BY JOSH MARTIN
Times Sports Editor
Published: Monday, January 26, 2009 7:36 AM EST
They were partying in Biglerville like it was 2001.
Or 2000.
Or even 1988.
The celebration kicked off when the scoreboard clock read “0:00” Saturday night following the 14th and final breath-taking bout in the latest Biglerville-Bermudian Springs wrestling rivalry – and it may not have yet ended.
With an undefeated season and division championship on the line, this one had the makings of yet another Canner-Eagle instant classic. The match lived up to and beyond the billing, as the neighboring wrestling powerhouses split 14 bouts, seven of which were decided by two points or less.
The outcome wasn’t decided until the last two of those heart-stoppers came to an end, with senior Nic Lieberum delivering a critical 8-7 decision at 160 that ultimately lifted Biglerville to a riveting 30-27 victory.
The win was the first for the Canners over the Eagles since 2001, which secured Biglerville’s first division championship since 2000.
In going a spotless 20-0, the Canners put together their first unbeaten regular season since 1988.“
That match was great,” said Biglerville head coach Bob Gano, after making his way through an endless sea of students and fans that poured onto the mat following the post-match handshakes. “There were so many epic battles – 103, 160, 140, 135 – I’m probably missing people, too. It was just huge.”
Wrestling in front of a capacity crowd that began gathering in Biglerville at 4 p.m., the Canners (10-0 YAIAA-2) and Eagles (15-2, 9-1 Y-2) didn’t disappoint their faithful fans. The teams traded blows from the opening whistle to the final buzzer, slugging it out for more than two hours.
The Canners claimed wins in swing bouts at 103, 119 and 125, while the Eagles captured key decisions at 135 and 140. Four of those pivotal contests were decided by two points, while the fifth was a one-point decision.
“There were a lot of tight matches that could have gone either way,” said Bermudian Springs head coach Dave McCollum, whose teams had won the previous three Y-2 titles without a blemish in division competition. “Biglerville wanted us. They were waiting for us all year long.”
The Canners sprinted out to a 27-6 lead only to watch the Eagles rip off five straight wins, narrowing the gap to 27-24 with two bouts remaining.
Lieberum halted the slide and became a part of Canner lore with his hard-fought decision over tough Jake Stimer, a win that virtually delivered a division title.
“Both teams put it out there,” said Gano. “It was just a matter of who was going to come out at the end. I would have been proud of our kids if we had lost the match because we did everything, for the most part, that we could do.”
Failing to address each of the 14 fantastic bouts would not be just, so here’s a recap of another wild and wooly night shared by the Eagles and Canners. (Bermudian wrestlers listed first; records include Saturday’s result).
189: Preston Green, sr. 4-8 vs. Danny Thomas, jr. 24-5
The Eagles caught the first break of the night by winning the flip, which allowed them to insert Green and move Matt Wolf away from Thomas. Green’s goal was clear from the opening whistle as he gave ground against a stalking Thomas through most of the first two periods, getting called for stalling four times.
Thomas hit a five-point move at the end of the middle period for a 7-0 lead, then ended things early in the third with a big half-nelson.
Canners 6, Eagles 0
215: Matt Wolf, so. 20-9 vs. Devin Smith, sr. 8-8
Wolf answered nicely, using a trio of takedowns to build a 7-4 lead in a bout the Canners hoped to snatch. The Berm sophomore was careful to avoid Smith’s power in the initial two minutes, then flashed an abundance of his own when he exploded off the bottom to start the second period.
Wolf’s reversal sent Smith to his back to stay, and the Eagles were on the board thanks to a clutch fall at 2:20.
Eagles 6, Canners 6
285: Evan Brechbiel, sr., 14-11 vs. Brett Smyers, sr. 26-4
Smyers knew a quick start was a must if Biglerville was to dump Berm. He also knew exactly what his teammates were looking for when he took the mat.
“I had to get six points for the team, that’s what was expected of me,” he said.
Smyers delivered, literally stacking Brechbiel on his shoulders with feet pointing to the sky for a fall in 3:28.
Canners 12, Eagles 6
103: Tanner Coyle, so. 19-6 vs. Trevor Hernandez, fr. 26-4
Plenty of wheels were in motion at 103, where the Eagles went with Coyle, who recently dropped down from 112. The move pushed impressive freshman Brad Farley (21-6) out of the spot, but the Berm brass felt the move was necessary in order to claim the match.
“We had to get one of the first two weights, and we felt our best chance was to put Coyle on Hernandez,” McCollum said.
Hernandez used a last-second takedown in the first and two nearfall points in the second to stake a 4-1 lead before Coyle coughed up another point with his third caution of the bout.
Undaunted, Coyle hit a slick peterson with 33 ticks left for a reversal before Hernandez worked free, setting the score at 6-3 after four entertaining minutes of action.
