Clearfield — David will meet Goliath Tuesday night at Arthur J. Weiss Gymnasium when the Bison Wrestlers battle a DuBois team returning three state qualifiers.
As for Clearfield head coach Jeff Aveni, his line-up no longer features a state placewinner. Instead, it has taken on a new look in sporting a talented sophomore class.
In fact, sophomore, heavyweight Sean Owen is the Bison\’s top performer.
Owen has a perfect dual meet record, in addition to achieving top tournament finishes.
Over the weekend, Owen defeated both Tyler Lanciotti (Greenville) and Gabe Murtorff (Boiling Springs) to win Meadville\’s Tool City Tournament.
In the semis, Owen pulled out a 3-2 win over Lanciotti, before defeating Murtorff 4-2 to end what had been a perfect season up until that point.
Owen also finished second at the Brockway Big Dog tournament on Dec. 28.
At Brockway, Owen met State Runner-up, Eli Morres (Brookville) in the finals. Although Owen lost 5-1, he was the first opponent to score on Morres this season.
Owen’s current season record stands at 18-3.
Across the mat, Beavers head coach Denny Nosker will bring eight seniors to the battle lines, including state qualifiers: Nick Wykoff (112), Ethan Swope (119) and Zach Lundgren (160).
Wykoff is not only ranked fourth in the state, but also 15th in the nation by Intermat at 112 pounds.
In addition, he’s won the Powerade, Lock Haven Classic and Jamestown tournament titles, while being a Eastern Nationals Runner-up.
At Jamestown, Wykoff defeated New York State Champion, Chris Conti 7-1 in the tournament’s finals.
However, Coty Burnett (Greenville) upset Wykoff, dropping him to the consolation bracket at Meadville.
Wykoff bounced back with an 8-5 win, before losing by injury default to take fourth.
Swope and (Zach) Lundgren also have a pair of tournament crowns; the duo finished first at the Tool City and Jamestown tournaments.
DuBois won last year’s dual meet by a 42-21 score, before winning both the District 9 Tournament and Team Duals.
Clearfield placed third at both events.
In the story we all know, David slayed Goliath, but will history repeat itself?