Subscribe to Penn State Clips via EmailSanderson's first recruiting class at Penn State includes former Susquehanna Twp. wrestler Ed Ruth (rated No. 1 nationally at 171 pounds), Ohio star David Taylor (No. 1 at 135 and No. 1 overall) and Arizona product Luke Macchiaroli (in the Top five at 197).
Together, the class was ranked No. 6 by InterMat.
Taylor and Macchiaroli had committed to Iowa State but were given their release to follow Sanderson to State College.
Sanderson already has landed four recruits for his Class of 2010. Twins Andrew and Dylan Alton from Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall are ranked No. 1 nationally at 140 and 145.
Dirk Cowburn, a two-time PIAA Class AA 152-pound champion from Coudersport, is rated the 49th-best recruit in that class. Sam Sherlock of West Mifflin, this season's PIAA-AAA champ at 125, committed last week.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of any team; Sanderson said the process is painstaking...
"Recruiting is just doing your homework. You can't go online and look up what Web sites are ranking recruits. You've go to spend time watching them and pay attention to how they react when they win and when they lose.Once those recruits are on campus, Sanderson said, he has his own way of evaluating them. One way is long, intense wrestling sessions...
"I'd rather watch a kid lose a match when I'm trying to figure out if he's a guy who will fit well in our program, because that's when you can see if a kid hates losing.
"Did he keep fighting to the end, or did he just put his head on the mat and just let it go? How did he react and how did he respond to certain situations.
"You've just got to do your homework. I don't like taking people's words for it. It's just a matter of getting out there and spending time."
"I'm looking for heart and trying to put them in a situation and give them a chance to keep fighting. Just really test these guys and stretch their minds. We can wrestle 45 minutes. Your body is capable of a lot more than you give yourself credit for.
"That's just kind of a mind-set. We try to push them and stretch them as much as we can. If you wrestle a kid hard for 45 minutes straight, seven minutes all of a sudden becomes nothing.
"Make it a matter of pride. That's something we do as a staff; we challenge these guys. We say, 'Let's go. First guy to quit loses.' Quitting doesn't just mean, 'OK, I give up' and walk off the mat.
"Quitting is putting your head down. It's laying on your back if you get there. It's ceasing to attack. We'll challenge them as much as we can, keep them on their toes and keep them guessing about what's coming for practice.
"That's how competition is. You don't know what's coming all the time."
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