March 28, 2024

All in the family

In school, brothers, sisters and cousins often are on the same team, playing side-by-side through their years in competition. It happens on almost every team, every year.

PCM quarterback Reed Worth and wide receiver Jarron Trausch, both seniors, are related in a more unique way, as uncle and nephew.

“It’s like an unknown thing, not very many people know,” Reed said. “Somebody asked me, you and Jarron are pretty good, and I was like yeah he is my nephew so we’ve played a lot of football together. They are just all shocked but say it is really cool.”

Reed, who is Jarron’s senior by 10 months, is the son of Dennis and Kim Worth and the brother of Jenni Trausch, Jarron’s mother. The two boys have always been in school together and have played sports with each other since first picking up a ball.

“We played a lot of flag football together,” Jarron said.

They were also on the same team more often than not, to help with transportation for the family.

“They always pulled that card,” Reed said.

The family, who is light-hearted and has a good time with the connection, has buckets of stories about the boys growing up. One of the favorites came when they were younger and having a rough day together.

“One time Reed came home and he said Jarron and him had been arguing and he just let him have it. I said ‘let him have it?’ He said Jarron wants to be the uncle and he said you can have it,” Kim said.

Jenni’s husband Aaron also had a unique experience while coaching the boys.

“During flag football, a kid just knocked Reed out and (Jarron’s dad) Aaron went to the other coach and said that was not needed,” Kim said. “The other coach asked, ‘well is that your kid’ and he replied, ‘no, he is my brother-in-law.’”

Even though Reed holds the title of uncle, the boys say their relationship on PCM’s football team isn’t any different from any other teammate. While they may joke and give each other a hard time, they are focused on what is in front of them on the field.

“It seems like we are more certain of what is going to happen. Last year it was like ‘we could possibly do that,’ but now it is like people say we are going to do that,” Jarron said. “It seems like in past years, we have lost maybe more than one time. So the fact that we haven’t lost at all this year, it feels right in a way. We’ve already been through all the bad stuff so it’s our time.”

Reed agreed and said preparation is what makes the team ready every Friday.

“If we practice the whole week and do what we need to do and follow what we were told to do, we should be fine in every scenario,” Reed said.

In their final year playing football together, the duo has had many incredible moments as quarterback and wide receiver to go along with an undefeated season and top class ranking.

“My highlight was when I threw my record-breaking pass for a career passing touchdown and Jarron caught the ball,” Reed said. “Forty-seven touchdowns and Jarron caught it to break the record.”

Catching the long ball from Reed is also one of Jarron’s favorite things to do on the football field.

“For me, my favorite part, is it seems like a lot of the time he throws it really deep and really, really far, so when I am able to catch those, that is the best,” Jarron said.

With a victory under their belts against Williamsburg, the boys are moving on to their next opponent in the state semi-finals. While they continue to move forward, the days of playing football together are winding down.

“If it ends the way we want it to, it will be a mixed emotions type of thing,” Jarron said. “On Friday, it was the last time we played on that field, but we’ll still get to keep playing.”

Whether the team ends up undefeated on the season or brings home the best finish any PCM football team has accomplished, the two will always have their families behind them, rooting them on in whatever they do.

“It’s just our life,” Jenni said.

“It’s how we do,” Jarron added.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com