Kollin Myers makes Boiling Springs history with late takedown for King of the Mountain title

MILL HALL, Pa.: All Kollin Myers heard in the back of his head was, ‘You’ve got 22, 22.’ Turns out, that was the voice of his coach, Rod Wright.

Myers was down by one point to Penn-Trafford standout Nick Coy with 22 seconds left in his 145-pound title match during the prestigious King of the Mountain Tournament. It was time to go.

It didn’t matter that the Boiling Springs senior was battered, bruised, and wearing a mask to protect his nose. All he could think about was doing whatever it took to extend or win the match.

Myers kicked up his offense in the last closing moments, and it paid off. He scored on a takedown and earned two quick near-fall points at the buzzer to score a history-making 6-3 decision.

Not only did Myers remain undefeated on the season — he won a title in last week’s Cumberland Valley Kick-off — he became the first Bubblers wrestler to win a championship in the storied King of the Mountain Tournament.

“I heard coach yelling, and I started firing my guns,” Myers said. “I think I ran him out of bounds with 10 seconds left. I was trying to get that last stall call. I ran back to the center and knew I had short time.

“I’m not really sure what happened, but I ended up getting to his near side and almost locked in a cradle. I just held on for a couple of seconds … it was a great feeling. I’m proud of myself, I’m proud of my team, and I’m just overwhelmed at this moment.”

It was a rough tournament for Myers, who injured his nose in his opening match Friday and spent most of the night nursing it with ice.

On Saturday, Myers showed up with a crooked and bruised beak. It forced him to compete wearing a cumbersome mask that hindered him at times during his semifinal bout, a narrow 7-6 escape over Owen J. Roberts’ Antonio Petrucelli.

But all was well in the finals. That is except for Coy fighting off repeated shots in the first period and scoring quick in the second off an escape and single-leg takedown to sprint out to a 3-0 lead.

“In the first period, I was just trying to feel it out,” Myers said. “I got in pretty deep, but he’s pretty good at getting his feet back, and he stuffed me.

“I was like, ‘If I’m going to get a takedown, it needs to be quick.’ I needed to get in, get out, and get two. I didn’t get it done, and he got me on a pretty good single leg.”

Myers knew he couldn’t be on bottom for long. Not with Coy’s ability to lock up his opponents, ride, and kill time.

So, Myers had to escape and do it in a hurry. He shook loose at the end of the second period for his first points. He followed it up in the third, escaping off bottom to close the gap to 3-2.

That set up Myers’ late heroics. With 22 seconds left, the Bubblers two-time state runner-up went up-tempo to try and get a second stall call to tie the match. It failed, but he wasn’t done.

Myers got near side, scored, and put Coy on his back for a four-point move and a piece of Bubblers history.

“It feels great,” Myers said. “I knew it was going to be a tough match going in … just knowing how loaded this bracket was, I felt good about how I was wrestling.

“I never doubted myself for one moment, and I think that is what won me that last match. I reached down in my gut and made it happen.”

Said Wright, “We were in on a lot of shots, but we couldn’t finish fast on him. Coy is a very good defensive wrestler. We actually caught him there, and it just shows Kollin’s character and what he’s made of.

“He made history for us. We’ve taken second here many times, but we just didn’t get over the hump. So, I was happy for him being the first Bubbler to stand on the top of the podium. I’m proud of him.”