From: Todd Irwin, District 6 Wrestling Historian
Three wrestlers and two coaches will be inducted into
the 2006 District 6 Wrestling Hall of Fame before the
district finals, but these are no ordinary inductees.
The wrestlers going in are Trap McCormack, Biff
Walizer and Scott Bair, who won a combined 12 District
6 titles, 10 Northwest Regional Tournament titles and
seven state titles.
Coaches Dave Caslow and Dick Rhoades, both of whom
were inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches
Association Hall of Fame in 1997, are heading into the
District 6 Hall of Fame.
The following is a list of some of the inductees'
accomplishments:
WRESTLERS
SCOTT BAIR
At Bald Eagle-Nittany High School, Bair won four
District 6 Class AA Tournament titles from 1993 to
1996, three Northwest Regional Tournament titles in
1994, 1995 and 1996 and claimed two titles at the PIAA
Championships at 119 in 1995 and at 125 in 1996. He
finished his high school career with a 135-10 record.
Bair went on to wrestle at Lock Haven University,
where he was a three-time national qualifier in 1999
at 141, 2000 at 133 and 2001 at 133. He won a PSAC
title in 2000. At the EWL Championships, he was second
in 2001, fourth in 2000 and fifth in 1999. Bair
finished his college career with a 78-43 record. A
resident of Lock Haven who was an assistant wrestling
coach at Central Mountain for three years, Scott is
married to Janelle, and they have a daughter, Madison.
TRAP MCCORMACK
McCormack won four District 6 Class AA Tournament
titles from 1994 to 1997 (the first three at Sugar
Valley and the last one at Bald Eagle-Nittany) and
three Northwest Regional Tournament titles. He claimed
three titles at the PIAA Championships, winning at 103
as a sophomore and junior and at 112 as a senior.
McCormack finished his high school career with a 138-4
career record.
He went to Wrestle at Lock Haven University, where he
was a four-time NCAA qualifier at 125. McCormack won
two PSAC titles in 2001 and 2002 and an EWL title in
2000 and finished his college career with a 91-18
record. In his fourth year as an assistant wrestling
coach at Council Rock South, he helped guide CRS to
the PIAA Tournament team title last year and has
coached three state champions. He has a wife, Erin and
one son, Teague.
BIFF WALIZER
Wrestling for his dad, Biff, a 2000 District 6 Hall of
Fame inductee, at Bald Eagle-Nittany, Walizer won four
District 6 Tournament titles from 1991 to 1994 and
four Northwest Regional Tournament titles. He earned
two titles at the PIAA Championships, winning at 125
as a sophomore and as a junior, and he placed fourth
at 130 as a senior. Walizer finished his high school
career with a 137-7 record.
He went on to Wrestle at Penn State, where he was a
starter all four years and placed eighth at the NCAA
Championships his senior year at 149 to become an
All-American. He placed third twice and was a
runner-up once at the Big Ten Championships. He
finished his college career with 101 wins. Walizer is
in his seventh season as the head wrestling coach at
Red Lion, where he was 60-34 in his career coming into
the season. He has a wife, Marcie and a son, Griffin.
COACHES
DAVE CASLOW
Caslow began his coaching career as a Tyrone assistant
wrestling coach before becoming Warrior Run's head
coach. From there, he went to Philipsburg-Osceola,
where he posted a 378-156-4 record. In 37 years at
Warrior Run and P-O, he amassed a 405-171-4 mark,
becoming in 2004-2005 only the 10th coach in state
history to reach the 400-win plateau.
Caslow guided his wrestlers to 55 District 6 titles
and 22 Northwest Regional Tournament titles. He
coached two state champions in Jon Condo in 2000 and
Mark Sidorick in 1984. The four-time District 6 Class
AAA Coach of the Year coached the Mounties to two
district team titles in 1984 and 1989 and to 10
second-place finishes _ often finishing behind state
power Bald Eagle Area. Four of Caslow's teams at P-O
suffered only one loss, including the 1988-89 team
that went 17-1.
Caslow is a graduate of Hempfield High School and
Clarion University, where he amassed a 42-5-1 record
and placed fourth in the 1963 NAIA Tournament.
After resigning as the high school coach in 2005,
Caslow is coaching P-O's growing elementary program. A
resident of Osceola Mills, he has a wife, Grace, and
four daughters, Jill, Alice, Sarah and Merry, and two
sons, Troy and Matt.
DICK RHOADES
After beginning the wrestling program at Fabius
Central High School in New York and coaching it for
three years, Rhoades became the head coach at Bald
Eagle Area and would turn the Eagles into a District 6
and state power. In 30 years as BEA's coach, Rhoades
amassed a 386-97-9 record, and from 1987 until his
retirement in 2002 his teams went 247-24-2. Including
his years at Fabius, he finished with a career record
of 399-129-10.
Rhoades was named District 6 Class AAA Coach of the
Year 14 times after his teams won the district
tournament, including every year in the 1990s. He was
named the PIAA Class AAA Coach of the Year in 1997 and
1999, and he was selected National Coach of the Year
in 1999. Five of his teams went undefeated, including
back-to-back in 1987 and 1988. Rhoades' teams won six
Northwest Regional Tournament team titles, the 1999
PIAA Tournament team title and finished second at the
state tournament in 1998. His 1999 team won the
prestigious Beast of the East Tournament.
Under Rhoades, BEA won five District 6 Team Duals
titles and the PIAA title in 1999. The 1999 team
finished the season ranked first in the nation in
three different polls. Rhoades coached 77 District 6
champions and 44 Northwest Regional Tournament titles.
He coached five state champions in Paul Packer (1972),
Allen Fisher (1973), Doug Taylor (1988), Skip Pighetti
(1989) and Mike Maney (1999).
Dick is a1960 graduate of BEA who placed third at the NAIA
Tournament as a senior at Lock Haven State College in
1966.