Coyle took top to start the third and eventually picked up a point after Hernandez was twice called for stalling. Trailing 6-4 with precious little time left, Coyle muscled Hernandez over on a tilt, which resulted in a four-count. The two nearfall points pushed the bout into overtime and the overflow crowd into hysterics.
Hernandez got the joint jumping when he went under and behind Coyle for a clinching takedown with 24 seconds left in the extra session.
“We think Trevor is pretty good,” Gano said. “We lost focus there at the end because we knew (Coyle) is really good on top. We knew it was coming and they still did it, but we got into OT and got the job done. It was a gutty effort.”
Canners 15, Eagles 6
112: Brad Farley, fr. 21-6 vs. Laike Gardner, fr. 29-2
The Eagles forced their own hand by sending Coyle at 103, meaning an undersized Farley faced a tall task against Gardner, who has been nothing short of brilliant. Gardner took his time against Farley, who doesn’t break triple digits on the scale, sinking a deep set of arm bars for another Canner fall in 3:18.
“We were just outmatched,” McColllum said.
Canners 21, Eagles 6
119: Wesly Marshall, jr. 15-11 vs. Dustin Bower, jr. 20-7
In the second clear-cut swing bout of the night, Bower took a 5-2 lead after reversing Marshall to his back near the end of the first period. He stretched the margin to 7-2 with a reversal in the second and carried the advantage into the final frame, where Marshall came to life.
Marshall took Bower down to his back for a quick four points, bringing the Berm crowd back into the mix.
“We looked like we were in pretty good shape at 7-2 and all of a sudden Marshall does a great job of getting right back into it,” Gano said. “But we just seem to find a way in the third period.”
Bower did just that after getting to his feet, holding off Marshall’s give-it-all efforts over the final seconds of the bout for an 8-6 decision.
“They throw each other on their back several times a match,” McCollum said. “We had an opportunity late in the match and didn’t capitalize on that.”
Canners 24, Eagles 6
125: Mike Megonnell, sr. 12-6 vs. Nick Leiphart, so. 19-8
A sense of urgency descended upon the Berm bench, which looked to Megonnell to right its listing ship. Megonnell and Leiphart were nearly dead even through four minutes, with an escape giving the Berm senior a 1-0 lead heading into a pivotal third period.
Leiphart rocketed off the bottom for a reversal just after the whistle and rode for 30 seconds before Megonnell worked free to level the bout at two apiece.
Leiphart dug his heels in over the final seconds, driving under Megonnell for a takedown similar to that of Hernandez for what proved to be the winning points in a 4-3 decision.
“I told Mikey we needed to get something going to get back in the match,” McCollum said. “I said, ‘if you win this match, we’re going to win the dual meet.’ It basically came down to that.”
Canners 27, Eagles 6
130: Dalton Anthony, jr. 24-3 vs. Jesse Gardner, so. 15-10
In desperate need of something positive, Anthony provided a lift when he controlled Gardner in a 7-1 decision. Anthony hit takedowns in each period for a much-needed decision that gave the Eagles a bit of a spark with their big guns still waiting in the wings.
Canners 27, Eagles 9
135: Eric Meszaros, jr. 12-7 vs. Adam Camara, sr. 3-3
The Canners rolled the dice with Camara, who hadn’t been in the lineup since breaking his hand on Dec. 13 at the Solanco Tournament. The Eagles countered with Meszaros, who opened the season as a starter but has seen spot duty as the lineup shuffling began a few weeks ago.
Meszaros broke a scoreless deadlock with a reversal at the midway point of the second period and stuck tight on top from there, not allowing Camara any breathing room despite numerous restarts.
Camara chose bottom in the third and picked up a penalty point at the 1:06 mark. Meszaros decided to cut Camara 20 seconds later after picking up a warning for stalling. That decision knotted the bout and set up a dramatic flurry at the end that saw Meszaros nearly connect for two as the pair spilled out of bounds.A tiring Camara took a final shot with six seconds left on the clock but Meszaros quickly spun behind for a vital 4-2 decision.“
That’s tough for anybody, you have to give him credit,” said McCollum of Camara’s return. “But Meszaros wrestled a great match. . . maybe his best match of the year. That kept us in it.”
Canners 27, Eagles 12
140: Kiefer Kuhn, sr. 20-6 vs. Tim Kint, so. 13-10
Suddenly it was the Canners who were feeling a bit of a squeeze, as they knew Berm had four hammers left in the chute.
“If we could get one of those (at 135 and 140), I would have felt pretty good,” Gano said.
Kuhn wasn’t about to give the Canners anything to feel good about, as he won a see-saw affair over Kint in yet another toss-up. Three reversals and an escape set the score at 4-3 in Kuhn’s favor after two periods, and the Eagle hit a key tilt for two nearfall points early in the third.
Kint fought back with a switch at the 1:19 mark but couldn’t crack Kuhn as he desperately looked for a turn as the clock wound down.
“We weren’t sure we were going to get that one,” McCollum said. “After that we felt real comfortable that we still had a chance.”
