Penn State wrestling notebook: Cael Sanderson talks week off, what lies ahead, the lineup, and more
Penn State wrestling has one final regular season week left before the postseason begins.
The Nittany Lions face Rider in their 2021-2022 season Rec Hall finale on Sunday. It will start at 2 p.m. ET on BTN+.
On Monday, head coach Cael Sanderson spoke to reporters about the week ahead, the week that was with the Lions off last weekend, Brady Berge, and more.
Here are the highlights.
What did Penn State accomplish last week?
The Nittany Lions had a rare weekend off prior to The Broncs coming to town.
How did they use it?
“We had a chance to step up our conditioning up and get some work in,” Sanderson said. “With the weekend off, they had the ability to attack on all fronts. Now, it’s just getting ready to compete on Sunday again.”
Conditioning was a theme of Sanderson’s chat with reporters. It’s clear that it’s time for the Nittany Lions to round into peak form before the Big Ten tournament in early March.
“We have a set plan that we follow and modify based on the individuals,” Sanderson said. “This week, we get ready to wrestle, then we have a week of training and then get ready for the Big Ten a week after that.
“Time off allows you to step up your conditioning and training.”
The latest on Brady Berge
No, Penn State fans: We do not know if Brady Berge will be dropping down for the postseason.
Speculation continues to run rampant, however, about where the current 165-pound starter will wrestle after Rider. Some believe he could, and perhaps even should, drop down to 157.
Will he? We’ll see. Where he wrestles against Rider will be interesting, assuming he does take the mat. Berge did not wrestle the last two matches.
Berge, of course, returned to the team in January after spending the earlier part of 2021 as a volunteer coach at South Dakota State.
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“He came right back and we threw him in the lineup, so he didn’t have time to work on conditioning,” Sanderson said. “He was in solid shape. He’s had a chance to zone in and focus on what he needs to do to be confident and comfortable. He’s looking really sharp and really good, and that’s what he needed.”
What was unsaid was where he will wrestle moving forward. Time will tell. It’s safest to say he’s going to be at 165 until he’s not.
What’s the latest on the lineup?
Penn State was not just without Berge last weekend against Ohio State and Nebraska. Carter Starocci sat out both matches at 174 pounds. Max Dean, then, didn’t go against the Cornhuskers at 197.
Where do things stand now? Sanderson was guarded, of course, but did offer some insight.
“I think the little things you see are the same thing everyone is dealing with,” Sanderson said. “Everyone has bumps and bruises. You do the best you can. We have a great trainer and he’ll have these guys ready to roll. There’s never been a team that we had that didn’t have some bumps and bruises. That’s part of sports.
“These guys are ready to go. We’ll see when we get to Sunday how many of our guys we wrestle or not. We’ll do what’s in each of their best interest. The goal is to have everybody ready to roll at the Big Ten and national tournament.”
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