Bison Send the Dutchman Flying With Decisive 43-28 Victory.

SAINT MARYS – Wrestling in Saint Marys is always an exciting experience, as the District IX rivals wrestle with the lights dimmed on a single mat centered in the high school gymnasium. As this match was likely a preview of the team districts semifinals match coming up, bragging rights and team confidence were on the line.

Many believed the first bout of the night would determine the winner of the match, as Bison Jude Pallo (6-8) and Dutchman Hayden Tettis (7-3) met again in a storied rivalry. Both wrestlers have beaten each other on numerous occasions. If that belief held true, the Bison could have packed up after Pallo was defeated 17-5, but that’s why the match is wrestled and writers report the outcomes.

The Bison lost the first four bouts and were down 16-0, but there was still a calm in the air when Bison junior Caleb Freeland (7-6) and Saint Marys’ Jeremy Garthwaite (8-6) took the mat at 152. After losing some disappointing matches in the last few weeks, Freeland came out with the speed of a Banshee and found himself beating Garthwaite 8-0 after the first period.

Freeland didn’t let up the pressure, and at the end of the second period he was up 16-2. Using smart strategy, Garthwaite decided to take top and give up an escape to begin the third period, giving Freeland the technical fall in 4:02. With the win, Freeland finally put points on the board for Clearfield, narrowing the gap to 16-5.

With that momentum, Hunter Wright (9-7) faced off against Tim Beimel (1-4) at 160  in the most controversial matchup of the evening. Wright wrestled a very smart match, and he used an escape and two takedowns to be up 5-0 before Beimel had to default by injury. Saint Marys head coach Dominic Surra was livid, complaining that Wright had slammed Beimel. Another point of view was that Wright was owed back points due to Beimel choosing to take an injury timeout while on his back from a legal takedown. Regardless, the team score was 16-11, Saint Marys.

After that, Clearfield sophomore Brandon Daubs (2-6) wrestled Saint Marys senior Zack Becker (11-2), and after trying to throw Becker, Daubs was pinned in 1:11, upping Saint Marys’ lead to 22-11. This would be the last time there was still air in the Saint Marys crowd, as the Bison rattled off five straight victories.

Clearfield’s Luke McGonigal (14-0) pummeled his opponent, being up 11-2 before getting the fall in 3:42 against the Dutchman’s Brandan Cherry at 195. McGonigal got out of position for the first time this season, giving up a reversal in the second period. However, McGonigal kept his composure and ended things immediately thereafter. This made the score 22-17, Saint Marys.

220 featured the closest bout of the evening, where Bison junior Avry Gisewhite (8-7) went into overtime rideout, besting Dutchman Michael Rousciolelli (0-6) 3-2 off of three escapes. Neither wrestler was able to find an advantage over the other over the course of eight minutes. Now the score was 22-20, Saint Marys.

After the Bison received two forfeits at 285 and 106, junior John Thomas (5-8) also gave the Bison another six points, pinning Saint Marys’ Eddie Messineo (1-1) in just 38 seconds. With that win, Thomas clinched the match, and Clearfield was up 38-22 with two matches remaining.

Peyton Smay (6-6) ran into a buzzsaw at 120 against Dutchman Tylor Herzing (9-3), and he was pinned in 2:58.

Finally, the emergent Bison leader Matt Ryan (11-4) closed the books with an impressive 17-2 technical fall over Saint Marys sophomore Gregory Tettis (3-4). Ryan used two takedowns and a variety of backpoints to avenge fellow teammate Jude Pallo with Tettis’s brother’s win to open the night.

The Bison now return home and will wrestle Bellefonte on Tuesday. They have improved their record to 4-3, but their record will transform in the next 10 days, as they will wrestle six times by next Saturday night in the Bison Duals.

Bison Scoreboard: