CEDAR FALLS - Andrew Anderson took down a deer in November while bowhunting.

It was a thrill.

The avid outdoorsman is itching to fish, hunt, target shoot … something, again.

But his wrestling coach, Northern Iowa's Brad Penrith is not a big fan of Anderson, the hunter. At least not during the wrestling season.

"No, Penrith doesn't like it," Anderson said. "I think two years ago I went deer hunting, fell out of a tree stand and sprained my ankle. He wasn't happy with that."

Anderson will be able to hunt all he wants next year, but he isn't thinking along those lines, yet.

Although he is a three-time NCAA qualifier, Anderson's post-season experiences haven't been good. He is 1-6 all-time at the national tournament.

As the Panthers prepare for Saturday's West Regional championships at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, the senior from Sioux City is trying to not place too much weight on this being his last chance to reach the podium.

"It's definitely in the back of my mind this is my last go-round," Anderson said. "Once I start getting tired, my attitude starts going down a little. That is a little bit of an incentive to say to myself there are no more second chances.

"So I'm definitely thinking about that, but I'm not trying to dwell on it. I'm just trying to do the right things, focus and execute."

A two-time state champion at Sioux City East, Anderson came to UNI long on talent, and he's dominated at times, but at other times has beaten himself on the mat.

"He's got all the tools, always has," Penrith. "He's showed he can wrestle with anybody.

"But his biggest problem has been mistakes and than maybe panicking after making one, which leads to another and another.

"One takedown is not going to hurt you if you don't panic, but couple of mistakes will. You have to slowly peck away at a deficit or close the gap, and if you got a lead you want to build on it. That is where Andrew has gotten better this year."

Anderson, himself, has acknowledged in the past he's made some foolish decisions on the mat, but feels he's understands what it takes to win as a senior.

"For sure, this year if you look at the shots I've been taking and the shots I've scored on I'm definitely making better decisions," Anderson said. "I'm not necessarily pulling the trigger just to do it, I'm doing it with the intention to score.

"In the past I was shooting to say I shot. There is something to be said about being offensive and being the aggressor. But then there is being foolish.

"I never used to get stalling calls against me, but I was losing those matches because I was taking stupid shots. This year, I've got called for stalling, but I've won those matches. If I get called for a passive to avoid doing something stupid, I'm going to take the stall call and go ahead and get the 'W'."

Anderson has posted a 23-7 mark this season with five of his seven losses coming to opponents ranked in the top 10. Ranked 13th in the latest Intermat rankings, Anderson owns victories over 10th-ranked Cayle Byers of George Mason, 16th-ranked Jesse Strawn of Old Dominon and 14th-ranked Tyler Sorensen of South Dakota State, his primary competition Saturday at the West Regional.

"I'm excited to have Tyler in our region," Anderson said. "The fact I have a large challenge at our regional definitely will prepare me for the national championships."

As far as this being his last go, Anderson said he's only trying to control what is in his hands.

"The national tournament is ridiculous," he said. "You can't get sucked into staring at the bracket sheet. Anything can happen. No. 1 seeds have went 0-2.

"You've just got to go out there no matter who it is and wrestle hard."

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com