Chico Lutes

Chico Lutes ’70

Career Record: 53-4, D11 Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ

Tournament Championships: 3x Easton Invitational

College: Indiana State (4x NCAA qualifier)

1970 – 120 lbs.: District Runner-Up (17-1)

1969 – 112 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (20-2)

1968 – 105 lbs.: District Quarters (16-1)

One of the most legendary youth wrestlers in Easton fulfilled his promise by winning a state title and leading the Rovers to a mythical team state championship in 1969. Lutes was barred from competing on the varsity team as a freshman, due to a rule that prohibited athletes who were not in the high school building for wrestling varsity (Easton was a 10-12 high school at the time).

Lutes exploded onto the scene as a sophomore, going undefeated in duals, and pinning New Jersey state finalist Vinny Yanetti (Bound Brook) to win the James B. “Pat” Reilly Invitational at Easton. He also pinned future New Jersey state finalist Bill Cavanaugh (Phillipsburg) in their dual with the Stateliners. However, after rolling to a 16-0 start to his career, he lost in the opening round of the D11 tournament to Steve Armstrong (Liberty), ending his season.

Lutes faced more adversity as a junior. After winning the Reilly Invitational for the second straight year, with a 14-2 win over Spencer Bauer (Dieruff), Lutes dropped a 6-5 decision to Bauer in their dual, and then lost 4-1 to John Filipos (Liberty) for his first two regular season losses of his life. However, Lutes capped the regular season by hammering future NCAA champion Tom Sculley (Bethlehem Catholic), 11-2 in the final dual meet of the season. In the D11 tournament, Lutes faced Bauer in the opener, and won their rubbermatch 7-0 to kick off his postseason run. In the D11 final, he ran into defending champion Stan Benton (William Allen), and cruised to a 4-1 win to advance to Regionals. In the Northeast Regional tournament, Lutes drew returning state champion Ken Hess (West Snyder) in the first round. Lutes shocked him with a pair of takedowns in the second period to win 5-4. He then beat Bart Mahon (Hanover), 3-2 to punch his ticket to states. At the state tournament, he crushed Dan Barnickel (Trinity), 11-2, in the semifinals, then brought the arena to its feet with a first period fall of Allen Andrews (Greater Johnstown) with his patented cradle. Andrews was coming off of an all state year at halfback and was considered maybe the best athlete in the state. Lutes became the first Easton underclassman to win a state title.

As a senior, Lutes won his third straight Easton Invitational, the first wrestler ever to do so, when he pinned John Duke (Manheim Township) in the final. He won his first eleven matches of the season, including a 6-0 shutout of future NCAA champion John Fritz (Liberty). But Lutes was injured in a car accident, and missed most of January and February with injuries sustained in the accident. He returned for the season finale against William Allen, where he rolled to a 20-1 win in his final dual as a Red Rover. But in the D11 tournament, after outsourcing the field 30-1 in his first three matches, he had a rematch with Fritz in the final, and the future Penn State head coach shocked Lutes with an 11-5 decision, ending his Easton career at the D11 tournament and blocking him from defending his state title.

Following Easton, Lutes went to wrestle at Indiana State for Gray Simons, where he was a four-time NCAA qualifier.