Bishop McDevitt 106-pounder John Pipa survived flurries early and took control in the second period of an entertaining 7-3 win over Bentworth’s Hunter Neely in the opening round of the PIAA wrestling championships. The freshman advanced to face Benton Alan Diltz in tomorrow’s quarterfinal round.
Pipa pushed the action and scored the match’s first points with a takedown late in the first period. Neely quickly tied the match with a reversal in the final seconds. He scored another takedown in the second and put the match away with another two points at the buzzer.
With the win, Pipa continued his impressive postseason run, which has already yielded titles in the District 3 and PIAA Southeast Regional tournaments. He’ll enter the PIAA quarterfinals with a 39-6 record, including a run of seven straight postseason victories.