Crestwood Wrestling Comets’ Magnus Bibla caps career with state medal

Crestwood senior finishes sixth at PIAA Wrestling Championships

The dream of every Pennsylvania schoolboy wrestler is to make it onto the medal stand in Hershey, where the PIAA Wrestling Championships are held every year. Crestwood’s Magnus Bibla realized that dream last weekend, earning his first state wrestling medal in his final high school season.

The 215-pound senior captured sixth place at the Class 3A Championships, and proudly accepted the hard-earned medal Saturday at the Giant Center.

Bibla’s journey to the medal stand in Hershey was a tough one, and it began on Thursday.

Day 1

Magnus and younger brother Lincoln Bibla each qualified for the state tournament. It was Magnus’ second trip here, but he competed injured last season and was less than 100 percent in two straight losses. For Lincoln, this was his first state championships.

Magnus opened with a difficult first-round victory against Penn Trafford senior Owen Ott, and in doing so gained his first-ever PIAA win, emerging as the only Wyoming Valley Conference wrestler to advance to the quarterfinals.

Ranked 13th in the state at 215 pounds according to PA Power Wrestling, Bibla secured the first takedown for a 2-0 lead against Ott, who is ranked ninth. “That was just a big confidence booster because I always feel like I need to get the first shot off,” Bibla said afterward. “That’s what I plan to do every time.”

Ott chose bottom to start the second period, and fought for an escape before Bibla forced him back to the mat, got him to his back to secure three near-fall points and gain a 5-0 lead.

Ott scored a reversal with six seconds left in the second period to cut it to 5-2. Bibla chose down to start the third period, and Ott eventually secured back points to make it 5-4. But Bibla battled through a bloody nose and Ott’s repeated attempts, then held on for the decision and a berth in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Bibla’s stay on Hershey became a short one after placing fourth at regionals. Strath Haven’s Sam Milligan pinned him in 37 seconds of their 189-pound preliminary-round match, sending Lincoln to the consolation bracket. There, he was pinned by Central Mountain’s Rocco Serafini in 2:15 to end his stellar sophomore season with a 26-13 mark.

Day 2

Matched up with the state’s sixth-ranked 215-pounder in the quarterfinals, Magnus Bibla was pinned by J.P. McCaskey’s Jose Garcia in 2:14, sending him to the consolation bracket.

Magnus’ weekend was far from over. Facing a winor-go home match in the third round of consolations, Magnus came through with perhaps his biggest win of the season.

Scoreless after two periods against Greater Latrobe’s Corey Boerio, ranked 10th, Bibla chose down to start the third, and got the key escape with 57 seconds left to earn a 1-0 decision, and secure a state medal.

“It feels amazing,” Bibla said after landing a spot on the podium. “I finally got something tangible for my work.”

Day 3

Already assured of no less than an eighth-place finish and a state medal, Bibla went after more on Saturday, and moved up the podium on the final day of competition in Hershey. He opened the day with an impressive 6-0 decision over Armstrong’s Connor Jacobs, the state’s fifthranked 215-pounder, in the consolation quarterfinals.

Bibla rode out Jacobs in the second period, and secured an escape to take the lead in the third period. A takedown and then three near-fall points wrapped up the 6-0 decision.

He dropped his consolation semifinal match 7-3 to seventh-ranked John Pardo of Kennett, falling into the fifth-place match later in the night. In that bout, Bibla met Jose Garcia again, this time dropping a 6-2 decision to finish sixth in the state and end up 3-3 against the state’s top wrestlers over the weekend.

Bibla finished his season with a sparkling 36-6 record. He leaves Crestwood as a two-time district wrestling champion, two-time regional silver medalist and a two-time Wyoming Valley Conference champion. And now, he puts the singlet and headgear away as Bibla focuses on his upcoming Division I college football career at Robert Morris University in suburban Pittsburgh.

The following are the results of the PIAA wrestling matches involving the Bibla brothers:

PIAA Wrestling Championships Class 3A Preliminaries

189: Sam Milligan (Strath Haven) pinned Lincoln Bibla (Crestwood), 0:37.

First Round

215: Magnus Bibla (Crestwood) dec. Owen Ott (Penn Trafford), 5-4.

First Round Consolations

189: Rocco Serafini (Central Mountain) pinned Lincoln Bibla (Crestwood), 2:15.

Quarterfinals

215: Jose Garcia (J.P. McCaskey) pinned Magnus Bibla (Crestwood), 2:14.

Third Round Consolations

215: Magnus Bibla (Crestwood) dec. Corey Boerio (Greater Latrobe), 1-0.

Consolation quarterfinals

215: Magnus Bibla (Crestwood) dec. Connor Jacobs (Armstrong), 6-0.

Consolation semifinals

215: John Pardo (Kennett) dec. Magnus Bibla (Crestwood), 7-3.

Fifth-place Match

215: Jose Garcia (J.P. McCaskey) dec. Magnus Bibla (Crestwood), 6-2.