Trivett looks to close out high school career with a bang

Published 8:58 am Friday, August 4, 2023

STAR CORRESPONDENT

When Dylan Trivett was getting his ears wet in middle school football, it wasn’t hard to see that the personable young man had the tools it would take to succeed and excel at the high school level.

Even at that age, he had a cannon for an arm and his teammates looked to him for leadership which he wasn’t afraid to accept. And even though he suffered some setbacks along the way including injuries that often limited his ability to compete with his teammates, he never stopped pushing.

Move ahead five years and now Trivett will be strapping on his football equipment for one last hurrah as a senior quarterback looking to lead his Hampton Bulldogs back to a visit to Chattanooga and another shot at a state championship. He already has one state championship under his belt as a member of last year’s championship basketball team but would love to put another gold ball in Hampton’s trophy case for football.

“They are definitely going to be looking at me to be a leader, so you know I am going to try to do that the best way I can,” Trivett said. “I am going to try and be cool in the heated situations so they can look to me and not worry as much and hold everyone accountable, which is what they will do to me.”

In his early career, Trivett had the opportunity to play behind Conor Jones, who led the ‘Dogs to a state championship appearance in the 2021 season. Trivett believes those years of sitting back and studying Jones operate at quarterback will prove beneficial in his final campaign.

“These past few years I played with Conor and I have never really had the chance to be involved in the mix and it has helped to have more experience and confidence,” Trivett said.

One of the most important things Trivett believes he will need to bring to the table is to help keep the outside noise out of the Bulldogs heads. After reaching the success that the ‘Dog football team has experienced, the expectations from the outside often weigh heavy on the shoulders of players who are having to deal with much tougher things that affect each one individually.

The main thing Trivett wants to see is his team to be competitive night in and night out and take the season one game at a time and let the chips fall where they may.

“We are going out there and compete,” said Trivett. “We have to have everyone locked in and remain focused. We cannot have outside things bothering us.”

As far as the future goes, Trivett is keeping his options open. Being a two-sport athlete, Trivett hopes that the door will open for him to play collegiately.

“It doesn’t matter – either basketball or football,” said Trivett. “Whichever door opens.”