WILMINGTON — Clinton-Massie senior Matt Phillips was named the Vince Lombardi Outstanding Down Lineman of 2018.
Phillips was one of eight Clinton County high school football players honored at Monday night’s ceremony at the Clinton County Fairgrounds Expo Center.
The award was presented to Phillips by guest speaker Drew Frey, a Clinton-Massie ‘07 graduate and football player who went on to play football for the University of Cincinnati.
“(The award) means a lot,” said Phillips, thanking his coaches and family.
He was nominated alongside fellow CM senior Seth Schmidt, and Cody McCollister and Ramiro Torres Jr. of Blanchester High School, Logan McPherson and Daulton Wilson of East Clinton High School, and Alex Flanigan and Austin Brummett of Wilmington High School.
Before giving the award, Frey gave words of encouragement to the audience on what hard work can do, and about overcoming adversity.
“You don’t have to be the guy that can do the biggest bench press — if you can, that’s sweet,” Frey said. “You don’t have to have the most pancake blocks in a season or game — you should want to, right? But you do have to have the willpower to be the best you that you can be. If you can do that and have that willpower and determination to outwork, out hustle … I promise you, success will follow.”
Frey was inducted into the CMHS Hall of Fame last winter. During his four years at Massie he rushed for over 3,400 yards, and scored 25 touchdowns his senior year. He served as an assistant coach for the Falcons during their 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Today, he is the owner/operator of HQ Innovations LLC, a small-business contracting firm he founded in 2016.
The award originally started after the death of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who died of cancer in 1970, with Clinton County starting its version of the event in 1974.
The event then was spearheaded by former Wilmington News Journal sports editor Clarence Graham and local businessman, the late Harold Losey. It is currently chaired by Bill Liermann.
