CANONSBURG - If the third time is a charm, then what does that make four times?

For Seneca Valley's Mike Bianco, all he knows is it allowed him to advance to the semifinal round at the WPIAL Class AAA Wrestling Championships.

Bianco had defeated Ambridge's Rick Dlubak three times during the season (5-2, 3-2, 4-3) but Dlubak got one more shot at Blanco when they squared off in the quarterfinal round Friday at canon-McMillan High School.

Not surprisingly, the 215-pound match went into a one-minute overtime tied a 1-all, followed by a 30-second rideout that Bianco, being on top, never lost control of to pull out a 2-1 victory.

"We both had a stall call on us and I tried to push the tempo," said Bianco. "I rode him before for 1:30 and I knew I had the double overtime.

"He's a tough kid. He's tough to score on. And he's only a junior. What potential," Bianco added.

Bianco (25-2) is strong in the top position, but Dlubak (28-7) had the choice and decided to be on the bottom during the rideout.

"I told him to just keep being aggressive, just keep taking it to him," said Seneca Valley coach Lee Mullett on Bianco. "I was hoping for a takedown (in regulation and in the first OT).

"I thought Mike was more aggressive on his feet and he could try and set up some shots. In the rideout, once Mike got the leg in, I knew he had him," Mullett added.

Bianco won the Section 3 title last week, but still wanted to keep a level head in the WPIALs.

"Just have fun, that's my No. 1 goal," said Bianco. "With the guys I'm surrounded with, it's possible. We've got some good guys here."

To get to the finals, he'll have to get past No. 1 seed Nick Hursky of Chartiers Valley (40-1), who has pinned both his opponents in the tournament in under three minutes.

Butler's Ian McLaughlin also competed in the quarterfinal round, but he dropped a 14-7 decision to Nick Garber of Waynesburg in the 119-pound division.

Garber (32-6), the No. 2 seed, held a 7-5 lead after the first period, but assumed control the next two periods, including a 5-0 advantage in the second period.

Garber had a reverse with 1:35 left, then maintained control and received three back points to close out the period.

"I think Garber's the best kid (in the bracket)," said Butler coach Scott Stoner. "Ian just made a stupid mistake. He was down 7-5, then he throws the legs. We worked on anchoring in.

"I don't know why he threw the legs. He got stopped and it cost him five points," said Stoner.

McLaughlin (32-6) will now face McKeesport's Justin Liptak (13-12) in the second-round consolations Saturday.

McLaughlin needs three wins to reach the consolation final and four to grab the third and final state berth.

"At this point, if you don't make the semis, it's tougher to get back," said Stoner. "You just have to try and get through."

The only other county wrestler to advance to Saturday's competition is Seneca Valley's Lee Layton, who defeated Mike Reinhart of Greensburg Salem 6-3 in the 135-pound first-round consolation match.

Layton (26-7) had dropped a 3-0 decision Friday to fall into the wrestlebacks.

"It was a complete turnaround," said Mullett. "He never let up and he came out with a victory.

"He gets his legs. He gets his confidence. He still has a long road. He'll have to win four to get to states," Mullett added.

Layton's road will begin with Waynesburg's Ethan Headlee (24-11) in the second-round consolation finals.

Five other area wrestlers lost their first-round consolation finals and were eliminated from the tournament.

Butler's Rob Runyan (103) dropped a 12-3 major decision to Waynesburg's Brian Knapp, Josh Coburn (152) lost to Kiski Area's Cody Briscoe 3-1 in overtime and Ryan Eck (189) was pinned by Connellsville's Alan Porter in 3:23.

Coburn suffered the toughest fate of that trio as he forced a 1-all tie with 1:20 left in the third period with a reverse. In overtime, Briscoe recorded a takedown with two seconds left.

"He was still trying to score," said Stoner. I wanted to go to a ride-out. He got tripped up and was flat-footed. He's got to drop those hips down. He wrestled real well until then."

Seneca Valley's Pat Coyne (125) lost to Waynesburg's Brian Leggett 8-3 and Mike Rossetti (189) lost a 4-2 decision to Hempfield's Tom Johnston.

Coyne trailed 3-0 after two but tied the match with an escape and a takedown, the latter with 41 seconds left, but Leggett got a reverse seven seconds later and added three back points in the closing seconds.

Rossetti held a 2-1 lead after two periods, but Johnston tied the match with an escape with one minute remaining, then added a takedown with 34 seconds left and held on for the win.

Saturday's session includes second-round consolations from 10:30 a.m. to noon, semifinals and third-round consolations from noon to 2 p.m. and fourth-round consolations from 2 to 3 p.m. Session four will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will include the consolation finals, the Parade of Champions and the championship finals.