TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Penns Valley's Brayden Lisowski wrestles during a dual match against Mifflin County on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at Penns Valley. Lisowski defeated state-ranked Colton Ryan in Tuesday's win over Clearfield, a highlight for the Rams.

At the time of Brayden Lisowski’s state-ranked matchup in Tuesday night’s dual, the Rams had already clinched a win over Clearfield. However, that didn’t alter the Penns Valley senior’s mindset entering the bout. For all he knew, the match was still in question, and he had a job to do: win the match and earn as many points as possible.

Despite the difficulty of the matchup, facing returning state qualifier and No. 12 ranked Colton Ryan, Lisowski did that job and did it well. His 9-1 major decision may not have affected the end result, but it was certainly a highlight in the team’s historic, 38-23 victory over the top ten Bison.

“For me, it’s key to not worry about what’s going on with the team, as a lot of this is really individual,” said Lisowski when discussing the win. “Every one of us went out there and had a job to do tonight. And for me, it was just going out and loving what I do.”

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself and don’t want to worry about who I’m wrestling. It’s just believing in myself, believing in my abilities and believing that God has a plan for me,” he added on the state-ranked matchup.

The deciding factor came in the match’s first minute.

With Ryan opting to shoot out the gate, Lisowski was able to obtain a solid hold on his upper body, working himself into an over-under position and forcing Ryan off-balance. From there, he’d land a throw, gaining three points from the takedown before pushing for a very early pin.

“Was really excited to let things rip there, just going out and hitting what you feel is an amazing feeling. Like you’re in a flow state,” said Lisowski on the sequence. “I hit that a lot in practice. Even my practice partners can attest to that.”

Though the fall wasn’t secured, as Ryan worked himself back to his stomach, it was enough for the Penns Valley senior to post a seven-point move. He’d add an early reversal out of bottom at the start the second period to go up 9-0 before riding out Ryan through the third to clinch his 13th bonus-point victory of the season.

With that win, Lisowski defeated the second returning state qualifier of his season and improved to 18-5. Throughout his career, the senior has had to overcome an array of injuries, but that just adds to how special moments like Tuesday’s can be.

“That has made me really appreciative for all the times I get to go out and enjoy what I do,” said Lisowski. “It’s just that much better whenever I’m able to go out there and put all the pieces together.”

As it stands, Lisowski stands seven wins away from 100 in his career and is looking to add to an array of postseason accolades in February as well. In all three seasons, he’s earned medals at both districts and regionals, most recently earning District 6 Class AA silver as a junior.