The St. Marys and Clearfield Wrestling teams met twice last season. Both duals were thrillers with one point separating the winner from the loser.
In addition, both matches shared identical scores, but different results. The Bisons won the dual meet 35-34, while the Dutchmen came away victorious at the District 9 Team Duals.
The two teams meet again Tuesday night at Arthur J. Weiss Gymnasium at the Clearfield Area High School, making it the Gant Daily Feature Match of the Week. The dual meet is set for 6:30 p.m.
According to head coach Jeff Aveni every match is important. \”The whole match is key. It\’s a very important match and I hope the kids take it seriously\” … \”The keys to the match will be heart and fight, not surrenering bonus points and going after every point we can get, and whoever does that will win the match.\”
Both teams have faced Bradford and DuBois in District 9 competition. Interestingly, the outcomes were similar with both defeating Bradford, but falling to DuBois.
Against DuBois, Clearfield came up short in a 38-27 loss, while St. Marys fell by a 48-24 score. As a result, both teams enter the dual meet on level ground, but battling to prove themselves.
The Bisons’ struggles continue more than a month into the season, and are evident in the team‘s 2-5 record. In fact, Clearfield has dropped three straight including a disappointing loss at State College, 49-9.
Fortunately for Clearfield, the team has had 10 days off to prepare for the Dutchmen.
\”We got to work on some basic things the team wasn\’t doing right,\” said Aveni. \”It was an opportunity for us to improve team discipline, dedication and get the kids to really believe in the program.\”
Across the mat, St. Marys is having an up-and-down year with their dual meet record currently standing at 6-7.
However, the Dutchmen could easily be 9-4 on the season, while the team suffered three losses by nine points or less (Red Bank Valley 34-St. Marys 32; James Wood, VA 34 St. Marys 28; Pittston Area 36 St. Marys 27).
In addition, St. Marys has fallen to some of the area’s top competition in Ridgway (58-12), Brookville (41-27) and DuBois (48-24).
After falling to DuBois, the Dutchmen bounced back to pull off a 36-32 win over Johnsonburg Thursday night.
Now, St. Marys is looking to even their record at seven, while Clearfield hopes to break a three-match, losing streak.
\”The season could end if we don\’t [win],\” said Aveni. \”This is our opportunity to turn our season around. St. Marys and Brookville are both winnable matches. Then, we have the Seneca Valley Tourney on Saturday, which really isn\’t a tough tourney. I told the kids this is our chance to come out with two dual meet wins and a tournament title.\”