Bubbling Glory

Posted on January 3, 2012 , by junowebdesign

You could cut the atmosphere with a knife at Boiling Springs High School on Monday night. Spectators were being turned away at the door and the gymnasium was rammed.

Nope, they were not celebrating the New Year, but the Wrestling match  between the Bubblers and their rivals on the other side of the mountain, the Bermudian Spring Eagles. These two teams are District 3 Class AA Team contenders and the fans turned out in their hundreds.

"It's always a good match when we get together," Boiling Springs coach Rodney Wright said. "I'm not sure what's more fun, beating them now or losing to them now (in the regular season) and beating them in the postseason. I know what's the most fun, beating them both times."

The Bubblers conjured up a 29-26 win to improve to 6-0 on the season thanks to a strong effort from backup 138-pounder Tyler Kauffman.

"During the 132 match I started thinking about sending Kauffman out," Wright said. "I didn't think I wanted to waste (Mark) Lentz there when I thought Kauffman could do the job."

"Give that guy a lot of credit," Eagles coach Dave McCollum said of Kauffman. "He's a backup that did just what they needed him to do. With all the talent on both rosters, the match really came down to two backups at 138. That just goes to show the kind of depth (Boiling Springs) has."

Bermudian Springs had to make a difficult decision at the beginning of the  match at 195. Tristan Sponseller, a PIAA qualifier, and Brock Linebaugh have both been wrestling well in the early goings of the season for the Eagles. McCollum had to decide if he was going to send team mates Sponseller or Linebaugh out at 195 to take on Boiling Spring's Logan Murphy, a PIAA qualifer.

"We're got some guys right around that weight that are going to give us a chance against anyone," McCollum said. "I knew coming in we'd have to decide who was going to take on Murphy. When they drew 195 as our starting weight I had to go with what would give us the best chance."

Needless to say the boys hit the mat with all their might, it was an electrifying match and there are plenty more to come!

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