BOILING SPRINGS: There is no shortage of talent in the Boiling Springs mat lineup. But that's not what makes them successful.
It's all guts.
When this bunch faces stiff competition in District 3, they fight. Whether they are getting put on their backs or need a takedown to secure a swing match and earn valuable points, they seem to produce at every turn.
It happened again Wednesday night. The Bubblers captured three critical swing bouts and fought off their back in two others to earn a 36-26 decision over Biglerville that will play huge in district team seeding.
“We wrestled Manheim Central a couple weeks ago, and we won, but I thought we wrestled terrible,” Bubblers head coach Rod Wright said. “I don't know if we overlooked them or what.
“But you put these guys in a big match like this, and it's a change in attitude. It gives them that extra edge, and they get it done under pressure.”
No one was bigger than Nate Gouhin.
The Canners held a narrow 6-4 lead and were looking to increase that advantage with Joe Hurda – one of Biglerville's best wrestlers – taking the mat. Obviously, Gouhin didn't get the memo against the previously ranked Hurda.
It started as expected with Hurda sprinting out to a 6-0 lead. But Gouhin stormed back with an escape, takedown and a penalty point to make it 6-4 at the end of two.
In the third, it was all Gouhin. The Bubblers sophomore dictated action against the tired Hurda, who clubbed Gouhin during the match and could have been disqualified, and managed two takedowns to steal an 8-7 win.
“Going into it, I just tried to have a positive attitude,” Gouhin said. “I knew I had a job to do, I saw an opportunity and I took it.
“Personally, it feels great. I couldn't ask for a better match, and it is the biggest win of my career. It is definitely the most satisfying.”
Said Wright, “That was nice. He [Gouhin] needs to believe in himself. Of the group of six sophomores, to be honest, he isn't the strongest of the group. I think he takes offense to that, and Oh my God, he beats Hurda.”
It was a big blow for the Canners, who were missing 113-pounder Nate Newberry due to a skin condition.
“You got to win that match,” Gano said. “It really turned the momentum.”
Calvin Barrick followed with a fall at 220 to give the Bubblers a 13-6 lead, before the Canners went on a two-match run that included pins by Trevor Stover (285) and Brady Mentzer (106).
The Bubblers got another swing win at 113 when they bumped state runner-up Korbin Myers to 120 and sent A.J. Kostyak out against Brock Asper. The freshman delivered with a 6-3 decision that was iced when he hit a reversal in the third period.
“I wanted Korbin on Asper, but A.J. is a tough freshman,” Wright said. “I didn't know if I was going to keep him up with us [on varsity], but we did and it's nice to have someone else there with Kyle Shoop injured.”
Myers received a forfeit, but Scott Cooper, a pretty good freshman at 126, ripped through Mitch Ptaszek 13-2 to bring the match even at 22 with four bouts to go.
The Bubblers owned two of the last four bouts and got a forfeit at 138. Grant Bond teched Colton McKinney 16-0 at 132, and Andrew Mellott (138) received a freebie. Jasper Hankey gave the Canners their lone win down the stretch before Tyler Kauffman put it away for Wright's crew with a 5-3 decision over Dustin Grubb at 152.
“They out-fought us in a couple places, I guess,” Gano said. “We needed to win 113 and 152 and needed to stay off our backs in a couple places. They did a good job limiting bonus.
“I always knew we could stay with them. I believe in our kids, we just have to produce. We got beat in three places, and we got to win those.”
The Canners opened up the match with Josh Asper (160) decking John Vaughn 3-0, and Tyler Lieberum beating Connor Murphy 3-1. Kyle Taylor gave the Bubblers their first win with a major over Eric Showers at 182.
That set the table for Gouhin and jumpstarted a Bubblers attack that won seven of the next 11 bouts.
“These are battles, but the war is coming later,” Wright said. “I remember losing to Biglerville and Bermudian and coming back to beat them at districts.
“This isn't the end of the world for any team. This was big for seeding, and I would rather not have to go through both of them [Biglerville and Bermudian] at districts. Let them play with each other a bit before getting to us.”
ELLIOTT ON TWITTER: @jelliottpnco