Powell says goodbye to Easton Wrestling

   Age and time catch up with all of us eventually, but it's still surprising to me when some coaching legends hit that 'end of the road' point.
   When I read the news that Steve Powell is retiring as head wrestling coach at Easton, it hit me with a shock kind of moment. Powell was set to make the announcement at the team's wrestling banquet tonight, according to local media reports.
   Powell, who also taught physical education at Easton, came to the District 11 school and stayed for 40 years, the last 32 as the head coach. Health reasons seem to be part of his decision.
   He won 534 dual meets and ranks tied for seventh all-time in Pennsylvania in that category. He coached 19 state champions for a program that boasts 35 total, which is second in the state all-time. He also led Easton to four state dual meet championships. He was twice named national coach of the year and is a member of Pennsylvania's chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, having been inducted three years ago.
   My high school, Phillipsburg, NJ, is Easton's chief rival. The towns border the Delaware River which splits New Jersey from Pennsylvania. The Thanksgiving Day football game between the two is held at Lafayette College in Easton, and for a long time, the annual wrestling dual was at Lafayette as well due to attendance being too large to hold in either high school gymnasium.
   The rivalry runs as deep as any I've seen or been a part of in all sports, and I either sat on the other team's bench or in the opposing stands on several occasions (admittedly) while Powell's squads got the better of us Stateliners.
   That said, I certainly have the utmost respect for Steve and his accomplishments. There is no doubt that his teams made anyone they faced better in the long run.
   I would expect a lot of interest in the now-vacant position at Easton. One would think current top assistant Sean Richmond will get a hard look, though I'll be interested to see if names such as Jordan Oliver or Bryan Snyder appear on the interview list. Oliver was a three-time state champion for Powell at Easton and went on to win a pair of NCAA titles at Oklahoma State. He's currently an assistant to Zeke Jones at Arizona State. Snyder, also a former state champ under Powell, has been an assistant at Nebraska for the past few years, where he was a two-time national finalist.