'It was an eye-opener.' Moeller senior football player reflects as he commits to Mt. Union

Anyone who was at Piqua High School’s Alexander Stadium on Nov. 25 had reason to be worried about Preston Smith’s future.

The Moeller High School senior was motionless on the ground after a hard tackle left him short of the goal line on the last play of the game, a contest Moeller lost in a state semifinal playoff.

Smith was strapped to a backboard and taken to a local hospital as the stadium went silent. But as it turned out, there were no serious injuries and those measures were precautionary. Smith said he was recovered and back on his feet a couple of days later.

“It was just a couple of days where I still felt stuff,” he said. “Just staying off screens, taking time to myself, keep quiet. It was a good time to find my real stuff.”

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Smith secured his football future Thursday, committing to play football for Mount Union. He took part in a signing ceremony with three football teammates and three lacrosse players in front of a large crowd in the gymnasium.

Mount Union is an NCAA Division III football powerhouse in northeastern Ohio. The Raiders were 11-1 this past season, winning a conference championship for the seventh straight season and 34th all-time. Mount Union has 13 Division III national championships.

Smith visited Mount Union in the fall but didn’t commit to the program until after having a long talk recently with Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany.

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“I went to the campus and it just opened my eyes,” Smith said. “I was talking to Coach B at one point. He asked me these questions and then he said I answered my own questions, he said, ‘You know where you want to go,’ so Mount Union was the answer. They’re a winning program and that’s what I like.”

Smith took a lot of positives from his experience dealing with his injury. With Moeller trailing 26-19 in overtime to Springfield and the Crusaders facing fourth-and-goal, Smith caught a pass at the 2-yard line and was hit hard in the back by an opponent, falling down short of the goal line.

“My last play of my Moeller career,” he said. “I had never been injured all my life. It was an eye-opener because anything can happen on the field. I had a lot of support from my friends and family, and that meant the world to me. Even though we lost, that made me feel good.”

Smith was one of four football players who signed Thursday: Top linebacker Kyler Paul will play for Dayton, punter Ethan Page will go to Lake Erie College  and defensive lineman Nick Monahan signed with Bryant of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Paul was Moeller’s leading tackler with 117, including 20 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He played running back and scored a touchdown in the state semifinal game. He was named first-team all-state on defense.

“It’s a great fit. (Paul is) going to have an awesome career there,” Bathiany said. “It’s one of the top academic schools in the country and one of the top football schools in the country. They have a great tradition. We’ve had so many Moeller alums go there and flourish. They’re getting a good one.”

That was in addition to Mr. Football Jordan Marshall (Michigan) and five other seniors who signed with high-DI programs in December. Bathiany said Devin Orr, one of the top kickers in the city and an all-district selection, will play college football as well but has not committed.

“I’m really proud and sad at the same time,” Bathiany said. “It’s bittersweet. You get to see players that you develop strong relationships with reach their dream of playing college football. You want them to go do that but selfishly, you don’t want them to leave. I’ll miss them like crazy. They’ve all given so much to this football program. They’re such a big reason for our success the last three years.”

Smith was second team all-league and has a 3.8 GPA. He will major in sports management.

"I’m going to miss my friends for sure, the bond we have here,” he said. “We call it the brotherhood. I always live by that. I’ll always be looking for friends that I made here.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Moeller senior football player reflects on last play of season