Canners 27, Eagles 15
145: Derek Schmelyun, sr. 25-0 vs. Kevin Nichols, so. 5-8
Schmelyun kept the good vibrations flowing when he flattened Nichols with a python-like half-nelson at the 1:01 mark of their bout. The pin pulled the Eagles to within earshot of their rivals, who had suddenly dropped four straight bouts after enjoying a tremendous start.
Canners 27, Eagles 21
152: Devin O’Brien, sr. 18-2 vs. Nick Asper, sr. 21-7
Gano bumped Asper up to face O’Brien in a move designed to keep the carnage under control. O’Brien came straight at Asper from the onset and the two repeatedly bumped heads, twice opening a gash over Asper’s right eye that had been closed with a handful of stitches during the Gettysburg Duals last Saturday.
A powerful snap takedown gave O’Brien a 2-0 edge heading into the third, a margin that grew to 4-0 seconds after a restart thanks to a swift reversal.
O’Brien was punishing on top - perhaps a bit too physical, as he yielded a penalty point for a cross-face that started somewhere in the parking lot and ended on Asper’s head – but couldn’t crack the Canner senior who refused to turn.
The 6-1 win was the 100th of O’Brien’s career, and it pulled the Eagles right to the bumper of the Canners, who were no longer speeding away.
Canners 27, Eagles 24
160: Jake Stimer, sr. 21-5 vs. Nic Lieberum, sr. 14-5
The Canners clearly needed a win over the final two bouts or their title hopes would be dashed. Gano pegged Lieberum as the hero-in-waiting when he came up with his lineup prior to the match. As the night unfolded, it was indeed Lieberum who had a chance to seize the moment.
“Nic’s always been a gamer, from the time he was a freshman,” Gano said. “We had to stay away from the dangerous stuff, because (Stimer) lives and dies by that.”
After yet another scoreless first period – no points were recorded in the initial two minutes of six of the last eight bouts of the night – Stimer struck first with an escape. Thirty-seven seconds later, Lieberum erupted for a four-point move on the edge of the mat, turning Stimer to his back.
“I caught his arm and put in a reverse half for a quick two,” Lieberum said.
Not one to stay down long, Stimer turned the tables with a reversal to set the score at 4-3 entering the final two minutes of a match that had everything riding on it.
“I wanted to limit the big move and keep it close into the third period,” Lieberum said. “It was pretty much what I expected.”
Lieberum chose bottom, and after getting hit for stalling, reversed Stimer to take a 6-3 lead. Fifteen seconds later, Stimer and seemingly the entire crowd rose to its feet as an escape trimmed Lieberum’s lead to 6-4.
Stimer pressed the action but couldn’t find an opening as Lieberum continued to counter every attempt. The Canner eventually hit a takedown of his own at the 21-second mark, only to see Stimer slip free three ticks later.
Holding an 8-5 lead, Lieberum gave up a takedown and watched the final three seconds melt away as the Canner fans erupted.
“Lieberum wrestled a great match,” McCollum said. “We felt Stimer could beat Lieberum, but he stayed out of tilts and did a good job of countering things. There was so much counter wrestling going on that it took Jake out of his game.”
Canners 30, Eagles 24
171: Nick Grim, sr. 20-7 vs. Logan Bobo, sr. 20-8
Grim was thrown into the unenviable position of having to pin Bobo, a senior with tons of varsity experience, in order for his team to have a shot of winning. The two wrestled to a 3-3 draw through two periods, with Bobo shying away from big stuff and Grim desperately trying to throw in legs once on top.
“The Biglerville boys did a nice job knowing they couldn’t go to their backs,” McCollum said. “They’ve learned from the past and gotten better because of it.”
Grim inched ahead on a stalling call early in the third period but was never able to put Bobo in danger, settling for a 4-3 decision that gave Biglerville its first-ever YAIAA-2 championship.
Canners 30, Eagles 27
189-Danny Thomas (B) p. Preston Green, 5:12; 215-Matt Wolf (BS) p. Devin Smith, 2:20; 285-Brett Smyers (B) p. Evan Brechbiel, 3:28; 103-Trevor Hernandez (B) d. Tanner Coyle, 8-6 OT; 112-Laike Gardner (B) p. Brad Farley, 3:18; 119-Dustin Bower (B) d. Wesly Marshall, 8-6; 125-Nick Leiphart (B) d. Mike Megonnell, 4-3; 130-Dalton Anthony (BS) d. Jesse Gardner, 7-1; 135-Eric Meszaros (BS) d. Adam Camara, 4-2; 140-Kiefer Kuhn (BS) d. Tim Kint, 7-5; 145-Derek Schmelyun (BS) p. Kevin Nichols, 1:01; 152-Devin O’Brien (BS) d. Nick Asper, 6-1; 160-Nic Lieberum (B) d. Jacob Stimer, 8-7; 171-Nick Grim (BS) d. Logan Bobo, 4-3.
