Seth Ciasulli ’05
Career Record: 133-14, District Champ, Regional Champ, 3x State Medalist, 2x State Finalist
Tournament Championships: 3x Reno Champ, 3x Manheim Champ
College: Lehigh (3x NCAA Qualifier)
2005 – 125 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Runner-Up, State Third (46-3)
2004 – 119 lbs.: District Fourth, Regional Runner-Up, State Runner-Up (40-6)
2003 – 103 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Runner-Up (42-2)
2002 – 103 lbs.: lost wrestle-off (5-3)
Seth Ciasulli was one of the great tournament wrestlers in Easton history as the only Easton wrestler to win three Reno titles and advanced to the state finals twice in his three years as a starter.
Ciasulli lost a wrestle-off as a freshman and had to settle for spot duty as one of the best second-string wrestlers in America. He opened his varsity career with three starts as an undersized 112 pounder, going 1-2 before Chad Sportelli descended to 112 for the remainder of the season. Ciasulli got a set of spot-starts at 103 in January, where he earned three falls and only lost to New Jersey state champ Dave Tomasette (Washington).
Ciasulli took over the 103 spot as a sophomore and put together one of the greatest 10th grade seasons in Easton history. After pinning future D11 champ Willie Horwath (Liberty) in the season opener, he stalled out two-time state finalist Russ Souders (Wilson) in Easton’s dual with the defending 2A state champs. He pinned his way to Reno, where he announced his presence on the national scene. After a shutout and a fall, he dominated and pinned four-time Alaska state champ and future NCAA qualifier Eli Hutchinson (Skyview) in the second period. That set up a quarterfinals match with future Olympic gold medalist and UFC champion Henry Cejudo (Maryvale, AZ). Ciasulli showcased his superior leg riding ability by turning Cejudo twice and riding him for nearly the entire match in an 8-0 win, one of only three losses Cejudo would sustain in high school. In the finals, he gave up his first escape of the tournament, but otherwise cruised by two-time Oklahoma state champ Jeff Sumner (Broken Arrow) in a 6-1 victory. The performance catapulted him into the Amateur Wrestling News national rankings. The following weekend at Manheim, Ciasulli was similarly dominant against top tier competition. He pinned two-time 2A state champ Matt Dunn (Reynolds) in the semifinal, his third pin of the tournament, then knocked off state bronze medalist Morgan Baublitz (Cumberland Valley) in the finals. January saw the beginning of his rivalry with Steve Mytych (Pleasant Valley) as Ciasulli opened their dual with a 6-0 shutout to establish himself as the top 103 in D11. At the NHSCA Final Four, Ciasulli downed three-time Virginia silver medalist Matt Rosen (Great Bridge) to set up a national #1 vs #2 match up with Blair Academy’s Travis Blasco. An early takedown proved to be the difference as Blasco held Ciasulli at bay on their feet in the waning moments of a 4-3 win. Ciasulli bonuses his way through the rest of the regular season schedule, giving him fourteen pins in twenty five regular season victories. He put on a command performance at District Duals, pinning future D11 champ Ray Ward (Stroudsburg), teching Willy Horwath (Liberty), and pinning Tim Dogmantis (Northampton) to pick up two extra bonus points in Easton’s stunning reversal of fortunes against the Konkrete Kids to win their third straight D11 title. Ciasulli opened Easton’s super match with New Jersey powerhouse Absegami with a first period pin. At Team States, Ciasulli blanked future state champ and NCAA All American Matt Kyler (Clearfield) in quarterfinals, then beat Baublitz (Cumberland Valley) for a second time, this time a 4-2 decision in semis. His 14-0 romp in the finals was part of a 43-12 laugher for the Red Rovers against Kiski Area that gave Easton it’s third straight state title. In the D11 tournament. Ciasulli stayed on fire, pinning his way to finals then blanking Jeremy Cresswell (Blue Mountain) in the final. At Northeast Regionals, he shut out Horwath, pinned Dogmantis, then used a reversal and a rideout to top Mytych for the second time in their careers. Ciasulli came into Hershey the favorite to win 103 pounds and looked the part early. An 8-4 win on Thursday and a tech in Friday’s quarterfinals earned him a semifinal match up with Kyle Fluke (State College). Ciasulli kicked off Easton’s Saturday morning with a second period pin of Fluke to earn his first trip to the state final. He’d face off against Billy Spencer (Highlands) the diminutive but incredibly strong champ from the WPIAL. Spencer was able to frustrate Ciasulli on their feet and got out from under the Easton star on his way to a 4-1 victory, relegating Ciasulli to the silver medal. His 23 pins in the 2002-03 season set an Easton single-season record.
