Bloomfield HS wrestlers Kira Pipkins and Gianna Faura capture girls state individual titles

Bloomfield junior Kira Pipkins battles Aiden Jurgo, of West Orange High School, in the 126-pound bout a home dual meet on Jan. 31. Pipkins won by pin in 2:34.

Bloomfield senior Gianna Faura, middle, stands on the podium after winning the heavyweight class at the Bloomfield Girls tournament on Dec. 27. At left is Caroline Biegel, of Lakeland, who took third, and, at right, is Morris Hills’ Isabella Kuzmich. At far right is Ava Filier of Immaculate Conception, who took fourth place.

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Kira Pipkins and Gianna Faura are queens of the mat.

At the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s girls wrestling state individual finals held at Phillipsburg High School on Sunday, Feb. 20, the two Bloomfield High School wrestlers captured titles in their respective weight classes. Pipkins, a junior, won the 120-pound title, while Faura, a senior, won the 235-pound crown.

For Pipkins, this is her third state individual championship.

Pipkins, the top seed, pinned No. 8 seed sophomore Rebecca Royer, of Millville, in 1:41 in the quarterfinal round. In the semifinals, Pipkins pinned No. 4 seed junior Jackeline Oviedo, of Mainfield, in 4:20, while No. 3 seed Kalli Roskos, of Delran, decisioned No. 2 seed senior Katrina Kling, of Warren Hills, 5-2.

In the final, Pipkins won a 3-0 decision over Roskos.

Faura, the top seed, pinned No.8 seed freshman Caroline Biegel, of Lakeland, in 1:16 in the quarterfinal round. In the semifinals, Faura pinned No. 4 seed junior Brea Heil, of Kingsway, in 4:32, while No. 2 seed senior Kerly Borbor, of New Brunswick, decisioned No. 3 seed senior Emie Santos, 4-0.

Faura earned a thrilling 6-4 sudden-victory decision over Borbor in the final.

Sophomore Ahlexa Montalvo was the other Bloomfield competitor in the state individual finals. As the No. 4 seed, Montalvo dropped an 8-0 major decision to No. 5 sophomore Valerie Maldonado, of Somerville, in the quarterfinal round. Montalvo then pinned No. 8 seed junior Dayana Hoyos, of North Brunswick, in the wrestleback quarterfinal, before losing to No. 6 seed senior Grace Cordasco, of Southern, by a 12-2 major decision in the wrestleback semifinal.

The state individual finals consisted of the top four finishers in each weight class from the North and South region tournaments.

It was sweet redemption for Faura, who lost to Mia Lazaurs, of Raritan, in a pin in 1:59 in the state final last season at the 215-pound division.

Pipkins defeated Kling in the state individual finals in 2020 and 2021. Pipkins won the 114-pound title over Kling by a 6-4 sudden-victory decision in 2020 and beat Kling again for the 121-pound title in 2021 with a 2-0 decision. Pipkins will now get a chance to win a fourth state championship next year as a senior.

Photos Courtesy of Jerry Simon and BHS Athletics

Bloomfield High School wrestling

Bloomfield HS wrestlers Kira Pipkins and Gianna Faura capture girls state individual titles added by Editor on February 21, 2022
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