Trey Rominger RB Paoli Rams
The Paoli Rams football team wrapped up its 2022 season last week in a Sectional loss to North Posey, 55-31. The Rams finished the season with a record of 7 wins and 4 losses. It was a commendable season for a Paoli team who faced a lot of injuries. Losing to North Posey may have not been the finish they were hoping for, but the Rams displayed a valiant effort all season long and should be celebrated.
Paoli Rams’ head football coach Neil Dittmer shares his thoughts on the season, “We did a lot of great things this season. We had many guys step up into big roles and thrive. We had multiple players who became leaders and were a huge part of a successful season. We were able to break the single season yardage record with over 4,000 yards of offense. As we told the players, there is no reason to look back on this season as anything other than successful.”
I want to thank the Paoli Rams coaching staff and players for allowing me to apart of their experience this year. There are a lot of great young men playing on this team. 10 seniors who will be moving on to tackle the next stages of their life, and find new successes along the way.
These seniors were huge for the team. “We lose 10 seniors who were a big part of our program, and we will miss those guys. We did finish the season with several sophomores and juniors who were asked to play a lot of football this year. Those guys will need to hit the weight room and practices hard, but I feel like we are going to be in shape as we head into next season.” Coach Dittmer shares.
The biggest loss for 2023 may be in the “Big 3” with Braxton Elliot, Brandon Cook, and Austin Benales. These 3 Rams were a crucial part of the offensive rushing game, together totaling 1,801 rushing yards or 41% of the team’s 4,419 yards. There will be a lot of questions on who’s going fill their positions next season, but Paoli will still has plenty of talent.
These guys were also key figures in the defensive scheme, and their presence will be missed on an already depleted Rams defensive core.
There is still a lot to look forward in 2023. Trey Rominger, the Rams best offensive and defensive weapon returns for his Senior season. Rominger finished the season with 1,927 rushing yards on 233 attempts, an average of 8.3 yards a carry. Trey is listed at 4th on Maxpreps rushing leaders list for Indiana. He finished with 20 rushing touchdowns as well.
Rominger also led his team in tackles with 114, putting him at 46th in the state for tackles. This is all at the time of the writing. Numbers will change as more tournament games are played.
Trey may be one of only a few seniors on the team next year, but he will be a capable leader, and if only just a few other players follow suit with his work ethic, I believe the Rams will flourish. I said he would get 2k yards this year, and it was close. Next season, I believe he leads Indiana in regular season rushing yards.
Rominger is only one player, and football is a team sport. The Rams dealt with major injuries all season, most notedly on the line, both sides of the ball. Its one heck of accomplishment for Rominger and his teammates to post the numbers they did, even with all the injury woes. Regardless of who was playing the position, the Rams were able to execute.
We asked Coach Dittmer to shout out some players who we hadn’t mentioned a whole lot, but deserve some credit, “We had a number of guys step up and play well. Oscar Lewellyn, Coy Busick, Ian Drake, to name a few…. Camron Meehan at O-line and LB, Jaxson Reynolds at O-line and LB, Coy Busick at O-line and D-line, Peyton Baker at O and D-line to name a few We are excited to get a lot of those guys back.”
Fletcher Cole will see his numbers increase next year. I’m not sure where Cole will play at, we could see him at the QB, WR, or Slot Back position next year. He’ll carry over that explosive power and will serve as the extra yardage man on the exterior. Coen Brace will be the third offensive option, in my opinion, behind Rominger and Cole.
I see Jaxson Reynolds being a big part of the defense, and if he hits the weights hard and focuses all off-season, we’ll see Jaxson come into his own force. I’ve seen this kid lay down some hits, and with his growing size he could be nasty.
There will be some attention needed on the offensive line, mainly with the interior run blocking. Late in the season, the middle was not available unless Rominger was being used as an extra blocker. Or he scrapped through three people to break lose.
The Rams will need to find some size and speed to cover that middle game, which is a crucial piece of Dittmer’s offense.
There’s always going to be that school we all assume is better like Mater Dei or Linton, but Paoli showed that it could compete with stronger teams, like their game against Boonville and Corydon Central. They beat themselves more this season then the other teams did, but these up and coming underclassmen have some fire and motivation to be good football players.
I want to give thanks to Billy and Keely Rominger at Rominger Farms for sponsoring Southern Indiana Sports Network this football season. Thank you for listening and believing in what we’re doing here. That goes out to all our readers out there. Thank you.
Now we move on to the basketball season. I’ll be making several appearances for the Rams season, but unfortunately will not be able to offer as much coverage as I’ve tried for football.
I look forward to covering the next Paoli Rams football season. Stay tuned to our facebook page, as I still have a bunch of pictures I have not released from the last few games. Make sure to continue to scroll to season the complete 2022 season stats for Paoli Rams Football.
Paoli Rams Football 2022 Season Stats
