Penn State's Sanderson Restores Order to NCAA Wrestling
December 6, 2019
University Park, PA -- Penn State Wrestling Head Coach Cael Sanderson had a plan. And then he had enough.
Having its 60-dual-meet winning streak abruptly snapped 2 weeks ago by a game Arizona State squad, Sanderson's highly decorated wrestling program found itself in unfamiliar territory. Despite missing some wrestlers and having some underwhelming performances due to extenuating circumstances, the loss sent shockwaves through the wrestling community, turning it on its head. Message boards lit up. Rivals smelled blood in the water. Ranking services went wild. Hometown fans began grumbling. There was grave concern.
Sanderson had enough, and he decided late this week to restore order to NCAA Division I Wrestling.
On Thursday, news broke that Crafty Cael had landed a major transfer -- #1 recruit Greg Kerkvliet -- to complement an already loaded stable of future studs. Then on Friday, at the dual meet with Lehigh, Sneaky Sanderson ripped the redshirt right off highly acclaimed prospect Aaron Brooks, sending him to the mat to take care of business at 184 lbs., with authority.
When asked if that meant rehabbing Shakur Rasheed would move back up to 197 lbs -- where he became an All American in 2018 -- Sly Sanderson simply gave a wry smile, turned, and walked away humming a vaguely familiar tune to himself. Several bystanders swore it was Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me".
So, for a period of almost 2 weeks, the wrestling world had been abuzz about a crack in Penn State's armor. The program that had won 8 of the past 9 national championships under Coach Cael suddenly seemed vulnerable. Bitter rival Iowa, who had in the meantime demolished the likes of Iowa State and Wisconsin, shot to the top of the rankings and was feeling really good about its chances to dethrone King Cael by season's end. To make matters worse, there was even more confidence that the hated Hawkeyes would win it all next year.
But Sandbagger Sanderson has now slammed the door shut on that.
"Look," he said, "There's a process we typically follow. We usually let things play out a little longer before putting our foot down. But when our fans and supporters get concerned, we'll tweak things a little to keep that money rolling in."
Will these moves help secure the national championship for Penn State Wrestling in 2020 and 2021?
"That's the plan," smirked Sanderson.
December 6, 2019
University Park, PA -- Penn State Wrestling Head Coach Cael Sanderson had a plan. And then he had enough.
Having its 60-dual-meet winning streak abruptly snapped 2 weeks ago by a game Arizona State squad, Sanderson's highly decorated wrestling program found itself in unfamiliar territory. Despite missing some wrestlers and having some underwhelming performances due to extenuating circumstances, the loss sent shockwaves through the wrestling community, turning it on its head. Message boards lit up. Rivals smelled blood in the water. Ranking services went wild. Hometown fans began grumbling. There was grave concern.
Sanderson had enough, and he decided late this week to restore order to NCAA Division I Wrestling.
On Thursday, news broke that Crafty Cael had landed a major transfer -- #1 recruit Greg Kerkvliet -- to complement an already loaded stable of future studs. Then on Friday, at the dual meet with Lehigh, Sneaky Sanderson ripped the redshirt right off highly acclaimed prospect Aaron Brooks, sending him to the mat to take care of business at 184 lbs., with authority.
When asked if that meant rehabbing Shakur Rasheed would move back up to 197 lbs -- where he became an All American in 2018 -- Sly Sanderson simply gave a wry smile, turned, and walked away humming a vaguely familiar tune to himself. Several bystanders swore it was Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar On Me".
So, for a period of almost 2 weeks, the wrestling world had been abuzz about a crack in Penn State's armor. The program that had won 8 of the past 9 national championships under Coach Cael suddenly seemed vulnerable. Bitter rival Iowa, who had in the meantime demolished the likes of Iowa State and Wisconsin, shot to the top of the rankings and was feeling really good about its chances to dethrone King Cael by season's end. To make matters worse, there was even more confidence that the hated Hawkeyes would win it all next year.
But Sandbagger Sanderson has now slammed the door shut on that.
"Look," he said, "There's a process we typically follow. We usually let things play out a little longer before putting our foot down. But when our fans and supporters get concerned, we'll tweak things a little to keep that money rolling in."
Will these moves help secure the national championship for Penn State Wrestling in 2020 and 2021?
"That's the plan," smirked Sanderson.
