Cael's Plan - Anthony Cassar's Journey
By Michael Eisenhauer
By Michael Eisenhauer
Penn State is known as the program where wrestling is fun. Opposing fans sarcastically refer to it as such, incredulous as to how “fun” translates to winning. Nittany Lion loyalists can’t get enough of their favorite team’s approach, and how they’ve carved their place in history by treading a different path.
Yet, for all the games of dodgeball and soccer that grace the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, there’s one element of Cael’s regime that is undeniably cutthroat. Ever since the GOAT of college wrestling arrived in Happy Valley, his approach to recruiting has never changed. It doesn’t matter who’s already on the roster. Cael will always try to bring the best of the best to Penn State.
There are, of course, casualties as a result of this practice. There have been numerous examples during Cael’s tenure of decorated wrestlers either being recruited over, or being thrust into a fierce competition with one of their teammates for a chance to represent the school in Rec Hall and NCAA’s.
The constant influx of state champs, fargo champs and world team members means Penn State wrestlers can never rest on their laurels. They won’t just be tested by wrestlers from other schools. They’ll be constantly harried by those in their own room.
Jimmy Gulibon committed less than a year after Jordan Conaway joined the program. Robbie Howard signed on before Brody Teske had even begun his freshman season. Daniel Kerkvliet transferred to Penn State after Seth Nevills had devoted a year of his life to training in Happy Valley. Winning eight team titles in nine years is unfathomably difficult. The list of those who have been caught in the crossfire over the course of the last decade goes on and on, but no wrestler has been caught in a maelstrom of internal struggles more than Anthony Cassar.
Cassar came to Penn State as unheralded as any recruit in the program’s storied history. A one time state qualifier in New Jersey, he had shown mild promise by winning at title at 195 during his senior season, but he wasn’t even a footnote in a class containing the blue chip, can’t miss trio of Nolf, Nickal and Nevills. To most Cassar was filler–a room guy who would never see the mat in a match of consequence. The fact that he managed to make the Junior World team in the summer of 2015 poked holes in that supposition, but a shoulder injury, and the presence of Morgan Macintosh, who was entering his senior season seven months removed from a third place finish at NCAA’s, meant Anthony wouldn’t be sniffing the starting lineup anytime soon.
Anthony Cassar earns a spot on the Junior World team on his very first attempt
Cassar’s only choice was to bide his time. He spent the 2016 season rehabbing and wrestled unattached the following year. It wasn’t until 2018 that he got his first chance to shine before the Rec Hall crowd. It was, however, under rather tumultuous circumstances. Where 149, 157, 165, 174 and 184 unquestionably belonged to Zain, Nolf, Cenzo, Mark Hall and Bo respectively, the situation at 197 was far more muddled.
Shakur Rasheed, who was a quality wrestler in his own right, had spent the first three years of his career bouncing from weight to weight in order to accommodate one wrestler or another. He was forced to cut to 165 during his freshman season after Bo Nickal entrenched himself at 174. Bo moved to 184 the following season, giving Shakur a chance to wrestle a more natural weight, but his season was abruptly ended by injury after six matches. Then, in 2018, with Mark Hall at 174 and Bo defending his title at 184, Shakur bumped up to 197, only to find himself at the center of that season’s fiercest roster battle. The man with whom he dueled for the chance to represent Penn State at Big Tens and Nationals? You guessed it. Anthony Cassar.
The two split time over the course of the season, but word coming out of the room was that Shakur was winning the wrestle-offs. He finished first at the Southern Scuffle, pinning Jacob Holschlag who had scraped out a 6-4 decision against Cassar in the semis, in a mere 46 seconds. Shakur and Anthony alternated duals for most of January, but with the match against Ohio State fast approaching, it seemed Shakur had finally made 197 his own.
It was fitting then that Shakur, who had finally emerged victorious in the contest of Nittany Lions, suffered an injury in the days leading up to what had been billed as the dual of the century. Cassar was deputized into action, though he faced a tall task as Kollin Moore, the top ranked wrestler in the country, was to take the mat opposite him.
