After the display of competition at last week's Wrestle-Offs, the expectations for the Penn State wrestling team's season-opener are extremely high.

It's first chance to prove its skills will come in the annual Pennsylvania Duals. The No. 8 Nittany Lions will face Clarion, Pittsburgh-Johnstown, and No. 13 Edinboro at 10 a.m. Sunday in Lock Haven.

"It's the first time we haven't hosted the Pennsylvania Duels, so I think it'll be a slightly different event going down to Lock Haven," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "There are reestablished matches, opposed to winning teams and losing teams matching up, so they've changed the format a little bit."

Last year, the Lions topped the meet with an exciting final match against Lehigh, 18-17. Junior Phil Davis' three pins and wins earned him most outstanding wrestler and the record for most pins in the fastest time.

The toughest competition looks to be the Edinboro Fighting Scots. The match is set for a 2 p.m. start time.

"We haven't had a chance to wrestle against Edinboro for a couple of years," Sunderland said. "They've got a tough team."

Edinboro brings four nationally-ranked wrestlers, including No. 3 Alex Clemson at the 184-pound weight class and No. 4 Deonte Penn at 165.

No. 1 Davis, No. 3 James Yonushonis, and No. 8 Jake Strayer represent the three Lions that place in the top 10 in their respective weight classes.

Junior Mark McKnight is on the cusp of the top 10 with a No. 11 ranking in his 125-pound weight class.

Although both teams have four ranked wrestlers, there will be no match-up featuring two ranked opponents.

As one of the 10 wrestlers who won varsity spots via Wrestle-Offs, sophomore Jason Lapham will get his first chance to prove he deserves the top spot. Lapham was one of the many surprises from Wrestle-Offs, with his win at the 157-pound weight class. Lapham's Edinboro opponent is No. 17 Matt Hill, who was recently named EWL wrestler of the week.

"The 10 guys that won [at Wrestle-Offs] have a reason to be there," Lapham said. "There's going to be some tough matches, but I'm excited."

Penn State will send those 10 winners and a handful of back-ups to represent the team in Lock Haven.

Most of the remaining wrestlers will compete in the East Stroudsburg Open. That meet will be an added factor in the decisions Sunderland and the coaching staff still need to make regarding redshirts.

"We're anxious to get [to Lock Haven]," Sunderland said.

"Get the first couple matches out of the way and develop and continue to work on the things we need to work on."