Coach excited about future of Iowa State wrestling
By Steven Allspach Journal sports writer | Posted: Saturday, June 07, 2008
Cael Sanderson, accomplished wrestler and coach and willing-to-learn fisherman, beams about catching a collective lunker.
Fly fishing and wrestling consumed a lot of his time while growing up in Heber City, Utah. He's almost gotten his limit on the wrestling mat, but there are still plenty of fish to fry -- on the mat and on the bank of a bass-filled pond.
"I love to go fishing with people who are really good,'' said the Iowa State coach while taking a break from duties at Charlie Curran's popular ESVN mat camp Friday at Bishop Heelan High School. "I tried to pick up everything I could in wrestling growing up. It's the same with fishing.''
Sanderson, won four national mat titles at Iowa State and then won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. He finished his prep career as the only unbeaten four-time national champ, an accomplishment Sports Illustrated deemed the second-best collegiate athletics achievement of all time.
But, there's a new goal on the horizon.
"With six returning All-Americans, some outstanding guys already in the room (wrestling) and what we feel is an outstanding incoming class, we're pretty excited about the future of Iowa State wrestling,'' said the Cyclone coach.
His returning All-Americans include David Zabriske (heavyweight), Jake Varner (184), Jon Reader (165), Cyler Sanderson (157), Nick Fanthorpe (149) and Nick Gallick (141).
Sanderson's first Cyclone team finished second in the 2007 NCAA tournament. This year's team wound up fifth, indicating the future of the program is already now.
Still, with the U.S. Olympic Trials in Las Vegas just over a week away (several hopefuls train in Ames under Sanderson), he's found time in his busy schedule to work with youngsters.
"I've been pretty much in awe of Coach Sanderson all day,'' said Garret Heiberger, who will be a sophomore at Tri-Valley High School in Colton, S.D., this fall. "When he says something you pay attention.
"Plus, he makes the sport fun. He breaks every little move down for you, taking it from the very start all the way through to the finish, one step at a time.''
Sanderson smiles when hearing that sort of response to his teaching.
"When I decided to be a head coach, I knew I wanted to win a gold medal so I could recruit kids who wanted to win gold medals,'' said Sanderson. "It's no different for these young guys in camps and clinics like this.
"I want to let them know that I had been where they are and teach what I know. I've been there, I know what it takes to win a gold medal and win a national championship.
"I want to help them master the fundamentals.''
Heiberger, fourth in the South Dakota state tourney at 125 pounds as a freshman and seventh as an eighth-grader, wanted to know all about the ankle pick, Sanderson's signature move.
"Coach Sanderson covered everything,'' said Heiberger. "It's quite a learning experience, something I hope will make me a better wrestler. I come from a big wrestling family. My dad was a state runner-up and I have uncles who were state placers.
"My goals are pretty high and a camp like this is inspirational.''
Sanderson is duly pumped about his recruiting class, one that includes Iowa state champions Eric Thompson of Waverly-Shell Rock (heavyweight) and Andrew Long (125) of Creston/Orient-Macksburg.
Other state champions include Matt Brown (133-141) of Magna (Utah) Cyprus, Chris Spangler (174) of Naperville (Ill.) North Neuqua Valley, Nate Carr Jr. (141) of Grey, Ga., and Anthony Valles (130) of South Windsor, Conn. (Blair Academy, Blairstown, N.J.).
The freshman class also includes former Akron-Westfield state champ Marshall Koethe.
The 6-2, 240-pound Thompson, also a first-team all-state football center, was tabbed No. 1 nationally in rankings compiled by W.I.N. Magazine and InterMat.
Thompson earned the No. 1 ranking over several other heralded preps, including second-ranked Garrett "The Gladiator'' Goebel of Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic; Sam Maresh of Champlin Park, Minn.; Elijah Madison of Kansas City (Mo.) Oak Park; and Atticus Disney of Tecumseh (Kan.) Shawnee Heights.
Disney is part of the Minnesota recruiting class ranked No. 1 for 2008. The third-ranked Madison, a 3-1 loser to Thompson in the Dream Team dual in Iowa City, has signed with Nebraska-Omaha.
Thompson handed the 6-5, 270-pound Goebel, the eventual Illlinois big-school state champ and Ohio State football signee, his only loss in 53 matches in the prestigious "Clash'' tournament in Rochester, Minn.
Maresh, a 6-2, 240-pound all-state linebacker and 50-0 state mat champ, has signed with Minnesota to play football. Another nationally-ranked heavyweight, three-time South Dakota state champ Riley Reiff of Parkston, has signed with Iowa to play football. Reiff, a 6-6, 250-pound defensive end, was 10th in final national prep rankings, finishing with a 121-1 career record.
Sanderson's 2009 recruiting class got its first verbal committment earlier this week when David Taylor of Graham High School in Paris, Ohio, announced he would enroll. Taylor, the nation's No. 1-ranked 112-pounder, owns a 124-2 record going into his senior year.
