Brad Weaver ’72
Career Record: 41-4, 2x District Champ, Regional Champ, State Finalist
Tournament Championships: James B. “Pat” Reilly Invitational
1971 – 105 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Runner-Up (21-3)
1970 – 98 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Runner-Up (20-1)
The second of the legendary Weaver family to wrestle for the Easton Red Rovers, Brad and his brother Bobby were the first pair of Easton brothers to earn trips to the state finals. After a narrow runner-up finish as a junior, Weaver’s life was tragically cut short in an automobile accident before his senior season.
Weaver cracked the lineup as a sophomore, initially earning the starting spot at 105 pounds. He earned his first varsity win with a second period fall against Neshaminy. He was undefeated going into the Easton Holiday tournament, where he dominated a star studded field. In the quarters, he beat fellow super sophomore and future state finalist Rocky Chunko (Hellertown), 10-3. Then in semis, he beat South Central Regional champion Tom Baxter (Manheim Township) 8-7. In the final, he destroyed Tom Davis (Hanover Township) with a 16-2 superior decision, in what was not the last match up between the two Northeast Regional stars. After the holidays, Weaver moved down to 98 pounds, where he started with a pin over PCIAA state champion Mike Kozo (Bethlehem Catholic). He posted a highlight win over New Jersey state champion Rick Thompson (Phillipsburg), hammering his rival 11-0 to kick off his first Easton-P’burg. After an undefeated regular season, Weaver put on a show in his first District 11 tournament. He opened with shutouts in his first two bouts, then pinned Cliff Manga (Whitehall) in his semifinal. That set up a finals match with Chunko, who Weaver built up a 6-0 lead against before pinning him in the third period for his first D11 title. Weaver was considered the favorite to win the state title when he traveled to Northeast Regionals the following weekend. He opened with a 6-2 win to move to semifinals, where Tom Davis (Hanover) was waiting in a rematch of their Easton Holiday Tournament final that Weaver had won so handily. It looked like Weaver was going to cruise again, when he took Davis down early for a 2-0 lead. But Davis reversed Weaver to his back in the second period, then turned turned him again to take a 6-2 lead. Weaver reversed Davis in the third to narrow the gap, but Davis reversed him to his back again for a shocking 10-4 win that ended Weaver’s season. It was reported that it was the first loss for Weaver since he began wrestling in 5th grade.
Weaver came back with a vengeance as a junior. He opened the season at 112 pounds with an 11-0 win over Mike Kozo (Bethlehem Catholic) a second straight dominant win over the Catholic school state champion. He set a Easton Holiday Tournament record with a twelve second pin in the first round. However, he lost his first regular season match in the finals, when Lance Leonardt (Freedom) scored the only takedown in a 3-2 win over Weaver. The following week, Weaver and Leonardt met in a dual, with Weaver turning the tables with a 3-1 win. Leonardt eventually won a pair of EIWA titles at Lehigh. He won four straight before Jay Meron (William Allen) picked him off in a 5-2 win. Weaver descended to 105 for the Phillipsburg dual, where he pinned Dale Rhodes in the second period at his new weight class. At the D11 tournament, Weaver and teammate Rocky Creazzo dominated the first two weight classes, with Weaver getting two first period pins, then outsourcing his opponents 15-4 in semis and finals for his second straight title, joining Dick Finelli, Malcolm Purdy, and Bob Ferraro as Red Rovers to win a pair of titles as underclassmen. At Northeast Regionals, Weaver handled Bill Brennan (Wyoming Valley West), 7-1 in his semifinal. In 1976, their younger brothers, Bobby and John, would wrestle for both Northeast Regional and PIAA championships. That moved Weaver to his second Northeast Regional final, where he looked to exorcise some demons. In the final, Weaver scored the bout’s first takedown and was leading 3-1 late when Mike O’Neill (Wyalusing) turned Weaver for a pair of backpoints to tie the score. In overtime, the match went scoreless, and despite a rain of boos from the District 4 crowd at Wilkes-Barre, Weaver was declared the winner by referee’s decision and punched a ticket to the state tournament. In his first state tournament bout, Weaver majored future longtime Trinity head coach Mike Marino (Canon McMillan) 9-1 to earn a trip to the state finals, as he and Creazzo would represent Easton in opening two weight classes of state finals. After Creazzo shocked returning champ Mickey Kenney (whom the Davis upset in Regionals prevented Weaver from facing in 1970 for that title), Weaver matched up with Tyrone star Gib Fink. After a scoreless first period, Weaver reversed Fink and rode him out for the rest of the second. In the third period, Weaver went under and Fink returned the favor, riding Weaver for the entire period. A stall call in the final thirty seconds brought Fink within a point of the clearly exhausted Weaver. Still, Weaver was holding on and in position to win a state title when stunningly, Fink turned Weaver to his back for two points as time expired in the bout (over the protests of Easton coach Bob Zarbatany, who thought the count came after the buzzer) snatching a 3-2 win and the title from Weaver in one of the most dramatic finals in state tournament history. Fink finished his career a two-time state champion and the Weaver win was part of an 88 match winning streak.
Weaver was in position to be a two-time captain for the Red Rovers and make his third run at a state title as a senior. But in August, Weaver died in a one-vehicle accident in upstate New York. He was posthumously elected a captain for Easton in 1972, and the most outstanding wrestling in the Easton-Phillipsburg dual was renamed in Weaver’s honor.
History of Easton Wrestling 