Ankeny sophomore Jammie Krah captured a state championship at 145 pounds in the girls’ Class 2A state wrestling tournament on Friday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville. She helped her team to a fourth-place finish overall.
Krah finished the season with a 45-5 record. She is now 79-16 in her career after placing seventh at 145 as a freshman.
Here is some inside info on Krah:
Congratulations on winning a state title. How does it feel to be a state champ?
I don’t even have words to express how proud I am that I’m a state champion. It’s truly a blessing.
Did you do anything special to celebrate this weekend?
My family and I went out to eat for my celebration now that I can officially chow down!
Your teammate, Lauren Watson, won a crown at 110 pounds before you took the mat in the finals. Were you able to watch her match, and what did you think of her historic fall to knock off three-time defending champion Katie Biscoglia of Raccoon River-Northwest?
When I saw Lauren win her match, I was just overwhelmed with joy for her. Lauren puts so much into this sport, and it shows how she performs on the mat. Even off the mat, Lauren is such an amazing friend to have. She truly is an inspiration and deserved this so much. I’m so proud of her!
Did her win make you even more motivated to capture a title, and did it give you more confidence?
Watching Lauren win that title definitely did pump me for my match, and we did talk before our matches. We both agreed to wrestle our matches and show how hard we’ve worked to be here.
After opening the tournament with a pin, you claimed the title by recording technical falls in your next three matches over three of the top four seeds, capped off by a 21-6 victory over second-seeded Lauren Luzum of Decorah in the finals. Had you ever wrestled her before, and what did you think was the key to beating her?
I had never wrestled Lauren before, so going into the match I knew that I just had to work on what I know. I think the key to beating her was having confidence in what I do best!
You told me after your first two matches on Thursday that you were confident, but not cocky, that you could advance to the semifinals. Are you surprised, though, that you ended up dominating your bracket the way that you did?
I am genuinely so proud of how I performed. I had full confidence in my abilities because of how much work I put in during the offseason and during the season. I knew my work would pay off!
Do you think coach Roland was prepared for you to take him down after you won the crown?
Lol! I think Roland was prepared for a light takedown, but I was too excited!
Your team had six placewinners among the eight qualifiers. What did you think of your team’s performance, and was it disappointing at all to come up a few points shy of winning a trophy?
My team is filled with such amazing and talented people. Everyone who stepped on that mat laid their hearts there. I would’ve much rather taken home fourth place with no trophy with this team than any other team. I’m truly so grateful and proud of my teammates.
Coach Roland called you one of the most dynamic athletes in the tournament, but he also said that you focus only on wrestling. Did you play any other sports when you were younger?
I did try track in eighth grade, but I didn’t like it because I didn’t feel the team connection as much as I do with wrestling. Wrestling is the only sport where I’ve genuinely felt connected with everybody.
Coach also said that he would have to beg you to take a week off after the tournament because you are so dedicated to your craft. Will that be difficult for you to take some time off to recover and rest?
Rest is definitely important and needed. I will keep working on getting better, but I do need to acknowledge the resting part of the sport more!
With six state qualifiers and five placewinners coming back next year, along with the expected return of injured wrestlers Hayden Bratland–a state champion in 2025–and Mady Postma, do you think your team can end Raccoon River-Northwest’s two-year reign as champions next season?
I am really confident that my team can take the team trophy home next year. With the help of our fantastic coaches and the dedication from my team, I do believe we can capture a team state championship.