Alaina Hicks of Hughesville takes down Ahnika Hoover of Boiling Springs HS in their match at 142 pounds during the Matness at the MACC at Montgomery High School Monday evening. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Following his team’s third place finish at Monday’s Matness at the MACC tournament, Hughesville girls wrestling coach Royce Eyer reflected on what his girls had endured since last Friday.

“It’s been a long three days,” Eyer said.

It was a long three-day span which saw the Spartans attend two competitive road tournaments, one which took place nearly 100 miles away from Hughesville High School in Elmira, New York. For any team in any sport, a turnover like that would be a tough challenge to overcome.

But the Spartans endured. More than endured, in fact. They prospered, claiming gold amidst the two-day Southern Tier Memorial Tournament in Elmira before carrying that momentum into Montgomery and taking bronze at Matness at the MACC.

“It’s been a grind for the girls,” said Eyer. “I think we’re a little beat up right now, so we need a little break. But they did a great job. They keep fighting and I love it. It’s exciting watching them wrestle.”

Neither tournament was forgiving, with each holding 19 or more teams, some more established than the freshly built Hughesville squad. That coupled with the wear and tear that comes with traveling and continuously wrestling was fatigue-inducing and led to injury.

Junior Lexi Kurzawa – who claimed gold at Southern Tier Memorial at 145 – suffered an injury early at Matness at the MACC that held her out for the rest of the event. The extent of the injury is unclear, though there was optimism regarding it following the event.

With their lone gold medalist from the previous tournament out, Hughesville was dealt a heavy blow. But in the wake of adversity, the best teams find a way to respond and overcome.

In this case, the Spartans did just that.

Alaina Hicks followed up a bronze placement in New York by claiming a title at Montgomery, posting 24 team points in an event where every point mattered. Sophomores Avery Puderbach and Jade Hofer – the latter of which competed in her first match under two weeks ago, each took home bronze, along with Abbigale Bowman and freshman Ariahna Moore.

And Kayla Fabiano (fourth), Julia Ritter (sixth), Lilli Krause (sixth) and Jayda Rodriguez (eighth) each placed in the top eight, combining for 23 team points. With Williamsport coming just 12 points short of surpassing Hughesville for third, every individual performance it put forth proved vital. It’s the type of team performance that shows fortitude, poise and confidence, an embodiment of the team’s mascot.

“Those girls are warriors,” said Eyer. “It has been a grind, but they continue to grow and get better and have responded well to adversity. I am very proud of them. I am thankful to have an amazing group of girls to coach.”

It’s one of the many instances throughout the early goings of the season where the Hughesville girls have given their community plenty of reasons to be excited about their future, both near and distant. Both the upper and underclassmen have shown they could contribute on numerous occasions, holding stars and rising stars across the board.

Coupled with a strong performance at its opening Queen of the Mountain Duals tournament – where the Spartans also placed third, this team has proven capable of greatness every chance they’ve gotten. It’ll be interesting to see what they’re able to accomplish come postseason.

“We’ve been in three tournaments and placed in all three as a team,” said Eyer. “I think that speaks volumes to their efforts and what they’re doing, so it’s great for Hughesville and junior high coming up and the elementary program. We’ve got a lot of good things going in the right direction.”