March 19, 2024

Trausch gets eliminated after back-to-back losses

DES MOINES — Prairie City-Monroe sophomore Jarron Trausch couldn’t have wrestled any better in his opening-round win Thursday at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena.

Unfortunately, wrestling can be a cruel sport sometimes.

As good as Trausch looked in his first match of the state tournament, the sophomore couldn’t withstand his momentum Friday and was eliminated after back-to-back losses.

Trausch was defeated, 6-5, by No. 10 Noah Glaser of New Hampton and then was pinned by Atlantic’s Drake Roller in a consolation match.

“I just don’t think I wrestled the way that I know how,” said Trausch, who completed his season at 44-7. “It might have been nerves. I am not sure. I just didn’t do what I normally can do.”

Trausch dominated Solon’s Mike Hoyle in an opening-round match Thursday. That win was a step farther than last year when he went 0-2 at the state tournament.

“I had fun after I won that first match,” said Trausch of his experience. “Once I lost, it suddenly wasn’t fun anymore.”

Against Glaser, Trausch fell down 2-0 early and an escape trimmed the deficit to 2-1 after the first period. Glaser got another takedown to go up 4-1. Back-to-back escapes by Trausch cut his margin to 4-3, but Glaser went back up three with another takedown.

Trausch got two nearfall points in the closing seconds but it wasn’t enough.

He fell behind 4-0 to Roller before getting pinned following a cradle.

“It was 0-0 after one,” PCM coach Cory Waddell said. “We took down and tried to get out and he got a quick two count. He put us in a cradle and then got pinned.”

Trausch has two state tournament appearances under his belt. The performances got better in year two than they were in 2016. With 82 career wins, Trausch hopes to come back better than ever next season.

“It will make me work much harder. I hate this feeling right now,” Trausch said.

Waddell put Trausch’s season in perspective. While the goal at the state tournament was not reached, Trausch still won conference, sectional and district titles this season.

“He’s extremely disappointed, but he knows what it takes,” Waddell said. “He’ll work hard. He had a great season. He only lost seven times. That’s a great year for a sophomore wrestling at 170. I am super proud of him.”