Despite losing some matches this year, the Trojans still garner a lot of respect from other schools. It’s what a team can expect when they churn out so many champions over the years and this year is no different. Last night the Trojans gracefully lost two matches, one to Mojave (62-18) and one to Faith Lutheran (52-27).
Trojans coach Craig Rieger chalks it all up to experience and maturity. At the moment, that is what the Trojans are lacking.
“It runs in cycles,” the coach said. “Last year we had it all, this year we have the technique, just not the maturity and I tell the guys stick with it and all that will come. That’s the problem though, the guys have to stick with it.”
Even though the team lost to Mojave pretty badly, Rieger said the Mojave team remembered the great wrestlers from last year.
“The last three years we beat up on Mojave pretty badly,” he said. “And they still respect that. Wrestlers have a long memory. There was this one guy from Mojave at 195, I think he was third at state last year had to wrestle Jax Clayton for the past three years and would regularly lose. This year he’s a senior and he pinned our sophomore, Jeremy Albertson in 33 seconds. The wrestlers always shake the opposing coach’s hand and he came up to me and said, ‘Coach, this time was a lot better than having to wrestle Jax.’ And he even remembered Jax’s first name.”
Rieger said his team is going up against a lot of mature teams this year and the team is always putting a sophomore or freshman against some extremely-cut senior.
“Regardless, it’s been a long season, but we have a good group of freshman and sophomores out this year,” Rieger said. “They know they’ve got to go out next year and earn that respect.”
The coach said that the wrestler of the week is senior Kevin Daffer (152 pounds).
“Daffer went 2-0 last night,” Rieger said. “The match against the Mojave wrestler and Daffer went into overtime and Kevin got the guy on his back for the pin. That was hard-fought and then he also did it against Faith Lutheran’s guy too, which he won by a 5-2 decision.”
Senior Gino Gusman (126) was another wrestler who went 2-0 last night.
“I am not sure, but I don’t think Gino has lost all year,” Rieger said.
The Trojans are at Chaparral this weekend for a tournament and then they come home next week on Tuesday for senior night against Sierra Vista at 6 p.m.
-Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com