Fly fishing and wrestling consumed a lot of his time while growing up in Heber City, Utah. He's almost gotten his limit on the wrestling mat, but there are still plenty of fish to fry -- on the mat and on the bank of a bass-filled pond.
"I love to go fishing with people who are really good,'' said the Iowa State coach while taking a break from duties at Charlie Curran's popular ESVN mat camp Friday at Bishop Heelan High School. "I tried to pick up everything I could in wrestling growing up. It's the same with fishing.''
Sanderson, won four national mat titles at Iowa State and then won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. He finished his prep career as the only unbeaten four-time national champ, an accomplishment Sports Illustrated deemed the second-best collegiate athletics achievement of all time.
But, there's a new goal on the horizon.
"With six returning All-Americans, some outstanding guys already in the room (wrestling) and what we feel is an outstanding incoming class, we're pretty excited about the future of Iowa State wrestling,'' said the Cyclone coach.
His returning All-Americans include David Zabriske (heavyweight), Jake Varner (184), Jon Reader (165), Cyler Sanderson (157), Nick Fanthorpe (149) and Nick Gallick (141).
Sanderson's first Cyclone team finished second in the 2007 NCAA tournament. This year's team wound up fifth, indicating the future of the program is already now.
Still, with the U.S. Olympic Trials in Las Vegas just over a week away (several hopefuls train in Ames under Sanderson), he's found time in his busy schedule to work with youngsters.
"I've been pretty much in awe of Coach Sanderson all day,'' said Garret Heiberger, who will be a sophomore at Tri-Valley High School in Colton, S.D., this fall. "When he says something you pay attention.
"Plus, he makes the sport fun. He breaks every little move down for you, taking it from the very start all the way through to the finish, one step at a time.''
Sanderson smiles when hearing that sort of response to his teaching.
"When I decided to be a head coach, I knew I wanted to win a gold medal so I could recruit kids who wanted to win gold medals,'' said Sanderson. "It's no different for these young guys in camps and clinics like this.
"I want to let them know that I had been where they are and teach what I know. I've been there, I know what it takes to win a gold medal and win a national championship.
"I want to help them master the fundamentals.''
Heiberger, fourth in the South Dakota state tourney at 125 pounds as a freshman and seventh as an eighth-grader, wanted to know all about the ankle pick, Sanderson's signature move.
"Coach Sanderson covered everything,'' said Heiberger. "It's quite a learning experience, something I hope will make me a better wrestler. I come from a big wrestling family. My dad was a state runner-up and I have uncles who were state placers.
"My goals are pretty high and a camp like this is inspirational.''
Sanderson is duly pumped about his recruiting class, one that includes Iowa state champions Eric Thompson of Waverly-Shell Rock (heavyweight) and Andrew Long (125) of Creston/Orient-Macksburg.
Other state champions include Matt Brown (133-141) of Magna (Utah) Cyprus, Chris Spangler (174) of Naperville (Ill.) North Neuqua Valley, Nate Carr Jr. (141) of Grey, Ga., and Anthony Valles (130) of South Windsor, Conn. (Blair Academy, Blairstown, N.J.).
The freshman class also includes former Akron-Westfield state champ Marshall Koethe.
The 6-2, 240-pound Thompson, also a first-team all-state football center, was tabbed No. 1 nationally in rankings compiled by W.I.N. Magazine and InterMat.
Thompson earned the No. 1 ranking over several other heralded preps, including second-ranked Garrett "The Gladiator'' Goebel of Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic; Sam Maresh of Champlin Park, Minn.; Elijah Madison of Kansas City (Mo.) Oak Park; and Atticus Disney of Tecumseh (Kan.) Shawnee Heights.
Disney is part of the Minnesota recruiting class ranked No. 1 for 2008. The third-ranked Madison, a 3-1 loser to Thompson in the Dream Team dual in Iowa City, has signed with Nebraska-Omaha.
Thompson handed the 6-5, 270-pound Goebel, the eventual Illlinois big-school state champ and Ohio State football signee, his only loss in 53 matches in the prestigious "Clash'' tournament in Rochester, Minn.
Maresh, a 6-2, 240-pound all-state linebacker and 50-0 state mat champ, has signed with Minnesota to play football. Another nationally-ranked heavyweight, three-time South Dakota state champ Riley Reiff of Parkston, has signed with Iowa to play football. Reiff, a 6-6, 250-pound defensive end, was 10th in final national prep rankings, finishing with a 121-1 career record.
Sanderson's 2009 recruiting class got its first verbal committment earlier this week when David Taylor of Graham High School in Paris, Ohio, announced he would enroll. Taylor, the nation's No. 1-ranked 112-pounder, owns a 124-2 record going into his senior year.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 1 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
J.E.Smith wrote on Oct 21, 2008 9:29 PM: