Nittany Lions prepare for Lock Haven rivalry

By Andy Elder

UNIVERSITY PARK — Fans of wrestling in State College and Lock Haven have double the incentive to turn out to Rec Hall tonight.

There is, of course, the annual renewal of the Penn State-Lock Haven rivalry at 7 p.m. But, as an added bonus, fans from both towns will get to see State College Area High School vs. Central Mountain High School on the undercard at 5 p.m.

So, whether you arrive early or arrive late, civic pride and bragging rights will be on the line.

As for the main event — the No. 15 Nittany Lions (8-8, 2-3 Big Ten) vs. the Bald Eagles (4-5, 1-1 Eastern Wrestling League) — it’s easy to take a cursory glance at the raw numbers and declare Penn State the prohibitive favorite.

That might be a bit rash.

“We talked (to the team) about a lot of things as a team and as a program, “Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. “We told them you need to be ready to step anywhere. If you’re not at your best, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, you have to be ready because anybody can beat you.”

And despite the fact that none of the Bald Eagles are ranked, Sunderland stressed there are a lot of those anybodys in the Lock Haven lineup.

“Their 125-pounder (Obe Blanc) has been successful recently and has been wrestling really well, “he said. “I think their 197-pounder (Morgan) Horner is a tough kid. And (Matt) Fittery at 141 is a tough young kid. There are lots of other tough kids in there, too.”

On the heels of the Nittany Lions’ 23-16 loss to No. 10 Iowa on Friday, Sunderland seemed as concerned about the toughness of some of his Nittany Lions.

“We don’t have a whole lot of time left in the season. We wanted to send a message that some of the efforts that were shown against Iowa were not acceptable, while others really wrestled well. (Joel) Edwards and (James) Yonushonis wrestled really well. Others need to step it up in critical situations, “Sunderland said.

“We can’t have a letdown. Some guys are frustrated by the caliber of competition we’ve faced. It’s important for some guys, like Jack Decker, to stay positive and work through the difficult times and overcome adversity. A lot of guys have to suck it up and get ready for this match and the rest of our Big Ten duals.”

So, even after coming off the disappointing home loss to Iowa, Sunderland appears to have adopted a kick-in-the-butt approach to motivation as opposed to the pat-on-the-back method.

“Up and down the lineup they have guys capable of wrestling tough, “Sunderland said. “You know they’re going to get up for us. They’ll be trying to knock the big school off the block.”