HYDE — The Clearfield and Curwensville Wrestling teams were pitted against each other for the first time in 1958. Curwensville has only beaten Clearfield twice in 49 years.
In 1961, the Golden Tide defeated the Bisons 22-20 under head wrestling coach John Palmer, who had wrestled for Art Weiss at Clearfield.
Curwensville didn’t top the Bisons again until 1996, when the Tide won by a 33-29 score. Clearfield finished the 1996 season 5-6, as the program suffered its first losing season since 1954.
The Bisons pulled out a 35-31 win in last year’s dual meet competition.
The two teams meet again Thursday 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.
Both teams have faced Punxsutawney this season. Curwensville blew by the Chucks 45-25, while Clearfield eeked out a 42-37 win.
Interestingly, Punxsutawney defeated both teams \”on the mat,\” as the Chucks won six bouts to Curwensville’s four and Clearfield’s three. However, bonus points and forfeit \”wins\” propelled both teams over Punxsutawney.
The Bisons haven\’t won since beating the Chucks in December. The team enters the dual meet with a 2-9 record, but could easily be 6-5 on the season.
Clearfield fell to Brookville 34-30 and Altoona 33-31. Neither dual meet featured a 103-pound bout. The Bisons could have upended both teams by filling the spot.
In addition, two matches were decided by the final bout. Unfortunately for the Bisons, DuBois (37-28) managed a win, as did St. Marys (36-26) Saturday at the District 9 AAA Team Duals.
Across the mat, Curwensville got off to a 1-2 start, but reeled off three consecutive wins.
The Tide defeated Punxsutawney (45-25), West Branch (51-24) and Clarion (55-17), before falling to perennial power Ridgway 52-10.
After falling to the Elkers, Curwensville bounced back with a 59-18 win over Marion Center.
However, the Tide came up short at the District 9 AA Team Duals, suffering a 33-32 loss to Port Allegany in the tournament’s opening round.
Now, Curwensville is looking to knock off Clearfield for the third time, while, across town, the Bisons hope to not only deny the Tide a win, but also a historical evening.
