Bob Pratt ’69
Career Record: 45-8-4, 2x D11 Champ, 2x NE Regional Champ, State Finalist
Tournament Championships: Easton Invitational Champ
1969 – 127 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Runner-Up (19-2)
1968 – 127 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Semifinals (16-2-3)
1967 – 120 lbs.: (10-4-1)
Bob Pratt was the rare two-time state qualifier in the four-man bracket era and was one of three Easton state finalist for the 1969 team that won a mythical state title.
Pratt broke into the lineup as a sophomore, placing third at the Easton Invitational, beating New Jersey state finalist Mark Mondrone (Bound Brook), 5-3 in his first varsity bout. His schedule didn’t let up, as he pushed PCIAA champ Louis Blatnik (Notre Dame) to the wire in a 2-1 loss in his first varsity dual. After a 7-2-1 regular season, Pratt won both of his matches at the sectional tournament to advance to the full D11 championships as a sophomore. He lost in the D11 semifinal to eventual champion Joe Benson (Liberty).
As a junior, Pratt wrestled a brutal regular season schedule that included PCIAA champions Louis Blatnik (Notre Dame) and Mike Fenton (Bethlehem Catholic) and District 1 champion Tom Predergast (Neshaminy). That set him up for the D11 tournament where he cruised the finals, with a second period pin and back-to-back shutouts. That set up a match with 1969 state champion Dan Howard (Dieruff). Pratt took the Husky star down twice and put him on his back in the third period to put an exclamation point on his first D11 title. The following weekend, Pratt dominated the Northeast Regional field, beating old District 12 champion Tom Newell (Lake Lehman) 11-3 and District 2 champion Robert Swank (Shamokin) 12-3 to earn his first trip to the state tournament. In the state semifinals, Pratt wrestled William Pascarella (Cumberland Valley). Pratt gave up four takedowns in the first two periods to trail 8-4 headed into the final stanza. He was stuck on bottom for the first minute and thirty seconds of the third, before reversing Pascarella then putting him on his back in the final seconds of the match to dramatically force overtime. In the overtime period, Pratt escaped, but gave up a reversal with nine seconds left, and his own re-reversal was deemed out of bounds at the end of the overtime period.
Pratt returned as a senior to lead a loaded Easton lineup that was the best team in the state and one of the best in school history. Pratt rolled through the regular season, winning an Easton Invitational title, and did not give up an offensive point in his first ten matches. His only blemish was an 8-5 setback to 1969 New Jersey state finalist and 1970 state champion Jack Thompason (Phillipsburg) in the Stateliners win over Easton in one of the greatest installments in rivalry history. He bounced back from the loss with three shouts and a pin to get himself rolling into the D11 tournament. He won his second title with ease, with a first period pin and outsourcing his other three opponents 21-1, capped by a 4-0 win over Roger Washburn (Freedom) for the title. He was similarly dominant at Northeast Regionals, with a 4-0 win over Robert Swank (Shamokin) in a rematch from their 1968 regional final, then a statement 15-1 win over Tom Jerrytone (Wyoming Valley West) for his second regional crown. He exorcised demons in the semifinal of the state tournament when he took down Southcentral champion Rod Musser (Bellefonte) in the waning moments of their semifinal bout in a 3-2 win. He joined teammates Chico Lutes and Barry Snyder in finals, the first time Easton sent three wrestlers to Saturday afternoon at states. He was finally stopped in the state final by future NCAA Division II champion Bill Luckenbaugh (West York) to finish as the Pennsylvania state runner-up.
History of Easton Wrestling 