BOILING SPRINGS: You won't find an ounce of selfishness anywhere on the Boiling Springs wrestling team.
Regardless if you are a star like Korbin Myers, a role guy like Travis Wickard or a junior varsity participant, it's all about team.
Each wrestler needs to be tough. They are expected to save points when they are outmuscled, and they have to get bonus points when needed. And above all else, they need to be ready when they are called to the mat.
Those traits are what makes the Bubblers the best Class AA team in District 3. It's why Rod Wright's crew handed fellow district power Bermudian Springs a eye-popping 38-24 defeat Saturday night.
“They know just because they wrestle a certain weight class, that they need to be ready,” Bubblers head coach Rod Wright said. “These guys have been around a long time, and they know what is going on.
“They know the coach is going to make moves. Did any of these guys know they were going to bump up, nope. They don't know who is going until I get back there, and you know what, they are all ready.”
Guys like Wickard and Kyle Taylor bumped and gave up significant weight to their opponents. And yet, both won.
The stars did their usual damage, and the role guys stepped up and pulled an upset or two to provide the margin of victory.
It started as a typical Eagles-Bubblers match. John Vaughn (145) and Tyler Kauffman (152) earned narrow decisions over Ted Marines and Jared Spahr to give the home team a skaky 6-0 advantage.
The Eagles got on the board at 160. Briton Shelton slipped past Connor Murphy before Wickard gave up 15 pounds to Cody Rowland but still managed a 13-5 major.
Colton Dull downed Nate Gouhin 11-3 at 182, and Tristan Sponseller handed the Eagles a 13-10 lead with a 10-second pin over Arena Valentino.
The lead was short-lived. Despite giving up 30 pounds to Sam McCollum, Taylor carved out an escape and a takedown in the second overtime period to earn a 4-1 decision and even the match at 13 with seven matches to go.
“You go out and do your job,” Taylor said. “If you face a kid you have to beat, you beat him. If you have to stick a kid, you stick him.
“Everybody knows they have a job to do. We don't wrestle individually, we wrestle as a team. Everyone works hard and pushes each other.”
No one worked harder than Noah Davis at heavyweight.
The Bubblers senior trailed Brady Linebaugh 2-1 heading to the second 30-second overtime period. He was looking for a simple escape to send it to ride out but ended up turning a reversal into a big score.
Davis hooked Linebaugh's arm and put the Eagles standout on his back. The referee slammed the mat simultaneously with the buzzer. Much to the dismay of the Bermudian Springs faithful, the scorer's table upheld the ruling.
“I knew he was getting tired,” Davis said. “I felt he was light on top, so I sat out and got his arm.
“I figured, 'I outweigh this guy by 30 pounds, alright, lets get the pin.'”
Said Wright, “It doesn't matter. He had the reversal. I'm looking at it, and he was flat as flat can be. It was so close. Give them three points back.”
The Eagles never recovered.
Austin Clabaugh (106) and Bayley Oberlander (113) earned 11 points via tech fall and pin to give the Eagles a 24-19 lead and a glimmer of hope. That is until the hammers in the Bubblers lineup set foot on the mat.
Korbin Myers kicked off a four-match run to end the match. He teched Dalton Becker and set the table for A.J. Kostyak's 5:36 fall over Noah Fleshman at 126.
Grant Bond and Kyle Shoop bumped up and closed out the match. Bond took apart Jarod Miller 24-9 in 5:53, and Shoop blanked Austin Jackson 6-0 at 138.
“This group has bought into the team concept of these dual meets and going to Giant Center,” Wright said. “The whole team goes, not individuals like in March.
“It's something you can bring the whole team to. Everybody that puts in the same work in the room gets to go. They all enjoy it, and this is a close group.”