HERSHEY — Evan DeLong and Cody Blankenship of Kane as well as Kyle Bova of Coudersport each won their first round matches at the PIAA wrestling championships Thursday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
DeLong (170) tech falled Derek Hull of Chartiers-Houston, 17-2 in 3:32, while Blankenship (126) earned an 11-5 decision over Stone Kepple of Derry Area and Bova (160) pinned Connor Murphy of Boiling Springs in 3:02.
“They looked like a couple of the top ranked kids in the state, like they are,” said Kane coach Mike Swartwood. “Both were very dominating. Cody’s win was 11-5, but the match wasn’t even that close; he was in control. And Evan’s just taking people down at will right now. Last year he wasn’t doing a good job of riding out from the top position, but this year he’s been doing a really good job of that. He looked like the No. 1 ranked kid in the state today.”
Bova and DeLong are both looking for a return trip to the championship round in their respective weight classes, as both finished with silver medals in 2013.
“It was obvious that his opponent was trying to slow things down on his feet in the first period,” said Coudersport coach John Bishel of Bova’s match. “Nothing rattles him. When one thing wasn’t working well he just went on to the next thing.
“He feels no pressure at having the target on his back — he’s embracing it. I’ve been around this a long time and I’m enjoying it.”
Also, Sam Colebert (160) of Oswayo Valley dropped his first round decision, 2-1, to Adam Soldridge of Bethlehem Catholic, but rallied to win his first round consolation match, 10-8 over Jarred Hardinger of Wyomissing.
In the quarterfinals, DeLong will wrestle Zane Black of Bishop McDevitt and Blankenship Grant Bond of Boiling Springs.
“Hopefully, we get some wins in the quarterfinals,” Swartwood said. “It’s a lot of fun down here when you’re winning. Cody’s got a tough quarterfinal tomorrow (Friday). If he can get by that match, I think he has a good chance to get to the finals. It would be pretty special to have a couple of kids make it to the finals. That would be the pinnacle of my coaching career.”
Bova draws Jeric Kasunic of Benton.
“That will be a nice measuring stick for him,” Bishel said. “It’s a unique quarterfinal, having the No. 1 (Bova) and No. 3 (Kasunic) ranked kids in the state meeting in the quarterfinals. On the other end you have Ryan Preisch (Milton) and Jimmy Miller (Brookville) wrestling each other.”
Colebert will wrestle in the consolation second round against a yet to be determined opponent.
As a whole, District 9 wrestlers went 11-3 in the first round, with six of those wins coming from Brookville.
“The kids are all friends,” Swartwood said of the District 9 contingent. “They wrestle each other in the summer and push each other. It’s been a lot of fun. They’re able to cross team boundaries. It’s pretty neat how they push each other and cheer each other on.”
Today’s Class AA action begins with quarterfinal bouts at 9 a.m., followed by second-round consolation bouts at 10:45 a.m.
The evening session features semifinals and third-round consolations at 6:30 p.m. and fourth-round consolations at 9 p.m.
