Standout sophomore Phipps ‘shows progression’ at WPIAL wrestling championships

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, March 5, 2018 | 11:00 PM

Norwin wrestler Kurtis Phipps proved to be the best in the west at 106 pounds for the second consecutive season.

The sophomore added to his prolific season by topping the field at WPIAL Class AAA tournament at Canon-McMillan.

“It's awesome,” Phipps said. “I like showing my progression and climbing more ladders to get the title. I want to get the state title next.”

Phipps scored a 1-0 victory over Seneca Valley freshman Alejandro Herrera in the championship bout. Phipps was awarded a penalty point in the second period and held on for the win. The wrestlers have faced off in the past, so each came into the match knowing the strengths of their opponent.

“Wrestling each other, I know what he will do, and he knows what I do,” Phipps said. “You know those are going to be tight matches and will come down to who can grind it out to get the points. Next time, I'd like to score a larger difference. But it got the job done.”

Phipps' journey to the final was a dominant one.

In his opening match, Phipps scored an 18-1 technical fall over Hopewell's Gianni Bertucci. He pinned Hempfield's Ethan Berginc in 1 minute, 22 seconds before earning an 8-0 major decision over Latrobe's Brady Sherback in the semifinals.

“I thought I wrestled a really good match in the semifinals,” Phipps said. “The moves were working, and I was putting my stuff together pretty well. It all came together.”

Phipps joins his older brother, Drew, as back-to-back WPIAL champions at Norwin — the older Phipps brother won titles at 195 pounds in 2015 and '16 and wrestles at Bucknell.

The strong performance at the WPIAL tournament added to an impressive sophomore season. Phipps (36-0) won at the Westmoreland County and Powerade tournaments. He credits a growth in maturity from his freshman year.

“More than wrestling, I have learned how to control my emotions and not get stressed out in close matches,” Phipps said. “That can help close matches go your way. I have gotten better at controlling those things to help get those big points.”

But the most important tournament of the season is still ahead — the PIAA tournament in Hershey. Phipps finished in seventh place at last season's state tournament and has used that performance as motivation.

“I wasn't happy at the state tournament last year,” Phipps said. “I knew I could have done better. All summer, I wrestled in every tournament I could. I have been working towards winning the title. Right now that is the goal.”

Phipps is the only Knights wrestler who qualified for states. The top four finishers in each of the 14 weight classes advanced to states. Five other Norwin wrestlers saw their seasons come to an end: Freshman John Altieri (22-13, 126), sophomore Frankie Gill (20-14, 120 pounds), junior Bryce Long (24-15, 152) and seniors Jason Miller (28-11, 138), and AJ Detore (21-13, 182).

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Norwin