History of Easton Wrestling

Career Record: 139-2, 4x D11 Champ, 4x NE Regional Champ, 3x State Champ

Tournament Championships: Manheim Champ, 3x Easton Invitational, Top Hat

College:  East Stroudsburg (2x NCAA Champ, 3x All American)

1985 – 105 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (35-0)

1984 – 105 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (39-0)

1983 – 98 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (36-1)

1982 – 98 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ (30-1)

An endless gas tank and relentless leg attacks made Jack Cuvo one of the greatest high school wrestlers in American history.  Cuvo became the second Rover lightweight to win three state titles and the first Easton alum to win a Division I national championship, as he put together an incredible college career. 

As a freshman, Cuvo won by fall in his first varsity match, then really showed the high school wrestling world what it had in store when he scored 27 points in match number two.  He rolled to an Easton Invitational championship, bonusing his way to finals then coming back for an 11-10 win over Dave Andrews (Emmaus).  Won Top Hat at Williamsport with four bonus point wins, including an 18-10 major over future state champ Eric DeRemer (Wyoming Valley West).  Defeated New Jersey state runner-up Jeff Bowyer (Phillipsburg) in his first Easton-P’burg dual, 11-8.  Also posted a regular season 15-5 major decision over future state champion Troy Handlovic (Wilson). Came back to defeat future state champ Paul Gemberling (Shikellamy) in the annual dual with the Braves.  Had six regular season matches with at least 20 points, and scored 32 in a win over Thurston Nichols (Parkland).  Rolled to his first D11 title, only challenged in a 3-1 win over Jim Best (Parkland) in semifinals.  Won his first regional title with a pair of major decisions, then scored the winning takedown late to beat Shikellamy star and future state runner-up John Supsic, 3-2, in what many thought would be a preview of the state final.  However, in his opening match at the state tournament, Cuvo fell 6-2 to Rich Kubistek (Derry).  Kubistek was the eventual runner-up and Supsic took fourth, but Cuvo as a first round loser did not get to wrestle back for a medal, ending his season at 30-1. 

As a sophomore, Cuvo opened the year with championships at the North Schuylkill Invitational and the Easton Invitational.  At Top Hat, Cuvo pinned Ohio state runner-up Kevin Biggs (St. Edward) in the second period of his semifinal match, but lost the only regular season match of his career to Paul Gemberling (Shikellamy), 9-8 in the finals.  Cuvo would not lose again in high school.  Cuvo’s win streak started with a 32-10 torching of two-time state finalist Dan McIntyre (Liberty).  In the dual with Shikellamy, Gemberling stayed up at 105, while Cuvo majored Chris Rose, 21-6, down at 105.  He improved to 2-0 against Phillipsburg with a 19-7 win over New Jersey bronze medalist Mark Faglioni.  In the D11 tournament, Cuvo scored an astonishing 41 points in his 41-11 first round win, then posted “only” 22, and 26 on his way to finals.  In the final, Cuvo fell behind Thurston Nichols (Parkland) 8-2 before storming back for a 17-13 victory to become the first Red Rover to win D11 titles as a freshman and sophomore.  He followed that up with a second Northeast Regional title in dramatic fashion.  After a pin of Dave Herbert (Pittston) and a 28-11 drubbing of Stan Motyka (Wyoming Valley West), Cuvo got his Top Hat rematch with Gemberling.  Cuvo took a 4-1 lead with two first period takedowns, but gave up an escape in the second, and was ridden out and turned for two with a power-half to force overtime.  In OT, Cuvo earned a second period reversal for a 4-4, 2-1 (OT) win and his second regional title.  At the state tournament, Cuvo exorcised his state tourney demons with a masterful performance.  He majored Keith Helfrick (Cumberland Valley) and Todd Evans (Baldwin), then defeated future NCAA champion and three-time All American Sean O’Day (Meadville), 11-5, in one of the only match ups of future NCAA champs in state tournament history.  In the finals, Cuvo took Dan Buzza (Moon) down four times to win his first state championship.  Cuvo’s performance helped lead Easton to the PIAA championship as a team, their second in three years. 

As a junior, Cuvo won the Phillipsburg-Osceola Tournament to start the season, then put together a fantastic performance at the final James B. “Pat” Reilly Memorial Tournament, majoring future two-time state champ and NCAA All American Scott Hovan (William Allen) in quarters and majoring New Jersey runner-up Mark Faglioni (Phillipsburg) in the final.  In a dual with St. Edward, he majored Kevin Biggs to drop the two-time Ohio runner-up to 0-2 against Cuvo.  He also posted a tight win over two-time New York state finalist Butch Hibbard (Canadaigua Academy), 3-2.  He majored Faglioni for a third time with a 13-5 win in the dual, as Easton edged P’Burg 27-26.  At the D11 tournament, Cuvo had a pair of falls, a 33-8 win over Glenn Kepic (Emmaus), and a third period pin of Dan McIntyre (Liberty).  At Northeast Regionals, he joined Rocky Creazzo as the only three-time regional champions for the Red Rovers, with a a 30-10 opening round win over Dave Kalmanowicz (Tunkhannock) and a pair of falls, including a third period pin of four-time medalist and future state finalist Bob Supsic (Shikellamy).  At the state tournament, Cuvo was again untouchable, with a second period pin of Todd Evans (Baldwin), a third period pin of Jamy Ritter (Quakertown), a major of Corey DeAngelo (Carlisle) and a 9-2 finals triumph over Dave Orris (Cedar Cliff). 

As a senior, Cuvo won the Crestwood Mountaintop Tournament with a 28-12 win over Todd DeLong (Central Dauphin) in the finals.  He won Easton’s first Manheim title.  Cuvo finished his career against Phillipsburg in style.  In one of the most highly anticipated matches in rivalry history, Cuvo toyed with two-time New Jersey state champion Dave Boncher, blitzing the Stateliner 18-8.  Cuvo finished the regular season with a 19-13 win over future state champ John Likins (Bethlehem Catholic), posting a huge third period comeback to keep his win streak alive.  Cuvo became the first Easton wrestler to win four D11 titles when he pinned his way through the tournament.  He matched that as the first Red Rover to win four regional titles when he pinned Bill Mathers (Dallas) and Chris Rose (Shikellamy) and majored Scott Beaver (Berwick), 26-12.  Not only was Cuvo the first Easton wrestler to win four Northeast Regional titles, but the first wrestler ever to accomplish that feat.  Cuvo put on a similar show at Hersheypark Arena, where he opened with a 28-7 win over BJ Amato (State College), then scored a 27-7 win over Tim D’Amico (Gateway) in quarters.  Saturday morning saw him pin Corey DeAngelo (Carlisle) in the second period to earn a trip to finals over DeAngelo for the second straight year.  In his final match in an Easton singlet, Cuvo faced Beaver for the second weekend in a row, and wrestled a virtually identical match with a 26-12 major.  Cuvo finished his career with a national record 848 takedowns and was influential in the passing of the technical fall rule.  After Easton, Cuvo wrestled for East Stroudsburg, where he was one of the greatest lightweights of his generation.  He placed fifth at the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore, then ran off an 89 match win streak with two NCAA titles over his final two years with the Warriors.  The win streak is the sixth longest in NCAA wrestling history.  He was also a two-time Division II All American in cross country.  He is in the EIWA and National Wrestling Hall of Fame.