If it was a close match, it almost assuredly went the way of the hosts. That trend started in the dual meet's opening bout, where 2015 state qualifier Mike Heinl (Shaler) upended state placer Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4 at 132 pounds. In the second match of the dual meet, No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pinned two-time state placer Anthony Welsh (Beth-Center) in the first minute at 170. That pin gave the Hoosier State seniors a 6-3 lead, the only lead of the evening.
Matches at 132 and 170 went first as Doster and Hughes were called in to do "double duty". Each also wrestled in the main event due to unavailability of the previously selected United States wrestler: No. 1 Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind.) and No. 3 (at 170) Thomas Bullard (Arhcer, Ga.)
Next came five consecutive wins for the host squad, which established an 18-6 lead for the WPIAL that was sustained through the last six bouts of the dual meet. It started with a 2-0 overtime decision for three-time state placer Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) at 113 pounds; the in-season 106 pound wrestler beat two-time state placer Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.). Next up was three-time state/National Prep placer Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) with a win over state champion and four-time state placer Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.), 7-4 at 120 pounds; McCoy competed during the season at 126 pounds.
Then at 126 pounds, it was state placer Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) with a 6-3 win over two-time state runner-up, and three-time state placer, Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.). The 138 pound match saw state placer Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) upend two-time state placer Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3. The barrage ended with a 5-4 victory for Damon Greenwald (Burrell), state champion at 152 pounds this season, over two-time state placer Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.)
The WPIAL momentum was put to a stark halt in the 152 pound match, as two-time state runner-up (also 3x placer) Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pinned state placer Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) at the 4:29 mark. The Indiana deficit was cut to 18-12.
However, the next bout saw Verkleeren's high school teammate Mitch Hartman come through with a key victory. It was a 2-1 victory for the state qualifier at 160 pounds over three-time state placer Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.); McCormick was called into the squad late, and competed this season at 152.
Nationally ranked star Blake Rypel (Indanapolis Cathedral, Ind.), No. 2 in the nation, pushed out to a 10-0 lead at 182 pounds before holding onto a 10-5 victory over state runner-up Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area). The lone bona fide upset of the undercard dual meet came in the next match, which saw Indiana cut the deficit to 21-18 with two matches remaining; state champion Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) beat No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3 on a very late reversal at 195.
The WPIAL squad clinched the dual meet victory with a 2-1 win at 220 pounds from state runner-up Michael McAleavy (Peters Township), who beat 195 pound state placer Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.); Fox was an injury replacement for his teammate, a two-time state placer at 220.
In the last match of the dual meet, it was a summary of the afternoon's program, as Hayden Rice (Norwin, Pa.) - a state qualifier this season - upended Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.), third at state, by a 2-1 score.
WPIAL 27 Indiana 18
132: Mike Heinl (Shaler) decision Owen Doster (New Haven, Ind.) 6-4
170: No. 6 Drew Hughes (Lowell, Ind.) pin Anthony Walsh (Bethlehem Center) 1st minute
113: Aaron Burkett (Chestnut Ridge) decision Geoffrey Davis (Fort Wayne Wayne, Ind.) 2-0, overtime
120: Ethan McCoy (Greater Latrobe) decision Drew Hildebrandt (Penn, Ind.) 7-4
126: Chris Eddins (Greensburg Salem) decision Gaige Torres (Portage, Ind.) 6-3
138: Shawn Wilson (Waynesburg) decision Evan Eldred (Westfield, Ind.) 8-3
145: Damon Greenwald (Burrell) decision Jordan Vaughn (Franklin Central, Ind.) 5-4
152: Steven Lawrence (Portage, Ind.) pin Derek Verkleeren (Belle Vernon Area) 4:29
160: Mitch Hartman (Belle Vernon Area) decision Cael McCormick (Yorktown, Ind.) 2-1
182: No. 2 Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind.) decision Milton Kobaly (Belle Vernon Area) 10-5
195: Jake Kleimola (Lake Central, Ind.) decision No. 11 Drew Phipps (Norwin) 4-3
220: Michael McAleavy (Peters Township) decision Nick Fox (Carmel, Ind.) 2-1
285: Hayden Rice (Norwin) decision Sean Galligar (Columbus East, Ind.) 2-1
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