Where Bald Eagles dare

Wrestlers collide with Lock Haven in final dual meet

Last fall, the Penn State wrestling team took on Lock Haven in the zenith of all sports competitions.

Paintball.

This weekend, the Bald Eagles will have a chance at avenging the Lions -- in wrestling, that is.

No. 16 Lock Haven (14-3-1) hosts No. 3 Penn State (16-3) tomorrow night at Thomas Field House in both teams' final dual meet of the season before conference tournaments begin in early March.

The Bald Eagles kick off their weekend tonight at Bloomsburg while the Lions travel to No. 18 Lehigh.

Poff said he wants revenge for the paintball debacle as much as the next guy on the Lock Haven roster, but indicated it would be pretty tough to come by against a team as talented as Penn State.

When asked what it would take to beat the Lions, Poff didn't hesitate in throwing a big vote of confidence his team's way.

"A miracle," Poff said, quite earnestly. "I just appreciate the fact that coach Fritz has kept us on his schedule. I appreciate the opportunity to wrestle Penn State."

This coming from the man who led the Bald Eagles to a fifth-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships. Penn State finished 10th.

Lock Haven lost four All-Americans from last year's team, most notably two-time NCAA champ Cary Kolat. But to say the Bald Eagles are out of Penn State's league is a bit much.

Fritz agreed that Lock Haven is a legitimate threat.

The Bald Eagles are led by juniors Terry Showalter (No. 5 at 126) and Brent Conly (No. 11 at 142), senior Neil Barnes (No. 18 at 158) and sophomore Dave Murray (No. 10 at 177). Fritz said senior Kevin Drew (unranked at 190) is an asset as well.

Penn State counters with eight ranked wrestlers out of a possible 10. The Lions are led by junior Clint Musser (No. 2 at 150), freshman Jamarr Billman (No. 5 at 142) and sophomore Jeremy Hunter (No. 6 at 118).

The match of the day could be at 126 or 142. Lion junior Jason Betz (No. 17 at 126) has been returning to form after missing a month of the season with the flu and weight problems. Showalter has been a force all season for the Bald Eagles.

At 142, Billman will take on Conly for the second time this season. Billman trounced Conly 8-3 in the finals of the Mat Town Tournament on Nov. 29 -- at Lock Haven, no less.

Billman said he expects to see a more fine-tuned Conly when they bang heads tomorrow night.

"He's definitely going to be hungry because I beat him in front of his home crowd last time. He's going to be gunning for me," Billman said. "I have to prove to him that I can go a little harder and a little better than I did last time."

Poff, meanwhile, outlined his stratagem for the self-proclaimed unlikely upset.

"For us to beat Penn State, we'd have to win every toss-up match and we'd have to upset them in a couple of places," Poff said. "They're pretty heavily favored."

Still, a paintball defeat is never easily forgotten.