HERSHEY — When Wes Phipps pulled into the driveway of his Grove City home, his eyes immediately fixed on the banner hanging above his garage.

It read: “Congrats Wes: State Champion.”

Cheerleaders at Grove City High had made the banner in anticipation of Phipps coming home from Hershey as the Class AA 182-pound state wrestling champ.

He didn't disappoint by grinding out a 6-4 win over Dakota DesLauriers of Burrell at the Giant Center Saturday afternoon.

“I'm not sure how they got it up there,” Phipps said of the banner.

Phipps had the singular goal of bringing home a state title this season.

Last year, he finished second at 171 pounds at the state tournament. He was third as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman at 160 pounds.

This year, he was not to be denied.

But he had to get past DesLauriers, who came into the title match at 45-0, first.

Phipps was 39-0, setting up an epic battle of undefeated wrestlers.

Phipps controlled the action throughout. While the final score was close, Grove City wrestling coach Marty Ruley said Phipps was never in any danger.

“It was pretty much him all the way,” Ruley said. “He was in control the whole time. It was one of those deals where Wes had a 6-4 lead with 30 seconds left and the kid never really made a real shot. Wes pushed him pretty good.”

Phipps entered the tournament supremely confident.

He didn't want to go home with the feeling he had last season.

“We were pretty sure he wasn't coming home with anything less than a state title, that's how motivated he was,” Ruley said. “Anything less would have been a disappointment.”

Phipps had little resistance on his way to the championship.

Still, he said he didn't take anything for granted until that final match was over.

“It was just, ‘Finally. I did it,'” Phipps said. “In the match, you don't hear anything except for the whistle and the instructions from your coaches. After that final whistle, I finally let everything soak in.”

Phipps, who will wrestle at Penn State University next season, wrapped up his career at Grove City with a 141-14 record.

He was 69-1 in his final two seasons.

“It was a long road,” Phipps said. “I started off my freshman year with a fifth-place medal, which was a little unexpected, and I kept on getting better and working hard. This is a big honor. It proves all that hard work for four years was worth it.”

Phipps said he was overwhelmed by the support he received throughout his quest.

“The wrestling family for every school is a close-nit one,” Phipps said. “There are people who wrestled 20 years ago who still come to matches. The community definitely got behind me.”

And they showed it with a banner that welcomed him home.

“It was certainly nice to see,” Phipps said.