Penn State coach Cael Sanderson talks Bernie Truax's outlook, Braeden Davis, and more

Penn State wrestling will roll into postseason mode next week after its final dual meet of the season on Sunday opposite Edinboro (2 p.m., BTN+) at Rec Hall. At Big Tens March 9-10 in Maryland, the No. 1 Nittany Lions will have a handful of Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, but not all 10 starters in head coach Cael Sanderson’s lineup will have a top-two spot in the conference tournament brackets. That’s mostly because of recent results against mostly but not all high-caliber opponents on the mat.

Let’s start with Bernie Truax. The multi-time All-American is 10-3 and ranked No. 6 at 184 pounds during his first season as a Nittany Lion. Two of the three setbacks have come against wrestlers currently inside of InterMat’s top five at the weight in No. 3 Lenny Pinto of Nebraska and No. 4 Trey Munoz of Oregon State. He was also pinned after getting caught by No. 15 Ryder Rogotzke of Ohio State in February. None of the defeats are anything to necessarily worry about. But, combined with some closer-than-expected wins against lower-ranked opponents, they make some fans wonder what Truax’s ceiling is at nationals. He is a three-time fourth-place finisher across three different weight classes (174, 184, and 197) so far in his college career. On Tuesday, Lions coach Cael Sanderson asked if starting faster would help Truax later in matches when his gas tank tends to be an advantage against tiring opponents.

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“It’s just something he has to do and be willing to do,” Sanderson said. “I think he knows that his conditioning can be a factor for him, because he’s in really good shape. And obviously, he’s a great wrestler. But yeah, I think just being ready to go right away is a big deal. And then just knowing and being confident that you can wrestle hard and keep scoring points, throughout the seven minutes, and against some of the best guys in the country. I think he’s getting that. He knows that.

“I think his conditioning is continuing to improve, and his confidence is, but yeah, he’ll be fine. We just got to finish our shots. It’s not just him. But throughout our team, that was one of the things that, if we can do a better job finishing shots, we’ll be scoring a few more points.”

Sanderson is known for being steadfast in his belief that his wrestlers will do their best work in the postseason. He truly believes that about Truax. And, so, fans should take solace in that despite the outcomes to date. In the end, though, it will come down to the wrestler’s willingness to do whatever it takes to end up in the best finishing spot possible on the podium at nationals.

Penn State freshman learning valuable but ‘expensive’ lessons

Sanderson was also asked about Penn State freshmen Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak on Tuesday. Starting with the former, he was No. 2 at 125 pounds as recently as a couple of weeks ago but has fallen to No. 8 after losing to No. 4 Drake Ayala of Iowa and No. 7 Caleb Smith of Nebraska while also squeaking out a sudden victory decision over No. 20 Dean Patterson of Rutgers to sit at 15-2 entering Sunday. Kasak, the Lions’ 149-pound starter, continues to sit at No. 9 after losing to No. 1 Ridge Lovett and No. 8 Caleb Rathjen of Iowa in recent weeks while hanging on to win 7-5 against No. 25 Michael Cetta of Rutgers.

Both wrestlers have high ceilings. There is also concern from outside observers, however, that each may have hit the proverbial first-year wall to some degree. Is there much to worry about? We’ll find out soon enough.

“I think, the big matches, every time you compete, especially against a top-notch opponent, you’re going to learn something,” Sanderson said. And there’s so much to learn. You got technique, you have preparation, you have mindset. So, yeah, I think they’re both learning.

“And, getting that experience is sometimes expensive, as they say, and it hurts a little bit. But it’s also invaluable. So, you know, there are two guys that have the ability to be right in the mix when all is said and done.”