As a junior, Easton started the season at the Las Vegas 100, where Ciasulli pinned Arizona state champ Josh Wade (Deer Valley) as one of four falls on his way to finals, where he suffered a 7-6 setback to Eric Albright (Red Lion), a Pennsylvania foe he’d meet again. He rebounded in Reno, pinning NCAA qualifier Aidin Duenas (Gilrory, CA) in his first bout, knocking off Eli Hutchison for the second straight year in quarters, then beating four-time New Mexico champ Nick Ramirez (Rio Rancho) in semis. In the finals, he majored California third place finisher Billy Exline (Turlock) to win his second straight Reno title. He dominated Manheim the following week to win his second title there. He dropped a January bout to Kevin Vihn (Nazareth) and survived a 2-0 war with Sean Carr (Whitehall) in a preview of an incredibly deep 119 pound class in District 11. Once again, Ciasulli had a monster NHSCA Final Four. In the morning session, Ciasulli won a highlight bout of the day with a 6-4 win over four-time Minnesota champ and future Iowa All American Charlie Falck (Apple Valley) in Easton’s 41-23 win over national powerhouse Apple Valley. His pin against St. Paris Graham (OH) accounted for the final margin in a 36-33 win over the Falcons as Easton beat a pair of top five opponents within hours of each other. That evening, Ciasulli got a rematch with Travis Blasco, who handed him his only regular season loss in 2003. This time, Ciasulli brutalized Blasco from top, racking up two sets up back points in a 10-1 major decision that left no doubt about the space between Ciasulli and the Bucs star. Ciasulli bonused his way through the rest of the regular season schedule until a season ending 3-1 win over fellow D11 contender Mikey Pena (Liberty). At D11 Duals, Ciasulli turned the tables on Vinh in the semis with a 3-0 win that propelled Easton to a 39-12 win over Nazareth to set up a rematch with Northampton. Ciasulli improved on his regular season tech of Marcus Wilson by throwing legs in and pinning him in the first period as Easton turned the tables on Northampton once again in a 29-25 win to earn a fourth straight trip to state duals. At states, Ciasulli knocked off future state champ and two-time All American Steve Bell (Connellsville) in Easton’s championship dual with Connellsville, becoming the first school to win four consecutive state championships in wrestling since late ‘80s North Allegheny. However, preparing for the D11 tournament, disaster struck Ciasulli. During a conditioning drill, he badly sprained his ankle running the stairs, which severely limited his mobility for the postseason. He used his mat skills to post a pair of shutouts in his first two matches, but fell to Mikey Pena (Liberty) in semis. A win over Nate Hibay (Southern Lehigh) clinched his berth in Regionals, and he defaulted to fourth following that win. In the regional tournament, Ciasulli won his first two bouts to set up a semifinal rematch with Pena. This time, Ciasulli would survive a war, winning 5-4 by escaping in rideout and clinching his second straight berth in the state tournament. He wrestled finals that evening and fell to future Division II NCAA champion Joe Kemmerer (Crestwood). The following weekend, Ciasulli would have an absolutely brutal draw in one of the deepest weight classes in the state. His first round opponent was Eric Albright, a rematch of their December final in Vegas. This time, Ciasulli was the one who survived a 1-0 battle, riding out Albright in the third period to move on. In quarters, Ciasulli saw three-time state third place finisher Tim Harner (Norristown) and took care of the D1 star in a 9-4 win. His semifinals were a rematch with Bell from state duals. But this time, Ciasulli got the better of the future Maryland All American by pinning him in the third period to make his second straight state final. That would be a rematch with Joe Kemmerer, and once again, Kemmerer was just a little slicker on his feet and managed to avoid Ciasulli’s dangerous mat wrestling in a 5-2 win to keep Ciasulli off of the top step of the podium for the second straight year.
