Local Sports

Rumsey secures second PIAA bronze, avenges prior loss

HERSHEY - In the waning seconds of a second tiebreaker period, it seemed like Lillian Rumsey's run at her second PIAA bronze had taken its finishing blow - a valiant effort thwarted by an incredible opponent. A match that had gone over six minutes without seeing a single point finally saw a score, as Southern Lehigh's Mai Graham secured a reversal within the narrow thirty-second period.

But Rumsey didn't see it that way.

In the next three seconds, she gathered her thoughts, getting to her stomach, then her hands. Her first attempt to roll out would find her back at square two but the next would put her in a better spot.

Establishing advantage, Graham would try to work her way out from under Rumsey. But the Millionaire would slam her back down underneath her before adjusting her positioning to secure the reversal. It was an effort that turned the momentum her way and she'd capitalize in the ensuing ultimate tiebreaker with the ride out.

"I knew if I wanted to win, I'd have to get an extra push and that's what the last part of practices is," said Rumsey on the effort. "I'm really glad that I didn't finish fourth and pushed through the last little bit and ended up getting third for this year also."

The victory was momentous for multiple reasons.

Not only did it earn her a top-three finish in two of two PIAA appearances and allow her to cap the campaign on a high note, but it also served to avenge the loss that halted her run at a title.

In the quarterfinals on Friday, a few mistakes and overextensions out of neutral helped Graham secure some early takedowns and get out to an early 8-0 lead. Momentum took over from there, as Rumsey was pinned for the first time in her career.

But rather than going into the rematch intimidated, or dejected from previous shortcomings, the Williamsport junior reflected on the loss and figured out what she needed to do better in the runback. It was a matter of staying patient, choosing the right opportunities to strike and remaining focused through five minutes and beyond, and that kept in it until she got her chance to take it.

“I definitely learned not to do dumb things when I’m in a close match,” mentioned Rumsey. “I knew it was a good opponent, I knew it’d be a pretty hard match. Glad I was able to push through.”

It was the first high school match of her career to reach an ultimate tiebreaker, the second to reach tiebreakers and the third to breach three periods, a testament to the strength of her opponent and how much she pushed the Millionaire throughout their matchups.

“It was pretty fun,” said Rumsey when discussing their latest match. “My opponent was pretty good this time, someone I could tell grinded (to get here).

With the win, Rumsey secured her third states bronze, second under PIAA jurisdiction, to add to her repertoire of accolades. Through three seasons, two under PIAA jurisdiction, the Millionaire holds an 88-3 career record, two District 4 titles, three regional titles and an absurd career win rate of .967.

Those achievements speak for themselves, a product of hard work that’s fueled immense talent. Though there have been bumps along the road, the sky’s the limit heading into her senior season.

"Definitely want to push a little more," said Rumsey on her thoughts heading into next season as she pushes for that coveted state title. “When I want to be lazy in practice that one day, I’ve got to think about how my opponents aren’t going to be doing that, do the extra push that I did at the end of that match.”