Mark Noto ’78
Career Record: 42-7-2, State Finalist
Tournament Championships: Easton Invitational
1978 – 132 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Runner-Up, State Runner-Up (26-3-1)
1977 – 126 lbs.: (14-3-1)
1976 – 132 lbs.: (1-1-1)
Mark Noto continued Easton’s streak of state finalists with a championship match run at the 1978 state tournament to cap off a stellar two year run for the Red Rover captain.
Noto saw spot duty as a sophomore, earning his first varsity win with a pin of Rick Kistler (Northampton).
He started his junior season undefeated in his first his first twelve matches, including a 9-5 win over archrival and future state champion Tom Bold (Bethlehem Catholic). After a 12-1-1 regular season, Noto came into the District 11 tournament as the top seed. He opened his tournament with a third period fall, then beat Tim Mugavero (Freedom) 10-4 to punch a ticket to semis. In the semifinal, Noto stunningly lost to Vern Kleckner (Pottsville), giving up for takedowns in the upset loss. In an even bigger surprise, Noto dropped his consolation semifinal to Mark Hoffman (Liberty), ending his junior season without a bid to regionals.
As a senior, Noto won his first Easton Invitational with a third period pin of Joe Kurczewski (Hazleton). His first period pin of Bob Moyer (Phillipsburg) was the difference in a 22-20 win over the Stateliners. He finished his regular season with a near perfect 18-0-1 mark, only tying New Jersey medalist Pete DeBoer (North Hunterdon). In the D11 tournament, Noto outscored his opponents 41-5 in three wins to run his undefeated record into the D11 finals. There, he had a match up with defending D11 and NE Regional champ Tom Bold. This time, the War Hawk got the better of Noto by pinning him in the middle of the second period. At Regionals, Noto again cruised to finals, with a 4-1 win over Leo Boutanos (Wyoming Valley West) and a 7-1 win over Ken Royles (Montoursville). That set up a rematch with Bold, but again the Bethlehem Catholic star was able to put points up on Noto, earning an 8-5 win and relegating Noto to runner-up status for the second week in a row. At the state tournament, Noto and Bold were thought to be on a crash course on opposite sides of the bracket. Noto came out like gangbusters in a 5-0 win over Mike Moyer (Wilson West Lawn) while Bold had a first period pin. In quarters, Noto scored three times in a 6-4 win over Frank Shaffer (Indiana), but Bold suffered one of the upset losses of the tournament when Arnold Coleman (Lock Haven), put him on his back in an 8-6 win. Noto looked like a state champion in semis with an 11-3 major of Eric McCoy (Upper Moreland), while Southeast champ Tony Differ (Upper Merion) snuck by Coleman. In the finals, Noto scored almost immediately to take a 2-0 lead on Differ. Differ escaped with thirty seconds left and Noto went right back on the attack to build his lead. But Noto got extended on his shot and Differ quickly and powerfully pancaked Noto to his back, getting a stunning fall with fourteen seconds left in the first period to relegate Noto to the silver medal.
History of Easton Wrestling 