Rich Morris ’96
Career Record: 101-43, D11 Champ, State Medalist
1996 – 135 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Runner-Up, State Third (38-9)
1995 – 130 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Fourth (27-11)
1994 – 125 lbs.: District Fifth (20-11)
1993 – 103 lbs.: (16-12)
Richie Morris, son of Phillipsburg state champion Jack Morris, was a star on the good side of the river for the excellent Easton run in the mid 1990s, and was one of the final legs in the second iteration of the “Magnificent 7” that ran through the 1996 postseason.
Morris broke the Easton lineup as a 103 pound freshman, pinning Jason Fogel (Parkland) for his first varsity win. He took third at Manheim, beating Bruce Klingensmith (Greensburg-Salem) for the bronze medal. Morris won 16 regular season matches before an 0-2 showing at his first D11 tournament.
As a sophomore, Morris held down 119 pounds, where he posted a pair of falls in Easton’s season opening Elite Duals with Rock Hill (SC) and Long Beach (NY). He ran his pins streak to five before dropping a decision to state runner-up Dan Tashner (Nazareth) in a dual loss to the Blue Eagles. Morris took third at Manheim. He reversed his D11 loss as a freshman with a 7-2 win over Todd Yohe (Stroudsburg) at the Pat Reilly Duals. At the D11 tournament, Morris took fifth, losing to Dan Tashner in quarters and Ron Heimbach (Liberty) in wrestle-backs before beating Dan Schmidt (Dieruff) fifth.
As a junior, Morris gave future NCAA champion Joe Heskett (Walsh Jesuit) everything he could handle in an 8-5 bout against the Ohio state champion. He pinned New York state champion Adam Ventress (Spencerport) in the first period of Easton’s 55-10 win over the New York powerhouse. Morris was fourth at the inaugural Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament, falling to NCAA champion Eric Guerrero (Independence, CA) in the second round before tearing through the back side, including a major over Ohio medalist Todd Zak (St. Edward) before losing to local rival Justin Hof (Nazareth) in overtime for a fourth place finish. He took another fourth place at Manheim. His major over Mike Katsaros (Northampton) at D11 duals helped push Easton to finals with a 25-24 win over the Konkrete Kids. At the D11 tournament, Morris went fall, major, and 5-0 decision to make his first D11 final. There, he met Justin Hof for the fourth time that season, and fell for the second time in OT, with Hof taking down Morris for a 5-3 win. At Northeast Regionals, Morris won his opening match, then dropped his semifinal to Brian Olenek (Hazleton). Morris wrestled back to make the bronze medal match, but lost in overtime to Josh Nordmark (Stroudsburg), ending his season one match away from states.
Morris came back as a senior as a captain of one of the best teams in the country. He dropped a season opening bout to Frank Favro (Walsh Jesuit) in a 29-29 criteria loss to the nation’s #1 team. The following weekend, he took fifth at Walsh Jesuit’s Ironman tournament, then played the hero in a 1-0 win over Tony Vitale (Nazareth) as Easton upended the Blue Eagles in a dual. He was a runner-up at Manheim, dropped an overtime match in the finals to Rich Swanger (State College). In Easton’s triumph at the Reno Tournament of Champions, Morris took third in the national field, beating Derek Reyna (Midwest City, OK) in overtime of the bronze medal bout. Morris was dominant at the D11 tournament, with three pins and a tech fall, including a championship match pin of returning D11 champ JOsh Nordmark (Stroudsburg) in the third period to give Easton their sixth of seven straight D11 champs on the night. Morris made the regional final the following week with a pin and a 7-0 shutout before falling to Brian Olenek (Hazleton) 5-0. Morris opened the state tournament with a 5-0 win over Jeremy Hite (Altoona) before falling in the quarterfinals to NCAA All American and eventual state champ Shaun Shapert (Shaler). Morris caught fire on the back side, beating Jason Bainey (Phillipsburg-Osceola), Eric Walker (Elizabethtown), Marc Hoffer (Manheim Central), and Kriss Bellanca (Reading) to finish third in his final high school tournament. He was one of five Red Rover medalists – all in the top four – as Easton won its first state title since 1983.
History of Easton Wrestling 