The e-mails started to trickle into John Hollman’s inbox sometime Tuesday morning. They continued throughout the day.
Most were from fellow Bluffton High School teachers. Nearly all complained about his wrestlers’ lack of focus in the classroom.
They don’t seem to be with us, one said. It’s like he wasn’t even here, read another.
“I’m not asking them to grant any exceptions,” Hollman replied. “But there’s no way you can expect these kids to maintain their thoughts right now.”
Not with what’s at stake on the wrestling mat.
Tyler Rosenlieb couldn’t find a way. Bluffton’s returning state champion admittedly spent most of Tuesday with his mind focused on one thing — winning one more match.
“Pure anxiety is what I’m feeling,” Rosenlieb said. “I just want to get on the mat and get things rolling.”
That chance comes tonight.
Hilton Head High will travel to rival Bluffton for a wrestling showdown in the Lower State championship, the winner of which earns a berth into the Class 3-A finals Saturday at Ridge View High School in Columbia — a trip that may be winnable, with six-time defending state champion Eastside knocked out in the first round. Chapin and Lugoff-Elgin wrestle tonight in the Upper State title match.
But that trip is far from the thoughts of either Bluffton or Hilton Head High, a pair of schools that already have accumulated 30-plus win seasons.
Further from their minds is the result the last time the two teams met — Bluffton’s 46-26 win for the Region 8-AAA title two weeks ago.
“It doesn’t matter what happened last time because we didn’t wrestle the way we should’ve wrestled,” said Seahawks wrestler Campbell Miller. “We’re going to have to come out with more intensity.”
That shouldn’t be a problem, considering the anticipated atmosphere in the Bluffton High School gym. Hollman said he expects the crowd to be standing room only. He compared the impact of it to a state championship, an approach the Seahawks will be taking as well.
“That place — there will be more people watching than a state championship match,” Seahawks coach Mike Newton said. “It’s huge. For us, we’re viewing it as a state championship-caliber match.”
And, for the first time this season, the Seahawks finally have all their big guns ready to fire for it. Label Lewis and Marques Johnson were absent from the team in its first meeting with the Bobcats. Both are expected to be ready to wrestle tonight. Bluffton is also at full strength.
Hilton Head High (32-6) is attempting to make the state finals match for the third consecutive season. Bluffton (33-4), on the other hand, is in the Lower State finals match for the first time in program history.
“That’s definitely an advantage for us,” Newton said. “Everyone on our team has experienced this. The pressure was there. The intensity was there. We’re hoping that’s something that will give us an advantage.”
As for where the other advantages lie, well, that may depend on which team is able to win the chess match of individual matchups.
The pair of teams not only saw each other two weeks ago but then again at the Region 8-AAA individual tournament on Saturday, making familiarity a factor in deciding which wrestlers to put in which weight classes.
“It’s like the movie you’ve seen on TBS for the 100th time. This is ‘Shawshank Redemption’,” Hollman said. “Watched it last night. Watched it last week. Watched it the week before. Can’t wait to see it again.”
IF YOU GO
Who: Hilton Head High at Bluffton High School
What: Class 3-A Lower State championship
When: 7 p.m., tonight
Admission: $5
At stake: Trip to the Class 3-A team state championship Saturday
February 10, 2010 | Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC)
Author/Byline: SAM McDOWELL smcdowell@islandpacket.com 843-706-8123