Tue - 22 Nov
Written by Jim Ecker
Tara Trcka won the Class 1A state bowling title last winter for Xavier High School with a clutch performance in the final game.
Here's more good news: Trcka won the state crown as a sophomore and has two more years to compete with the Saints.
"That's pretty exciting," Xavier Coach Russ Camacho remarked.
"She did a great job at the state meet, under tremendous pressure," he said. "For a sophomore to have to step up at the end of the third game like she did to win the state title was pretty awesome."
Trcka won the state crown by three pins by rolling a 248 in her final game. She clinched the championship in the 10th and final frame with clutch throws.
"She stepped up and threw some really, really good balls," Camacho said, "and before you know it she had a state title."
Trcka battled a hand injury late in the season, making her state title even more impressive. She rolled games of 236, 190 and 248 at the state meet for a 674 series.
Kari Brost, Abbey Konzen, Erica Fry and Tyler Weger return this season with Trcka. "Those are the main returnees we have," Camacho reported.
"I think overall we definitely have some improvement from last year," he said. "They're ahead of where they were at this point in the season last year. They're capable of performing well. They just have to do it."
Xavier finished with a 4-7 record in Mississippi Valley Conference meets last year and would like to move up. It helps having a state champion in the lineup.
Camacho thinks Trcka makes it easier on the rest on the team with her mere presence.
"It's an opportunity to have a very solid person to lean on," he said. "It's fortunate for them to have that anchor person there so they don't have to feel quite as much pressure. I think that's going to be the big thing."
The Saints open the season Tuesday afternoon against Cedar Rapids Jefferson at May City Bowl.
