By Andy Loigu

About three decades ago, people made fun of the Buffalo Bills for losing the Super Bowl game four years in a row (1991 to 1994). They were not giving Buffalo any credit for all the playoff wins it took for the Bills to keep getting there.

Katrina Kling of Warren Hills, a junior, won her way to the state final for the second straight year this month. Last year she lost the state final in overtime by a 6-4 score. This year, she lost the final by a 2-0 decision. An early takedown was the difference, as her foe chose to wrestle defensively the rest of the way. Often, when someone gets an early takedown, he or she will start swapping one-point escapes for two-point takedowns and accumulate points to get a tech fall. Kling’s opponent knew that such tactics would backfire against a top quality competitor.

Kling made several tries at turning her adversary onto the mat, and wrestled aggressively. Her foe just did an amazing job of maintaining her position.

Unfortunately for Kling, her opponent in each final was a young prodigy named Kira Pipkins, a Bloomfield sophomore who has a chance to become the first four-time champion in New Jersey girls wrestling.

Pipkins also defeated Kling in two previous meetings this season, both times by a fall, They met in February at the Chick Wrestler Classic and in the North Regional 121-pound final.

As the top two seeds, it came as no surprise they would meet again in the state final, which was held at Phillipsburg High School this year, the first time since 2001 that it wasn’t held in Atlantic City. Last year, Kling and Pipkins met in the final at 114.

Pipkins did a backflip for her championship celebration on Saturday, Most wrestlers who go the distance and win by decision are simply too exhausted to celebrate that way, “I wanted to get a pin, but had to be smart,” Pipkins said. “I was going against someone who was keeping the pressure on and not making any mistakes.”

Maria Weatherspoon, a Warren Hills sophomore, was seeded third in the North Region at 114, but was upset in the quarterfinal at Union High School by Belleville junior Soraya Safforld by fall in 3:14.

Unbeaten senior Chloe Ayres of Princeton eventually captured her third straight state championship at 114, coming out of the South Region.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.