As a senior, Ciasulli opened the year with an Armando Soto Tournament victory in Florida, pinning future JUCO national Champ Raymond Stephens (South Dade, FL) in the finals. At Reno, Ciasulli became the first and only Easton wrestler to win three titles. He pinned future California state finalist and NCAA qualifier Jake Meredith (Temecula) in their second round match up and beat Fargo medalist Bryan Osuna (Calvary Chapel, CA) in quarters. He capped off his tournament by dominating California state champion and NCAA qualifier Todd Schavrien (Poway), 8-5 in the finals. He won his third Manheim title a week later, with a pin, tech, and a 7-6 win over Jared Kane (Lower Dauphin). Ciasulli had another statement weekend at the NHSCA Final Four, first beating three-time New Mexico state champ Nick Ramirez (Rio Rancho) for the second time in their careers. In the afternoon session, Ciasulli won one of the marquee bouts of the event with a 6-4 decision over three-time Virginia state champ and Fargo Junior Freestyle finalist Jordan Frishkorn (Great Bridge) in Easton’s win over the nation’s #2 team. That afternoon, Ciasulli majored three-time National Prep champ and Fargo All American Max Shanaman 10-2 to complete his monster day. Ciasulli completed an undefeated regular season by taking out his three biggest D11 contenders at 125 in future state finalist Mike Greck (Nazareth), Willy Horwath (Liberty), and a 5-4 win over old foe Steve Mytych (Northampton) in a battle of the top two ranked wrestlers in Pennsylvania. District Duals saw Ciasulli repeat with bonus point wins over Horwath and Greck as Easton won their unprecedented fifth straight D11 title. Ciasulli pinned his way through state duals as Easton finished as state runner-up. At the D11 tournament, Ciasulli and Mytych stayed on a collision course, both cruising to finals. In the championship bout, Mytych had the only takedown of the bout, but a Ciasulli reversal and rideout left the match tied at the end of regulation. Following a scoreless overtime, Ciasulli was on top in rideout when he was hit for stalling for putting in legs while Mytych was standing up, giving Ciasulli his first blemish of the season and denying him a second D11 title. Both wrestlers were sharp for a rematch the following weekend. This time, Mytych was trailing 3-2 late when he hit a desperation takedown as the clock was winding down to snatch the Northeast Regional title away from Ciasulli as well. The two were solid favorites to wrestle for a third straight weekend in a third straight final when brackets were released for Hershey. Ciasulli opened with a rematch of his sophomore year semifinals with Kyle Fluke (State College). After giving up the first takedown, Fluke took bottom in the second period, and Ciasulli turned him for a pair of backpoints and rode out the period to take control of the match. But after Ciasulli escaped to start the third, Fluke took him down again with 56 seconds left and rode him the rest of the way for the biggest upset of the tournament. Two mats away, Tony DeSanto (something) knocked off Mytych 8-6 in overtime to send both pretournament favorites to the consolation bracket. A disappointed Ciasulli dominated his way across the backside, including wins over NCAA champion Quentin Wright (Bald Eagle Area), NCAA All American Justin Accordino (Coughlin), and a revenge first period fall over Fluke before finishing his career with a 2-1 win over a familiar foe, Eric Albright (Red Lion). Following Easton,
Ciasulli signed with Lehigh, where he won an EIWA championship and qualified for four NCAA tournaments, finishing his final season in the blood round.
History of Easton Wrestling 