The ride from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to Easton, Pennsylvania, is a short one. In fact, it’s no more than a minute. 

The trip consists of just a quick drive across the Northampton Street Bridge, or Free Bridge, as it’s nicknamed by locals — since it is not actually a toll bridge, despite crossing state lines. Separated only by a thin strip of the Delaware River, the two towns stand nose to nose like two boxers on the promo card of a championship fight. 

This Thursday night, at 7 PM in Easton, PA the interstate rivals clash for their annual wrestling showdown.

The rivalry is over a century old and spans generations – each one with its own memories burned in the minds of members of these Lehigh Valley communities. 

It’s difficult to describe an age-old rivalry without sounding clichéd and unoriginal. But each time the high schools meet — whether it’s on the wrestling mat, the football field, or shuffleboard at a local bar — it’s on. 

Two rugged, blue-collar towns nestled in the shadows of the Pocono Mountains, Phillipsburg and Easton come as somewhat of a package deal. Besides crossing the short bridge, you would hardly know you left town, let alone the state. When you’re in Phillipsburg, you see signs pointing you to Easton. In Easton, there are signs to Phillipsburg. Almost as if to say, “Are you sure you’re in the right place?”

The football teams first began competing against one another in 1905. Wrestling, in 1948. Since then, the annual matchups in these two sports, in particular, have become somewhat of a holiday. The week leading up to the match includes pep rallies, bonfires, pranks, and other events around the community. The wrestling dual meets tend to be sold out with cheerleaders sitting mat-side and fans spilling out into the hallways. 

Two-time All-American from Lehigh and Easton grad, Mitch Minotti, looked back on his old matchups with Phillipsburg fondly.

“You definitely have that one circled,” Minotti said. “Those were the matches that, despite what the rankings were in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, or what it looked like on paper, those matches were absolutely crazy.”

Until 1994, Phillipsburg was a member of the East Penn League. The only New Jersey team, of course. The East Penn League consists entirely of teams from this local strip of eastern PA including Bethlehem Catholic, Parkland, and Nazareth, among others. This would seem odd except that Phillipsburg is only four miles from Nazareth. And 10 miles from Bethlehem. 

Despite being located on the New Jersey side of the river, so much of Phillipsburg’s identity is its roots in the Lehigh Valley and the history with its rival across the river. Nicknamed “The Stateliners,” Phillipsburg knows exactly who it is. Toeing the lines both figuratively and literally of the country’s two most powerhouse wrestling states. 

When Phillipsburg left the East Penn Conference for NJSIAA’s Skyland Conference to be eligible for state playoffs, the administrators as well as the community were adamant that nothing would happen to the annual Phillipsburg vs Easton matchups. 

This rivalry isn’t about conference or state championships. This thing is personal.

“Being a wrestler at Easton you never want to be the team to drop one to Pburg,” Minotti confirmed.

Just this past fall, the football game ended with time still left on the clock when a fight broke out between the two teams as Easton lined up to kneel the ball for victory. 

No matter the circumstances, you have to win this one — 365 days of bragging rights are on the line. 

The Pit, Phillipsburg’s legendary gym where fans are right on top of the action, was often the raucous site of Phillipsburg/Easton matches past. That’s how Minotti remembered it.

“They would pack in with cheering sections on either side of students and, you know, constant badgering and heckling . . . people’s girlfriends, people’s moms, if you had never won a match.”

No one is off limits. The crowd would let you have it.

“It either elevated your performance or the pressure got to you,” Minotti said.

Has he ever lost to anyone from Phillipsburg?

“I’ve never lost to a P-Burg guy.”

“No way, man.” He laughed.

This Year’s Matchup

In the history of New Jersey wrestling, only Paulsboro has won more state titles than Phillipsburg. In Pennsylvania, Easton has a history of winning, with the second-most state champions in state history. Notable Easton alumni along with Minotti include two-time NCAA champion Jordan Oliver and NCAA finalist and Nebraska assistant coach, Brian Snyder.

Easton leads the all-time series, but Phillipsburg has won four of the last six matchups.

This season, neither team is looking at quite the level of success of the teams of the past. Thus, making a win on rivalry week even sweeter. 

Despite a difficult stretch of the schedule entering this week’s matchup, Phillipsburg is coming off the biggest win of its season knocking off #9 Toms River North.

Easton has also endured a brutal stretch against some of its familiar District XI competition, taking big losses to Northampton and Bethlehem Catholic, before heading to what was a loaded Escape the Rock tournament.

This one has the makings of an old-school back and forth Phillipsburg/Easton slugfest. 

Probable Lineups (ranking is according to Flo’s New Jersey and Pennsylvania official state rankings):

Match of the Night

The big one here will be at 113lb where #6 in PA (Class AAA) Braxton Fries-Appello will once again face off with Phillipsburg’s James Day. Fries-Appello and Day are familiar with one another — as wrestlers from these towns usually are — having wrestled three times in the past two seasons. Fries-Appello won the two most recent contests, but all three matches in high school were decided by just one point. Both teams will circle this one as a match it has to win. 

I have a feeling this is going to a back-and-forth dual from start to finish. Each team will have a few opportunities to score a big win in swing matches. Phillipsburg looks to be favored in the middleweights, Easton owns the upperweights, and a number of tossups making up the lightweights. 

Besides Fries-Appelo/Day, we could see three other rematches from earlier this season. The teams crossed paths at the Bethlehem Holiday Tournament where Easton came out on top in three of the four head-to-head matchups. At 132, Kyron Bryson pinned Joe Innamorato. At 160, Phillipsburg’s leader Nate Zastowny pinned Jordan Williams, while the 220lb match between Horvath and Cruise came down to rideouts and Cruise prevailed. Phillipsburg will eye this 220lb rematch as crucial if it wants to go back to Jersey with a win on Thursday night.

The Pick

Phillipsburg 30, Easton 27

As is the case in every evenly contested, rivalry week grudge match — this one will come down to bonus points. And this year’s installment is about as evenly matched as it gets. We can be sure both teams will let it fly Thursday night in Easton.

After all, you don’t want to be the team to drop one.