History of Easton Wrestling

Career Record: 53-8-2, 2x D11 Champ, NE Regional Champ

Tournament Championships: Easton Invitational

College:  Pittsburgh

1979 – Unlimited: 26-1-1; District Champ, Regional Champ

1978 – Unlimited: 24-4-1, District Champ, Regional Third

1977 – Unlimited: (3-3)

Dan Kasperkoski was the first Easton heavyweight to qualify for multiple state tournaments and is the only Easton heavyweight to win multiple District 11 titles. 

Kasperkoski won a late season wrestle-off as a sophomore to take over the heavyweight spot.  He won his first three matches before dropping three straight matches to New Jersey opponents, then falling to state champion George Atiyeh (Dieruff) in the first round of the D11 tournament. 

As a junior, Kasperkoski solidified the top of the Easton lineup.  After a 2-2 start with losses to Tom Hersch (William Allen) and a runner-up finish at the Easton Invitational, won twenty consecutive matches, including blanking Tarik Haddad (Dieruff), a tight 2-1 win over future I-AA football All American and New York Jet Ed Stahl (Lower Dauphin), and a dual meet winning victory over Gary Talijan (Phillipsburg).  Kasperkoski put on a show at the District 11 tournament, pinning his first two opponents, then posting a 12-0 shutout of Tom Suppan (Whitehall) in semis and a 5-0 shutout of Chuck Hinkle (Liberty) in the finals to win his first title.  The following week at regionals, Kasperkoski dropped his first match of the tournament to Bob Trautman (Selinsgrove), then wrestled all the way back for third, culminating in a revenge win over Trautman in overtime to qualify for states.  At the state tournament, Kasperkoski drew state champion and future NFL star Leo Wisniewski (Fox Chapel) in the first round and was pinned in the second period. 

As a senior, Kasperkoski pinned his first five opponents before finally going the distance in an Easton Invitational semifinal win over future state champion Dennis Atiyeh (Dieruff) and a 5-2 win over Mike Mirra (Wilkes Barre Meyers) to capture his first tournament title.  His first blemish of the season was a 6-6 draw with future NCAA champion Matt Reiss (Liberty), hardly a negative line on his resume.  He beat Atiyeh for a second time in the dual with Dieruff.  For the second straight year, the Easton-Phillipsburg dual came down to heavyweight, and for the second straight year Kasperkoski delivered, this time with a second period pin of Dave Chandler to clinch it.  He also shutout Stahl for the second time in their careers.  At the D11 tournament, Kasperkoski had to survive a pair of 4-3 wins over Rudy Geosits (Northampton) and Randy Israel (Liberty) before pinning Todd Geist (North Schuylkill) in the finals.  At Northeast Regionals, Kasperkoski won his first title by going through three District 2/4 wrestlers, pinning Jeff Sodroski (Dallas) then posting back-to-back 4-2 wins over Mark Springman (Williamsport) and Scott Hoke (Selinsgrove).  At the state tournament, Kasperkoski pinned George Martin (Upper Merion) in the second period of their opening round match. But in quarterfinals, Kasperkoski fell to Todd Campbell (Valley), 13-4.  In addition to earning a state tournament berth in wrestling, Kasperkoski was also an All State offensive tackle for Easton’s undefeated 1978 team.  Kasperkoski went on to wrestle at Pittsburgh.