DARKE COUNTY – A new system produced career results for one Darke County football player, while another helped lead the continued excellence of his teams’ history.
A new coach took over at Mississinawa Valley in 2018, changed to a spread offense and senior quarterback Trent Collins flourished in that system breaking all the school’s single-season and career passing records. All the while Collins was tearing up the airways in Union City, just east down State Route 47 in Ansonia, senior linebacker Andrew Rowland was wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks – and any other offensive player that tried to cross his path – as the Tigers made the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
For these reasons and more, Collins and Rowland are the 2018 Darke County Football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year respectively.
“The fresh start was good for Trent,” said first-year Mississinawa Valley head coach Steve Trobridge. “He worked so hard in getting himself prepared for this season. He broke every offensive passing record Mississinawa had, but the one thing that stood out more than anything to me was his leadership. He is a player that every coach dreams of having and I was fortunate to be the one to have him. I wish I could redshirt him for next year.”
Collins lit up the Friday night skies this year completing 115-of-226 passes for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 76 times for 461 yards and 3 TDs.
“He is just a competitor,” Trobridge said. “If I had to describe him in one word, that would be it. Competitor.”
Trobridge has been a coach at Mississinawa for 10 years, but took the head coaching gig late this past summer. The Blackhawks had gone through an 0-32 until winning one game last season. This year they went 4-6 this year. Trobridge gives the senior class – and particularly Collins – a lot of the credit for the turnaround.
“When I came in one of the first things I told the guys was that I was tired of hearing people say losing was the MV way,” Trobridge said. “Trent took that to heart and was just a fierce competitor on the field. I wish nothing but the best for a kid like that and I know he will succeed at everything he does in life.”
Collins received numerous postseason honors including being named Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team and to the Cross County Conference second team.
For Rowland, the beat went on as usual in Ansonia. The Tigers made the playoffs for the second straight season and posted an 8-3 record. Rowland is a four-year starter for veteran coach Eugene Hoening and led the team to that postseason berth with 120 tackles and 4 quarterback sacks. As a two-way player, he also helped lead an offensive line block for a running game that totaled 3,304 yards and 36 touchdowns this season.
“Andrew has a great nose for the football,” Hoening said. “He played with great intensity and with a desire to compete. He played to win and he wanted his teammates to do the same.
“He started at center for us as a freshman,” he continued. “He has just gotten better and better each year. He has always played hard and as a junior and a senior he played smarter too. He knew where he needed to be to make a play and he did a good job of getting there. It has absolutely been great to have him for the last four years.”
Rowland received numerous postseason honors as well. He was named to the Division VII All-Ohio second team defense, the Division VII Southwest District first team defense and was first team in the Cross County Conference on both offense and defense.
“Guys like Andrew makes coaches look good,” Hoening said. “This whole senior class was special. I coached some of their parents so I knew a lot of the boys when they were in kindergarten and I told them that I waited to coach them.”
Hoening collected his 218th win this season – his 38th with Ansonia. He led the Tigers to an 8-3 record, a second straight playoff berth and a home playoff game. He is the 2018 Darke County Football Coach of the Year.
“A coach is only as good as his players and I have some great assistant coaches too,” Hoening said. “I was glad the boys had the success they had and I really enjoyed working with the staff. I always believe that our coaches work harder at making the boys better. That is the bottom line, getting better from Day 1 to the end of the season.”
2018 Darke County Football All-Star Team
First Team Offense
QB – Layne Sarver, Tri-Village, Fr. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference honorable mention
RB – Reece Stammen, Ansonia, So. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference first team
RB – Landon Eldridge, Greenville, Sr. – Greater Western Ohio Conference American League second team
RB – Will Hall, Mississinawa Valley, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference second team (offense and defense)
WR – Marcus Wood, Greenville, Jr. – Division III All-Ohio special mention, Division III Southwest District first team, Greater Western Ohio Conference American League first team
WR – Austin Bruner, Tri-Village, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference first team
OL – Ross Shook, Ansonia, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference honorable mention
OL – Austin Helmke, Ansonia, Sr. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference first team
OL – Jayden Heltsley, Arcanum, Jr. – Division VI Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference honorable mention
OL – Nathan Fry, Greenville, Sr. – Greater Western Ohio Conference American League second team
OL – Cody Eyer, Tri-Village, Jr. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference honorable mention
K – Michael Hall, Ansonia, Jr. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference honorable mention
First Team Defense
DL – Dane Craport, Arcanum, Sr. – Cross County Conference honorable mention
DL – Dru Quinn, Greenville, Sr. – Greater Western Ohio Conference American League second team
DL – Mason Sullenbarger, Tri-Village, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio first team, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference second team
DL – Evan Hiestand, Versailles, Sr. – Division V All-Ohio special mention, Division V Southwest District first team, Midwest Athletic Conference first team defense (second team offense)
LB – Hunter Muir, Ansonia, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference first team (offense and defense)
LB – Tony Sells, Greenville, Sr. – Greater Western Ohio Conference American League second team
LB – John Butsch, Greenville, Sr. – Greater Western Ohio Conference American League second team
LB – Max Dirmeyer, Mississinawa Valley, Sr. – Division VII Southwest District honorable mention, Cross County Conference honorable mention
DB – Matthew Shook, Ansonia, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio first team, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference first team
DB – Ethin Hoffman, Arcanum, Sr. – Cross County Conference second team
DB – Derek Eyer, Tri-Village, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio special mention, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference second team
P – Devyn Sink, Ansonia, Sr. – Division VII All-Ohio third team, Division VII Southwest District first team, Cross County Conference first team
Honorable Mention
Ansonia – Hunter Buckingham,Brock Shellhaas
Arcanum – Austen Cutarelli, Isaiah Hootman, Devin Keckler, Cory Ross
Bradford – Jarrett Boggs, Josiah Brewer, Hunter Gheen, Taven Leach, Larkin Painter, Gaven Trevino, Ethan Reed
Greenville – Di’Maurye Ewing, Tytan Grote
Mississinawa Valley – Cody Dirksen, Trey Godfrey, Zeb Hannah, Elijah Livingston, Blake Scholl
Tri-Village – Dylan Finkbine, Wyatt Plush
Versailles – Andrew DeMange, Tyler Gigandet, Nathan Wagner