The dual more than lived up to its billing. By the time Cassar ran onto the mat, urged on by the theme song of Jersey Shore, Penn State, who was competing without Jason Nolf, found themselves in very unfamiliar territory. Their 16-15 lead, narrow as it was, wouldn’t be an issue against most teams. Not with Cassar, who was 15-2 on the year, and Nick Nevills, an All American in 2017, still to take the mat. Ohio State wasn’t most teams, though. With Kollin Moore and Kyle Snyder yet to wrestle for the Buckeyes, the scene was grim.
Cassar takes on Kollin Moore with the dual in the balance
Both wrestlers struggled to penetrate the other’s head/hands defense in the early stages of the match, but Cassar struck first, nearly securing a takedown two minutes in. The match was far from decided, but one could sense an air of restrained expectancy among the Rec Hall crowd when the period ended 0-0 despite Moore’s supposed advantage.
The wrestlers had battled to a stalemate over the first three minutes, but the rest of the match had a completely different tenor. Cassar pushed the pace and scored on a pair of slick countershots in the second and third period. Trailing 5-3 with 50 seconds left, Moore did everything he could to get to his feet, but it was to no avail. As the final whistle blew, Anthony stood, tossed his headgear aside and pointed to the crowd in triumph. The dual was far from won, but Cassar’s improbable victory had given Nevills an opportunity to close things out for the undermanned Nittany Lions.
Upsetting the number one ranked wrestler in convincing fashion would be enough to guarantee the starting spot at pretty much any program, but Shakur had already won the right to represent Penn State in the postseason. His ability to secure pins and bonus point victories was exactly the type of advantage the team needed if they were to win their third straight team title.
But, when it came time to wrestle, Shakur lost to Moore in the finals of the Big Ten tournament, and later in the consolation rounds at NCAA’s. He finished the season in seventh place after beating Willy Miklus, but it was hard not to wonder how things would have played out if Cassar had gotten the nod.
The constant back and forth between Cassar and Shakur had brought an element of uncertainty to a lineup which was largely set it stone. That sense of unease persisted into the summer, for Cassar was faced with a difficult decision. Any program and its fans would be elated to have someone who dispatched Kollin Moore in their ranks, but it seemed as if the Nittany Lions simply didn’t have room for what could very well have been the best 197 pounder in 2018. No one would have blamed Cassar had he packed his bags and tried his luck at a school where the starting spot would be undisputedly his. In fact, more than one person suggested it would be what was best for him.
No news, however, was immediately forthcoming. Not from Anthony and not from Penn State. But as summer dragged on whispers began to swirl. Cassar posted a picture on Instagram in early July, looking noticeably bigger than he had the previous season. Where there’s smoke there’s often fire. One picture had instantly given credence to the rumors that Anthony had his eyes set on 285 rather than 197.
The early stages of a bulking odyssey that would culminate in a National Championship
It wasn’t as if 285 would be a piece of cake to secure, though. Cassar, who had been unable to beat out Shakur, would now have to go through two time All American Nick Nevills if he wanted to take the mat come March. Supplanting Nick would be a herculean feat, especially since Cassar had a long way to go before he weighed enough to realistically compete against larger heavys.
Anthony was not discouraged. He earned the starting spot, won Big Tens and became a national champion two weeks later. He logged bonus points in 22 of his 31 matches. If not for his sole loss to Derek White at the Southern Scuffle, Cassar very well could have been a finalist for the Hodge Trophy.
Anthony Cassar came to Penn State as an unranked recruit–a one time state champion who barely won more matches than he lost as a high school freshman. He qualified for Junior Worlds, but had to weather a shoulder injury which kept him off the mat during his first two years in Happy Valley. He spent the following season locked in a roster battle which he inevitably lost. He faced constant adversity, but not once did he waver. Whether it was belief in himself, belief in Cael’s vision, respect for his teammates and all they had accomplished, or a mixture of all three, Cassar stayed at Penn State, fought for his spot in the roster and was ultimately better off for it.
While we may have seen the last of Anthony Cassar in a Penn State singlet, we should all celebrate what he gave to Penn State and its fans. His 2019 season was the stuff of dreams–a stranger than fiction illustration of how far unfailing confidence, indomitable will, ceaseless effort (and a 6000 calorie per day diet) can get you. More than anything it was an encapsulation of the Penn State mindset. And, the perfect example of Cael’s plan at work.
