Trappe named New Jersey High School Wrestling Coach of the Year

The Sparta High School wrestling team enjoyed a remarkable turnaround this season, fashioning a 20-7 record after winning just twice a year earlier.

And the girls team boasted the school’s first state champion in nearly 40 years.

Head coach Daniel Trappe, in his second year at the helm after a lengthy stint as an assistant coach for the Spartans, was named the New Jersey High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in mid-March.

Trappe, who also is one of the co-head coaches for the girls lacrosse team, recently was interviewed about how the team performed this season.

Question: First, congratulations on being named the state Coach of the Year. What led to the massive turnaround this season?

Answer: We had a great group returning this season that showed massive improvement from the following year.

We also had a few kids, who previously wrestled before Covid, came back out for the team and we just recruited in classes for anyone that had previous wrestling experience or mixed martial art experience. We also had a great freshman class that helped solidify our lineup.

The team also put the work in during the season and in the off- season. Going to camp this summer as a team and going to club together really pushed our main theme of “family.” Every practice we end with the word “family.” It’s something that I feel is huge for our program because this is a sport that is very demanding and you need a strong support system to get you through those difficult moments.

Q: Was it expected or even beyond your expectations that the team would go to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 final and have its first 20-win campaign since 2017?

A: I wouldn’t say it was expected, but it was definitely a great example of how with the right mindset and hard work, anything is attainable.

Q: Logan Hrenenko (33-10 at 144 pounds) had an exceptional sophomore year. Is the sky the limit as far as what he can achieve in the next two seasons? How valuable was the experience for him to go down to Atlantic City and be a part of the state tournament?

A: Last year, we really tested him. Every dual meet we tried to match him up with the opposing team’s best wrestlers. With his work ethic and just his awesome post-match mentality, he really can keep improving each season.

Just getting down to AC is an amazing experience and to do it as a sophomore is awesome for him next season. It’s a huge stage to wrestle on and can be very stressful for anyone. Getting that experience early only sets him up to keep moving further with his skill level. Now when he returns, he is comfortable with the environment and can only perform better.

Q: Paige Weiss is the first state champ in nearly four decades for Sparta. Describe her work ethic and the amount of effort she had to put in to achieve this feat. Also, with girls wrestling growing every season, how do you feel turnout for the girls team will be in years to come? Are you seeing the impact of Paige’s win?

A: Paige is someone you don’t want to wrestle twice, meaning once she knows your strengths, she is very hard to beat because she is a very methodical wrestler. This season in her three losses, two of the girls she beat the second time she wrestled them. The last being (Theresa) Zeppatelli in the state final. Her work ethic is awesome; she is always on the mat. If it’s not with us at practice, it’s at club practice or a private lesson where she is fine-tuning her skills.

We will see if it brings more girls to the sport, but she is definitely someone everyone was talking about at the school when she won the state title. As of now, we have an awesome group of girls with Paige, Emma Reder and Madison Maines. Those three have been a huge part of our program and have been the foundation of our girls wrestling program.

Q: Personally, how proud are you of what the boys and girls have achieved this season? An 18-win improvement in 12 months is basically unfathomable, but you were at the helm of it.

A: This season was awesome, and I’m already missing practice. This group was great and a lot of fun to be around. We are a gigantic family, and you can really tell that with how they interact with each other. We are not a practice room that is super-serious, if you came into the room, you were more likely to hear the group singing along to whatever 2000’s pop song I put on while they were practicing. Call it unconventional but it worked. They worked hard every day and seemed to really enjoy their time at practice. I am a huge believer that a person should be enjoying the sport they play, and if they are, you are more likely to get the most out of them because they want to be there.

Q: Does this lead to pressure next season with this group or is it just a matter of “turn the page and focus on the new season”?

A: It definitely adds some pressure, but our staff will approach next season like we did this season, with a positive attitude and our “be a goldfish” mindset. We need to have a short-term memory and look at the next competition. We did that this year, and honestly, I think because of that, the team didn’t really focus on the wins but more on the next match. As a coaching staff, we like to make pre-season goals that are more for individual improvement and then we move up from there.

This season was an amazing experience and one that I could look back on as a great team experience. This group was bought in and I know that now they have confidence in themselves, they are only going to get better.