medalist.
I am sorry that your daughter had to deal with that, and it is cool that someone stepped up for her, even cooler that it was a wrestler!
District 7 had both finalists at 57 (Lee and Nico) plus Nolf
District 4 has Zain
District 3 also has Chance
District 6 has Hidlay
Unless I am missing someone thats “only” 8 PIAA guys that qualified.
NCAA Champs I would expect Carter gets added, Maybe Levi and/or Crookham. Other guys could shock the world I guess.
Last Chance could see a few more get in.
I probably missed something obvious
There are two more districts with more AA schools than D4, so finishing below 3rd would be a disappointment
Looking back, District 1 hasn't a stellar history. A guy who was in the first PIAA state championship class from Lower Merion was Dick DiBatista (or DiBattista - both are okay spellings). Dick never lost a wrestling match. PA champ in '38, then went to F&M Academy in '39 and was National Prep champ. Was named to the '40 and '44 Olympic teams - though the games weren't held. Dick was NCAA champ for the U of Penna in '41 and '42. In '41 he beat a former world champ in the NCAA finals. He then joined the Marines and was a Lt in the South Pacific.
DiBatista became a ref, and he was the most import ref on the east coast. I have a copy of the 1954 NCAA's at Okie State with Dick as a ref. I knew him well because he used to referee our high school bouts. He said he preferred to ref high school, though I watched him ref EIWA duals several times (Penn State was part of the EIWA then). And of course, he refed nationals as well.
Dick liked my high school for some reason. We had a meet in '62 against a team that had won 53 duals in a row. Dick was ref and there was one match where one of our wrestlers looked decked to me (I was in Jr Hi) but Dick didn't call it. Our kid came back to win. Almost every bout had two studs wrestling - both teams were great. It ended with our 180 pounder going up to HWT and knocking off their HWT star 1-0. Final score of the dual: 21-20 - the best dual I ever saw until about 2018.
Dick DiBatista died in 2020 at the age of 99.
Some guy named Matter who won a couple NCAA titles is from D1, but other than a couple of other guys, D1 hasn't a great history.
But its present looks great! I noted in the Beast of the East thread that 4 of the top 12 Beast teams were from District 1, including CR South at #10 and Quakertown at #12 who were the first 2 public high schools to place. And FCA is kinda scary. So in a few years I may have something to brag about.
DiBatista became a ref, and he was the most import ref on the east coast. I have a copy of the 1954 NCAA's at Okie State with Dick as a ref. I knew him well because he used to referee our high school bouts. He said he preferred to ref high school, though I watched him ref EIWA duals several times (Penn State was part of the EIWA then). And of course, he refed nationals as well.
Dick liked my high school for some reason. We had a meet in '62 against a team that had won 53 duals in a row. Dick was ref and there was one match where one of our wrestlers looked decked to me (I was in Jr Hi) but Dick didn't call it. Our kid came back to win. Almost every bout had two studs wrestling - both teams were great. It ended with our 180 pounder going up to HWT and knocking off their HWT star 1-0. Final score of the dual: 21-20 - the best dual I ever saw until about 2018.
Dick DiBatista died in 2020 at the age of 99.
Some guy named Matter who won a couple NCAA titles is from D1, but other than a couple of other guys, D1 hasn't a great history.
But its present looks great! I noted in the Beast of the East thread that 4 of the top 12 Beast teams were from District 1, including CR South at #10 and Quakertown at #12 who were the first 2 public high schools to place. And FCA is kinda scary. So in a few years I may have something to brag about.
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Sure, live in Colonial Park, went to Central Dauphin class of 80
And I live in Lower Paxton Township. I'm an NEPA transplant though.
I seem to recall young Mr. Courts going to Platinum Fitness. I think he was one of the kids that put his plates away.
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Sure did. PIAA champion in 1970 & 1971. BTW - I thought Jersey Shore was D6. My error.
So here’s what I think is the best argument in District 11’s favor, a quarter of the schools in the District have produced an NCAA finalist, and nearly 40% have produced an All American, and that concentration is even higher if you just look at Northampton and Lehigh Counties, as Monroe contributes very little on the wrestling side (though we’ll claim Lenny Pinto’s accolades in a heartbeat as they accumulate, he wrestled for an Easton guy in high school, so he’s basically Lehigh Valley anyway):
Schools with NCAA Titles
Bethlehem Catholic (4)
Easton (4)
Liberty (3)
William Allen (3)
Freedom
Nazareth
Saucon Valley
Schools with an NCAA Finals Appearances
Easton (8)
Bethlehem Catholic (6)
Nazareth (4)
Liberty (4)
William Allen (3)
Parkland (3)
Freedom
Saucon Valley
Lehighton
Blue Mountain
Northampton
Schools with an All American
Bethlehem Catholic (23)
Easton (20)
William Allen (11)
Parkland (11)
Nazareth (10)
Liberty (9)
Saucon Valley (8)
Northampton (6)
Blue Mountain (4)
Dieruff (4)
Freedom (2)
Northwestern Lehigh (2)
Pen Argyl
Northern Lehigh
Lehighton
Wilson Area
**if you want to count partial credit Whitehall for Whitey Chlebove (he spent three years there) and Emmaus for Brad Dillon (two years) that adds another pair and I think gives you every East Penn Conference team but Allentown Central Catholic (f’in basketball school messing everything up).
We're also the best at transfers, which has to count for something.
Schools with NCAA Titles
Bethlehem Catholic (4)
Easton (4)
Liberty (3)
William Allen (3)
Freedom
Nazareth
Saucon Valley
Schools with an NCAA Finals Appearances
Easton (8)
Bethlehem Catholic (6)
Nazareth (4)
Liberty (4)
William Allen (3)
Parkland (3)
Freedom
Saucon Valley
Lehighton
Blue Mountain
Northampton
Schools with an All American
Bethlehem Catholic (23)
Easton (20)
William Allen (11)
Parkland (11)
Nazareth (10)
Liberty (9)
Saucon Valley (8)
Northampton (6)
Blue Mountain (4)
Dieruff (4)
Freedom (2)
Northwestern Lehigh (2)
Pen Argyl
Northern Lehigh
Lehighton
Wilson Area
**if you want to count partial credit Whitehall for Whitey Chlebove (he spent three years there) and Emmaus for Brad Dillon (two years) that adds another pair and I think gives you every East Penn Conference team but Allentown Central Catholic (f’in basketball school messing everything up).
We're also the best at transfers, which has to count for something.
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