Several talented players are four-year varsity starters for their high school football team.
Darrington’s Trent Green took it one step farther.
The senior quarterback and defensive back was a four-year captain for the Loggers, taking on a leadership role as soon as he hit the field.
In his first season Darrington went 1-9. By his junior year the Loggers were 7-3 and in the state playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Green was an integral part of that, according to Darrington head coach Doug Lenker, who nominated his senior for Saturday’s 2015 Earl Barden All-Star Classic — an all-star game that features some of the top athletes in the state from the 2A, 1A and 2B classifications.
“Any time you get a kid from a small school like this it’s definitely a great opportunity,” Lenker said. “We’re really happy and proud to have coached him and to be able to say he comes from Darrington.”
Green was a standout athlete at Darrington, playing football and basketball all four years. He played baseball for five seasons, starting when he was in eighth grade.
“When I had those couple weeks off between each sport I didn’t really know what to do,” Green said. “So I kept playing all year long. It was a lot of fun playing all those sports.”
Green wasn’t born with the desire to play football.
However, as the Darrington student-athlete got older, he realized he was born with a competitive drive to continue to improve.
“When I was younger I didn’t really want to play football,” Green said. “I don’t know what the reason was. (Eventually) I was just drawn toward it. I’m competitive and wanted to get better and I just started playing.”
Lenker said Green’s dedication to the team and offseason weightlifting regimen always made him one of the top athletes on the team coming into the season. Lenker noted the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Green was a good role model for Darrington’s other athletes.
“In practice he’s down to business,” Lenker said. “There’s no playing around. It’s all business and work with him. He listens well. He’s easy to coach. He’s smart, athletic. He’s a good teammate. He promotes others and tries to help them along if they’re having a hard time. And he is a real good motivator too.”
The Darrington coach saw steady improvement from Green over four years as he continued to captain the Loggers.
“As a freshman, especially starting at quarterback and expected to run the team, he definitely had some times where he questioned himself a little bit,” Lenker said. “As time went on, he got more and more confident. There was no guessing. He just did what he needed to do.”
Green’s impressive athletic career will likely be coming to a close with Saturday’s game. The senior had talked to a few colleges about playing football, and looked into pursuing college baseball as a possibility as well.
But in the end, Green, who has a 3.6 grade-point average, is leaning toward just going to college and focusing on academics. Green, who also volunteered with the American Cancer Society as well as relief efforts after the Oso mudslide, is planning on attending Skagit Valley College and studying fire protection technology.
“I’m kind of just focused on my future career and school,” Green said.
However, before his high school career comes to a close, Green is looking forward to playing on the West squad in the Earl Barden Classic. It was a busy schedule for the players this week but Green, who arrived in Yakima on Tuesday, is excited to play with the best.
“It’s pretty fun. There’s a lot of good athletes here,” Green said. “It’s kind of cool to know I’m a part of that. … It’s one more last hurrah before I go to college. It’s the last chance I get and I’m trying to make the best of it.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
