Day 3 PIAA Wrestling

Dave Rosengrant

HERSHEY -- Hazleton Area's Pat LaBuz forfeited his 160-pound semifinal match due to an injury in the Class 3A PIAA Championships Saturday morning, while Abington Heights phenom Evan Craig advanced to his third straight championship final.

LaBuz was set to go against Central Dauphin's two-time defending state champion Marshall Peppelman in the semis.

Craig (285) ran his record to 49-0 with a pin in 3:40 over General McLane's Caleb Baker.

In consolation 3A action Saturday morning, LaBuz's teammate Jared Kay (171 pounds) won his third round consy and will advance to the fourth round of consolations for a berth in the third-place match. Kay defeated Stroudsburg's Matthew Transue, 6-3 to move.

Coughlin's Josh Popple, also won his 171-pound third round consolation with a fall in 4:59 over Jermaine Easter from Cathedral Prep.

Kay and Popple could still meet in the third or fifth-place round depending what happens in the next consolation round.

UPDATE:

Kay and Popple will renew their rivalry in the third-place match. Kay won his fourth round consolation, 11-2 over Downingtown East's Robbie Fitzgerald, while Popple defeated Tyler Wilps from Chartiers Valley via fall in 2:00.

The match will be the fifth time in the last 13 months the two will square off with a medal on the line. The third-place round is set to begin at 6 p.m.

"I think those two guys have made each other better over the course of the last three weeks," Hazleton Area coach Dave Shafer said. "I think it's great that both of them get to wrestle for third. I think it's awesome for our district, especially the conference."