A leader in the wrestling room and on the mat, Isaac Trumble exudes a quiet confidence. He’s earned the respect of his Millard South coaches and teammates because “he’s the hardest worker in the room, and he never takes a day off,” according to Head Coach Nate Olson. “When Isaac tells another wrestler to do something, they listen. He leads by example.”
When Isaac was a freshman, he earned fifth place at State. As a sophomore, his only losses were to four-time State Champion, James Burks. According to Coach Olson, “After going unblemished his junior year with an Individual State Championship, Dual Team Championship, and State Team Championship, Isaac is now looking forward to a big summer of traveling around and competing in Freestyle and Greco before coming into next year as the pound-for-pound best senior in Nebraska.”
Attaining that type of success brings with it attention from the media. After Isaac beat Burks at the Metro tournament his sophomore year, news channels started showing up at school. “It was weird having all the spotlight on me,” he said. “That kind of attention was new for me, so I had to work around it.” When he later lost to Burks at Districts, he realized that he had to keep working hard. “I wasn’t the best I can be, and I’m still not.”
Isaac’s brother Josh joined the Millard South varsity team last year. Having two sons on the same team can be stressful for their mom, Julie Trumble, who tries to go back and forth between them. “I never know who to watch,” she says. Their father, who was deployed to Afghanistan for the Army Reserves, was able to fly home for four days to watch the recent State Championship Tournament. It was extra special because he’s recently been recuperating from heart surgery at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital.
Isaac credits the Millard South coaches and teammates for always pushing him to improve. “When I see someone else working hard, it makes me want to work even harder.” Having that mentality “makes the whole team better.” His high school coaches believe he’ll have a bright future in college wrestling. Coach Jay Meneely said, “His drive and work ethic have made him one of the best wrestlers in the country.” Coach Joe Ellenberger added, “This kid may write history before it’s all said and done.”
