Wrestlers participated in a new version of Battle of the Burn (BOTB) in front of the whole school during an activity schedule on Jan. 10. The wrestling Bulldogs took on the Spartans of Broad Run, ending the match in a close upset of 35-39.
From 2003 to 2022, Stone Bridge played in 19 football games for the long standing tradition of BOTB. Despite its discontinuation as an official event in 2023, BOTB has been revamped this year through wrestling. School administrators decided that BOTB would continue with the wrestling team during school hours.
“Stone Bridge and Broad Run have had a historical rivalry,” Wrestling coach Mike Gonzalez said. “Stone Bridge and Broad Run are the two oldest high schools in Ashburn. So it just made sense.”
The wrestling team got to compete in front of a full home crowd. Though Broad Run student fans were not in attendance, there was a section marked off for parents to attend the event and watch the competitive rivalry. All Stone Bridge students were able to witness the two teams’ astonishing skills in the match.
“Each practice was a little bit more intense,” senior Tyler Chin said. “I think just because everyone wanted to do well in front of the home crowd.”
The audience had an energetic and lively response, shown through their cheers and applause. Students were heavily engaged in each match, and their reactions were visually motivating the players competing.
“Once you’re out there in front of the crowd, you can get kind of nervous,” senior Issac Hall said. “But if you get past the nervousness and gain motivation through the crowd cheering, it becomes a fun thing.”
For many, this BOTB was the first time students saw the team compete or witnessed how competitive various levels of wrestling can really be. It was a great promotion for the team and the sport in general.
“The thought behind it was to maybe expose the student body to actual collegiate style wrestling and to give them more understanding of what some of their peers are doing on a daily basis,” Wrestling coach Michael Faul said. “And we got a lot of positive feedback. It was cool to know what a lot of people thought about wrestling.¨
The BOTB had positive effects on the players as well. Competing in front of the whole school resulted in some of the players gaining more confidence as a wrestler or improving upon their skills set.
“Competing in front of the home crowd wasn’t really difficult,” junior Sebastian Garcia said. “It helped me wrestle better if anything and it improved my performance more.”
Even though the team lost this year, the first wrestling BOTB was a success. Overall, the event was a positive experience for the teams, players, and the school community watching the event.
“It definitely just shows like that, we’re out there to wrestle,” Sophomore Moose Reichow said. “It shows our talent and ability.”