Nov. 7, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Head coach Cael Sanderson
Post-Dual Quotes: Intrasquad Dual, November 5, 2009
Q: First of all Cael, thanks for taking the time here. I know you were not very pleased with David Erwin in that opening bout. In terms of what we're looking at for the dual-meet competition, is that an unsettled situation now? Does [Justin] Ortega, with the win tonight, get the call against Lehigh and Bloomsburg or is that yet to be determined?
A: That's yet to be determined. We have to figure out what we feel lis our best chance as a team. Ortega, you have to give him some credit. He went out there and he wrestled well. He wrestled a smart man. We'll figure out what we're going to do at that weight class, it doesn't get any easier. We'll see. It was definitely a rough start for us. Not to take anything away from [Justin] Ortega, he wrestled a great match, it's just the fact of putting your head down and basically quitting on his opponents part, that's the issue. Other than that rough start these guys wrestled pretty well. We need to get a little more aggressive and hustle a little bit more but they're coming along.
Q: Talk a little bit about Clay Steadman and a pretty good bout between him and the true freshman Luke Macchiaroli. Talk a little bit about Steadman and where he's at. I think it's clear that he's closing the gap from where he was a year ago given the credentials that his opponent came in with tonight.
A: I think Clay [Steadman] is a kid that is going to continue to improve throughout his career. The more experience the better. Luke Macchiaroli has a nice shot and he caught Clay [Steadman] two or three times with that same shot. But Clay [Steadman] is doing a good job. His plan and his mentality are good and he wrestled hard the whole time. We need to keep him in a little better position and to finish his shots. Clay's coming along and he's a guy that wrestles hard and that's what we want.
Q: Cameron Wade, in a lot of ways, is going to hold the key for how successful this team can be in the dual-meet season. How pleased were you tonight and how much are you continuing to work with him on being aggressive offensively from the neutral position?
A: He has some great tools. He's a big, strong kid. He's a smart kid. He just needs to be a bully and create some opportunities to score some points through effort and being mean, twisting and pulling and whatever it takes to open up his shots. He is a big part of how we're going to do this year. I think he has the potential to score us a lot of points in dual-meets are we're going to need it.
Q: We thought 133 would be a really competitive bout and it was. Talk a little bit about Tyler Saltsman and Bryan Pearsall and what you're looking for from them as you get ready for the season opener eight days away.
A: I think they both wrestled well. [Bryan] Pearsall had a nice move right on the end, a little trick-tilt. Had he been in-bounds it would have been two or three back points, and he rode really well. [Tyler] Saltsman obviously has to get off the bottom; he cannot be getting ridden out for a whole period. He had some nice double legs and put Pearsall right on his back with those back points, take-down and a turn, that's something that is really important to winning big matches and getting bonus points in tournaments and duals. I was really happy to see [Tyler] Saltsman take advantage of that opportunity. It was a good match.
Q: At 141, what was the issue there with [Colby] Pisani and what are we looking in the next week or so with that?
A: Well [Colby] Pisani's whole calf just cramped up really bad. I'm not a trainer or a doctor but his injury time was up. We wanted him to wrestle but to be fair to [Adam] Lynch you can't give him all day. I think there is some potential for greater injury if you wrestle when your calf is cramped up like that. This isn't, `you win this match and you're good.' You've got to prove yourself. There are a lot of open tournaments. Anybody that got beat tonight; it's not their last chance. We want the guy that can represent Penn State and win matches for us.
Q: Were you as impressed with Frank Molinaro tonight as we were. He certainly looked comfortable at the new weight class and I thought showed more variety and more confidence with what he was doing with his take-downs tonight than what we saw last year.
A: He hit some nice shots. We know he's tough on top. He did a nice job. He put twelve points up, which is what we like to see. I was happy with [James] English as well. He kept fighting, he scrambled well, and he hit some nice shots just like Frank [Molinaro] did. He's a guy that was out all last year with injuries so he's basically a true freshman in training so I was really happy with [James] English as well but Frank [Molinaro] was great.
Q: I thought the last two bouts were worth the entertainment value tonight. We saw the explosiveness that Cyler [Sanderson] provides. I thought it was really a gutsy effort by David Taylor, keeping his composure, keeping himself in it. He obviously showed why he is regarded as a great guy on top. It was just a terrific third period for him.
A: It was a good bout for both of them. Neither one of them is happy, which is good from a coaching standpoint. Cyler [Sanderson] hit some nice shots and big take-downs. He can put some points on the board quickly. That's something that makes it a tough match up for [David] Taylor, being with a fifth-year senior. But, he did a great job and we saw how dangerous he is once he started to attack more he was a serious threat his feet as well. He is going to be really good.
Q: I think Jake Kemerer and Dan Vallimont both getting third period take downs is a good sign of things to come. Can you talk a little about both of them and what you saw tonight out of those two?
A: Well they're two of the toughest kids you'll see to score on. [Dan] Vallimont is extremely hard to score on on his feet and same thing with [Jake] Kemerer. They both have great hips and really explosive shots. [Jake] Kemerer found a way to get a take-down in the last second. I think [Dan] Vallimont wrestled well. When you put yourself in a situation where you're only up a point and the guy is coming after you, things like that happen. It's a learning experience for both of them. I think Dan [Vallimont] had a nice shot on [Jake] Kemerer. Jake Kemerer is tough to score on. They're both great athletes, both going to do well.
Q: Eight days away from the season opener at Lehigh, what is the focus and schedule with you and the team over the next week? When and how do you go about finalizing what your line-up is going to be for next week?
A: Everyday at practice, all summer long, every morning that we're lifting, these guys are picking the team through their effort and their attitude. We'll finalize the line-up shortly. We don't want any question marks and we don't want to play any games with our own team. We're just going to focus on getting better, making progress and really on that attitude of being more competitive. This will be a good learning experience for our team. It will give us the opportunity to move forward and put some emphasis on things we've been talking about.