TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Penns Valley wrestling team is set to compete against Philipsburg-Osceola in the District 6 Class AA Dual semifinals at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Penns Valley.

SPRING MILLS – After a historic, undefeated regular season, the Penns Valley wrestling team kept it rolling in its first postseason action on Tuesday, cruising past No. 8 seed Glendale, 58-18, to advance to its second straight District 6 Class AA Dual semifinal.

The stakes were high then, and they’re even higher now. When the 2026 rendition of the tournament resumes on Saturday at 5 p.m., four teams will compete, two will walk out of Penns Valley’s home gym PIAA qualifiers and one will walk out a district champion.

For the top-seeded Rams (12-0), their run continues with a rematch against No. 4 seeded Philipsburg-Osceola, who’s coming off a 40-21 win over No. 5 seeded West Branch on Wednesday. In the previous matchup of Centre County foes back in early January, Penns Valley posted a 24-6 run to defeat the Mountaineers, 41-22.

Even with that previous victory in mind, the matchup should serve as a challenge as the Rams pursue back-to-back PIAA appearances. Since the loss, Philipsburg-Osceola – ranked No. 21 in the state with a 16-4 record – has won ten of its last 11, most recently tuning up with a 51-19 win over Richland on Thursday.

The Mountaineers don’t have a state-ranked win on their resume, but they’ve done a sound job cementing themselves within the top four in the district with wins over Bald Eagle Area, Central, Moshannon Valley, Tyrone and Marion Center. They also took home a title as host of the Mountaineer Duals tournament three weekends ago, going 6-0.

Ten of Philipsburg-Osceola’s 13 starters have winning records, four of which are state-ranked in No. 30 Jacob Dugan (114), No. 14 Caleb Hummel (121), No. 26 Ace Foster (133) and No. 20 Averi Gable (145). It’s a group that can combat Penns Valley’s strengths well, though it’ll have to post some upsets to turn heads.

On the other hand, the Rams have plenty of reason to be confident, having gone 7-0 against the Mountaineers since December of 2022. That includes two district dual matchups in 2023 and 2025, which they won by a combined score of 113-27.

Nine of Penns Valley’s 13 starters head into the match with winning records, seven which are state-ranked in No. 13 Conner Myers (121), No. 5 Max Dinges (127), No. 5 Erik Carlile (133), No. 30 Trip Watson (139), No. 29 Sawyer Fetterolf (152), No. 10 Brayden Lisowski (172) and No. 12 Cael Smith (189). It’s worth noting that 114-pounder Evan Lisowski – previously a state-ranked wrestler – remains out with injury.

Track-record wise, the Rams have also posted some impressive bullet points, with their 12-0 record not being due to a lax schedule. They have state-ranked wins over No. 21 Philipsburg-Osceola, No. 25 Mifflin County (47-16), No. 19 Huntingdon (42-27) and No. 17 Clearfield (38-23), and additional impressive county wins over Bellefonte and Bald Eagle.

Were it to win, it’s extremely likely Penns Valley would face No. 2 seed Bishop McCort in the final, who’s ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 10 nationally. That matchup could paint a picture for how successful the Rams could be at states if they surpass their first hurdle on Saturday.

12 of Bishop McCort’s 13 starters hold winning records, 11 of which are state-ranked in No. 3 Keegan Bassett (121), No. 16 Jamison Forrest (127), No. 8 Austin Carfley (133), No. 12 Owen McMullen (139), No. 1 Bo Bassett (145), No. 5 Jackson Butler (152), No. 1 Melvin Miller (160), No. 8 Emory Gunby (172), No. 8 Josh Spontak (189), No. 14 Marquez Gordon (215), No. 2 Caleb Rodriguez (285).

The Crusaders face No. 3 seeded Huntingdon in the other semifinal on Saturday, also set to begin at 5 p.m.