The Bisons faced off against D-9 opponents St. Marys, DuBois, Bradford and Brookville.

"It was a good benchmark to see how fatigued we were and if we're on the right track, and I do think we are (on track)," Clearfield head coach Jackie Morrison said. "We're on our way to doing big things at Penn State (at regionals next week), I hope. I thought, overall, we had good swims."

Mark Krchnak won two individual events and set (or re-set) the pool, school and district records with a :59.63 in the 100 breaststroke to help vault the boys to 389.5 points - 134 points better than second-place finisher St. Marys.

Shay Flanagan and Kraig Peterson also brought home two individual wins apiece for the Bisons.

The girls finished with 268 points, good enough for third behind DuBois (298) and Bradford (278). The Lady Bisons were led by individual efforts from Marisa Howell (100 butterfly and 100 back wins) and Brandie Centi, who splashed her way to a memorable run in the 50 freestyle.

The boys saved the best for last, with Krchnak putting together his record 100 breast time in the final individual boys event of the night.

Coming off the block and covering nearly three-quarters of the pool before even taking a stroke, where the talented senior would finish was never in question. It became "Hoss" versus himself, and he didn't disappoint as he barely edged out his previous personal best of :59.79.

"I love to watch him swim," Morrison said. "He's very aggressive and I like how competitive he is. He goes after it every time.

"And he tries to work on things in his race, he doesn't just go out and swim. I think that's important - that he's at that maturity level as a swimmer. That sometimes separates the elite from the average."

Not to be outdone, the boys 400 relay team closed the meet with an incredible victory.

The group took an early lead with Justin DeCasper and Peterson swimming the first two legs of the race, but as Brady Mulhollem hit the pool Bradford's relay team began to reel the Bisons in. With the Owls nipping at his heels, Connor Shirey exploded through a 23.69 split in his final leg of the race and held on to the win.

"The time that he (Shirey) did as the final split in that relay was absolutely amazing," Morrison said. "That's what pressure does for you, I guess. He knew that he was going to have to go."

However, it was the meet-opening 200 medley relay teams for both sides that set the tone for the night. The girls got things started with a third-place finish in the event, and the boys followed with a victory by the team of Flanagan, Krchnak, Peterson and Shirey. Krchnak used a come-from-behind effort in the second, breaststroke portion of the race to set up his team for victory.

"I really think the medley relays are crucial," Morrison said. "Everyone has their eyeballs on the first event and say, ‘Who's swimming well? Hey, we're swimming well. Well then I'll swim well (individually).' I think it carries over. Those girls and guys have a big responsibility to swim well early."

Flanagan kept the momentum rolling with a 1:48.60 that topped the field in the 200 free, and Mulhollem met his teammate on the podium with a third-place result.

Flanagan and Mulhollem pulled off another team effort in the 500 free, where the duo finished first and second, respectively. Flanagan was untouchable in the event, besting everyone else by almost 21 seconds.

Ashley Durandetta represented the Lady Bisons well in the 200 IM, finishing second with a 2:32.39. The sophomore played the bridesmaid again in the 100 back, finishing less than three seconds back of winning teammate Howell.

Krchnak gave the home fans more to cheer about with a five-second margin of victory in the 200 IM, and the momentum seemed to steamroll into the girls 50 free. That's where Centi put together a gritty performance, refusing to lose and edging out Bradford's Erica Pascarella by about two-tenths of a second at :25.91.

"I think in the middle of January we had a breakout meet and (Centi) never looked back from that," Morrison said. "She just got better and better, a little more into it and a little more motivated and confident.

"That will put her in a good frame of mind for next week and give her a lot of confidence going in."

Clearfield continued to dominate the middle section of the meet with DeCasper taking home the top spot in the boys 50 free. Howell and Kaylee Bowser finished one-two in the girls 100 fly, and Peterson barely inched out a win by seven-hundredths of a second in the boys 100 fly. Both the girls (Centi, Branda Smeltzer, Durandetta, Howell) and boys (DeCasper, Krchnak, Mulhollem and Flanagan) squads were victorious in the 200 free relay.

The host team's seven-race win streak came to an end in the girls 100 free, but Centi still managed a podium finish with a third-place swim. DeCasper matched that effort for the boys, finishing third in the same event.

Peterson swam just off his seed time in the 100 back, but it was still enough to touch the wall first. Teammate Caleb Baas finished seven-and-a-half seconds back in third.

Smeltzer rounded out the girls' night with a third in the 100 breast before helping Centi, Bowser and Howell to a runner-up spot in the 400 free relay.

With its first taste of postseason action under its belt, Clearfield will now prepare for the District 6-9 Regional Championships at Penn State next Friday and Saturday.

Boys
Team Standings and Key
1. Clearfield (C) 389.5; 2. St. Marys (SM) 255.5; 3. DuBois (D) 229; 4. Bradford (BD) 181; 5. Brookville (BK) 122.

Individual Results
200 MR: 1. Clearfield (Flanagan, Krchnak, Peterson, Shirey) 1:41.76. 200 Free: 1. Flanagan, C, 1:48.60; 2. Schwab, BD; 3. Mulhollem, C. 200 IM: 1. Krchnak, C, 2:00.28; 2. Dippold, SM; 3. Proudfit, SM. 50 Free: 1. DeCasper, C, :23.27; 2. Slimak, BK; 3. Cavagnaro, BD. 100 Fly: 1. Peterson, C, :57.17; 2. Cotter, SM; 3. Schwab, BD. 200 FR: 1. Clearfield (DeCasper, Krchnak, Mulhollem, Flanagan) 1:33.25. 100 Free: 1. Dippold, SM, :49.70; 2. Anderson, BD; 3. DeCasper, C. 500 Free: 1. Flanagan, C, 4:53.46; 2. Mulhollem, C; 3. Schwab, BD. 100 Back: 1. Peterson, C, 1:00.30; 2. Slimak, BK; 3. Baas, C. 100 Breast: 1. Krchnak, C, :59.63; 2. Proudfit, SM; 3. Cotter, SM. 400 FR: 1. Clearfield (DeCasper, Peterson, Mulhollem, Shirey) 3:30.27.

Girls
Team Standings and Key
1. DuBois (D) 298; 2. Bradford (BD) 278; 3. Clearfield (C) 268; 4. St. Marys (SM) 194; 5. Brookville (BK) 170.

Individual Results
200 MR: 1. Bradford 2:02.57. 200 Free: 1. Corcoran, D, 2:08.36; 2. Platt, D; 3. Slavinski, BD. 200 IM: 1. Kahle, BD, 2:27.75; 2. Durandetta, C; 3. Lingle, D. 50 Free: 1. Centi, C, :25.91; 2. Pascarella, BD; Kreydt, D. 100 Fly: 1. Howell, C, 1:04.86; 2. Bowser, C; 3. Hays, BK. 200 FR: 1. Clearfield (Centi, Smeltzer, Durandetta, Howell) 1:46.13. 100 Free: 1. Pascarella, BD, :57.32; 2. Corcoran, D; 3. Centi, C. 500 Free: 1. Kahle, BD, 5:34.25; 2. Platt, D; 3. Slavinski, BD. 100 Back: 1. Howell, C, 1:05.37; 2. Durandetta, C; 3. Orr, SM. 100 Breast: 1. Frownfelter, BD, 1:15.23; 2. Ruffner, BK; 3. Smeltzer, C. 400 FR: 1. DuBois 3:56.60.