Henry Callie ’76
Career Record: 61-12-4
Tournament Championships: 3x Easton Invitational Champ
College: Millersville (Division II NCAA Champion, 3x Division II All American, 2x Division I Qualifier)
1976 – 105 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Runner-Up, State Runner-Up (23-3-2)
1975 – 105 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Runner-Up, State Qualifier (20-4)
1974 – 98lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Third, State Qualifier(18-5-2)
1973 – JV: Lost wrestle-off to Greg Shoemaker
Henry Callie was a lightweight staple in one of the dominant runs in Easton wrestling history. His state finals trip as a senior capped one of the great unsung careers in Red Rover history. Callie went on to be the first Easton wrestler to win an NCAA championship when he claimed the Division II crown for Millersville in 1978.
As a freshman, Callie was stuck behind fellow lightweight standouts Greg Shoemaker and Rocky Creazzo, who were both D11 champs and state qualifiers at 98 and 105. His path to the varsity spot would not get an easier as a sophomore, where Callie had to win one of the most hotly contested wrestle-offs in Easton history, winning the series with freshman phenom Bobby Weaver and relegating the future Olympic Gold Medalist to the exhibition weight in his freshman season. Callie grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He won the Reilly Invitational with a 5-2 win over state finalist Barry Blefko (Manheim Township) in the finals. His unbeaten streak to start his career stretched to ten matches, and he won 15 of 18 regular season matches as a sophomore. That included a tight 5-3 win over Eric Coleman in Easton’s epic triumph over Lock Haven for the state’s #1 dual meet ranking. He also wrestled New Jersey bronze medalist Bill Mack (Phillipsburg) to a draw in Easton’s 26-18 win over P’burg. In his first D11 tournament, Callie needed overtime to scrape by Dick Fiore (Freedom) in his opening match, but then pinned his next two opponents, including a shocking second period fall after building up an 8-0 lead on Ron Cope (Liberty), who was one of Callie’s two losses during the regular season. But Callie had the tables turned on him in finals, where Dave Quier (Saucon Valley) beat Callie 2-1, reversing Callie’s 1-0 win in the Reilly Invitational semifinals. At Regionals, Callie won his quarterfinals match to get a rematch with Quier, and for the first time in three matchups both wrestlers scored a takedown, but Quier was able to pull out a win for the second straight week, this one by a 5-4 margin. Callie wrestled back for third and a spot in the state tournament with an 11-9 win over Heller (Abington Heights). In his first trip to the state tournament, Callie fell in his first round match to eventual state runner-up Gary Uram (Carlynton), 3-1.
As a junior, Callie was the middle link in a lightweight murderer’s row of Bobby Weaver-Henry Callie-Greg Shoemaker-Brian Lutz-Guy Weaver, all who made state tournament trips. Callie repeated as Reilly Invitational champion, again with a win over Barry Blefko (Manheim Township), who would drop to 98 pounds and be Bobby Weaver’s state finals opponent. The lone blemish on Callie’s regular season record was a 6-5 loss to Ron Cope (Liberty) for the second year in a row in their dual. In the D11 tournament, Callie avenged his loss to Cope with a 7-4 win to make it to his second straight final. There, he dropped a 2-1 decision to Rick Billy (Northampton). At Northeast Regionals, Callie hammered Ron Cope 7-1, putting the Hurricane firmly in his rearview mirror. But Callie hit Billy again in the finals. After a being deadlocked 2-2 regulation, Billy scored the lone takedown in a 3-1 overtime triumph. At the state tournament, Callie lost his opening round match to Dave MIller (Waynesboro), 5-4, while Billy advanced all the way to the state final, where he dropped an OT bout to finish as the state runner-up.
As a senior, Callie became the third Red Rover to win the Reilly Holiday Wrestling Tournament, defeating returning state finalist Barry Blefko (Manheim Township) for the third consecutive year. Callie started January by defeating New Jersey bronze medalist John Margeson (Phillipsburg) and pinning future state champion Tom Bold (Bethlehem Catholic). He knocked off Hall of Fame coach and official Bob Kern (Freedom), and suffered the only blemish on his regular season record with a 2-2 draw with returning D11 champion Dave Pizarro (Dieruff). Callie was in the premier weight class in District 11, with Jim Zenz (Saucon Valley) also entered at 105. Zenz had defeated Weaver in the Northeast Regional finals in 1975. Callie ripped through the bracket, with a pair of pins and a 7-1 win over Doug Heimbach (Liberty). That set up round one with Zenz, which the Panther star took by 3-1 decision. The following week at Northeast Regionals, Callie once again handled his business on the front side with a pin and a 7-1 semifinal win over Bob Sanders Abington Heights). But for the second straight week, Zenz snuck by Callie, this time by a 6-5 decision. Callie was in search of his first win at the state tournament, and he put together one of the best tournaments by an Easton wrestler. He knocked off future All American Bob Monaghan (Council Rock), with a late takedown to win 7-6. He met his nemesis Blefko in the quarterfinals, and beat the state finalist for the fourth straight time by another 7-6 decision. In semifinals, he used a third period takedown to beat future NCAA qualifier Jorge Leon (Maprle-Newtown) 4-3. That set up the third match in the trifecta with Zenz, and it was the best. Callie and Zenz traded escapes in the first two periods and were cautiously handfighting through the third period. Later, he would tell the Morning Call that “Zenz just never makes a mistake” and he maybe tried to force an attack that wasn’t there, and in the scramble, Zenz put Callie on his back with nineteen seconds left to take a 5-1 lead and defeat his Easton rival 5-2 for a state title, and leaving Callie with a state silver medal. Zenz would go on to be a two-time All American for NC State. Callie was selected as the Team Pennsylvania Dapper Dan representative at 105 pounds, where he defeated future Olympian Mike Farina (llinois).
Callie went on to a fabulous college career. He was Easton’s first NCAA champion when he won the Division II title for Millersville in 1978. He finished his career a three-time Division II All American, two-time finalist, and champion plus a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier.
History of Easton Wrestling 