WRESTLING: Boiling Springs jumps on Waynesboro, 39-18

WAYNESBORO - The injury bug has hit Waynesboro's wrestling team.

The Indians were without four starters in a Mid Penn Colonial Division match against Boiling Springs, the defending Class AA state champion. That quartet may or may not have made a difference, though, as the Bubblers won all but three of the contested matches and claimed a 39-18 victory Wednesday.

"We're definitely a completely different team with those guys in the lineup, but they out-wrestled us tonight," Indian coach Dan Craig said. "I don't know if having those guys would've been the difference that we needed, but it definitely would've helped in terms of getting the momentum going."

The match started out fine enough for Waynesboro (6-1, 1-1 MPC), and it looked like the Indians were going to give Boiling Springs (2-0, 1-0 MPC) a run for its money. But after splitting the first four matches, the Bubblers went on a six-bout spree that included ripping off three straight pins at 126, 132 and 138.

Once Boiling Springs had built up a sizeable lead, the pressure fell on AJ Kostyak's shoulders. At 145, Kostyak needed a victory to secure the team win.

"There's a little bit of pressure for sure," Kostyak said. "But to be honest, I'm actually fueled by it rather than it effecting my wrestling. As a team, our conditioning is usually the best. That's where we win a lot is in the third period and overtime; that's where we get a lot of our points."

That theory held true for Kostyak when he faced off against Cody Frey. Frey got the lead on Kostyak with an escape and a takedown, but Kostyak matched that later in the second period and the pair were knotted 3-3 heading in the final period.

Kostyak then scored a flurry of points in the final period to earn an 8-4 decision.

"Cody has made a lot of improvements this year, and he didn't show it in that match," Craig said. "He was wrestling tough, but he was wrestling to win. That's something we're trying to get him out of - we're not trying to wrestle to win, but to dominate. He's better than what he showed tonight; we just gotta get him to believe that."

There was another key match which Waynesboro felt it could've won. At 285, Shawn Robinson had a 2-1 lead on Boiling Springs' Nick Trent. But Trent hit a takedown and scored three nearfall points in the final 10 seconds of the match to win, 6-2.

"We zigged when (Robinson) should've zagged," Boiling Springs coach Rodney Wright said. "He went for a headlock, but I saw he had his foot inside and it was tucked around. The kid just couldn't step back, and he went right down. We probably should've stuck him, but we didn't need that."

There were a few bright spots for the Indians.

At 195 pounds, Seth Egolf scored a 25-second pin, and at 152, Patrick Zimmerer pulled out a gutsy 6-5 decision to remain undefeated.

The only other victor on the mat for 'Boro was Forrest Rhyne, who just joined the wrestling team Monday. He collected a slew of points to defeat Damon James, 13-9.

"We almost didn't send (Damon) out against that kid because he was a hulk," Kostyak said. "We really thought it was going to be six points (for Waynesboro), but when coach asked him if he wanted to go out, Damon said, 'I have to try.' Even though he lost, he still saved us three team points, which was huge."

Rhyne got James into a game of takedown-and-escape. Rhyne used a double-leg takedown several times and finished with five total takedowns.

"The two-leg takedown is basically a tackle, so I pretty much know what to do there," said Rhyne, who was Waynesboro's top linebacker this football season. "Getting him on his back was basically how I got all my points, by taking him down and letting him back up because I really didn't know what else to do on the ground. But I'll learn that. Even though we didn't get the victory, it feels good that I can help out the team."

Boiling Springs 39, Waynesboro 18

at Waynesboro

182 — Austin Taylor (BS) d Aiden Smith, 6-5. 195 — Seth Egolf (W) p Sam Geiling, 0:25. 220 — Forrest Rhyne (W) d Damon James, 9-3. 285 — Nick Trent (BS) d Shawn Robinson, 6-2. 106 — No match. 113 — Kollin Myers (BS) p Laken Rouzer, 4:50. 120 — Collin Nester (BS) d Elliott Swink, 8-3. 126 — Tristan Hanshaw (BS) p Nick Stouffer, 3:27. 132 — Lucas Shoop (BS) p Logan Klipp, 3:04. 138 — Cole Wetzel (BS) p Dalton Mowen, 3:44. 145 — AJ Kostyak (BS) d Cody Frey, 8-4. 152 — Patrick Zimmerer (W) d Nick Kostyak, 6-5. 160 — Noah Carmack (W) won by forfeit. 170 — Travis Wickard (BS) md Quinten Harris, 9-1.

Boiling Springs was deducted 1 team point for unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench.