'They're real difference-makers': Five Dalton seniors thriving after waiting patiently

DALTON — Waiting your turn is an inconvenient part of life.

Patience can be a painful virtue. Hard work and perseverance are noble things, but still don't produce any kind of guarantee.

Such is the case in high school football, where years of practice and dedication don't always lead to on-field success. It's the kind of thing Dalton coach Broc Dial and his staff preach to their players.

Not done yet: Dalton wins first regional title in program history

Of course, the on-field success part is nice too — and Dalton and its group of seniors have learned those life lessons while winning more football games than most high school players ever do.

For a great team to reach its potential, it needs those kind of patient players, which Dalton has seen pay off in a major way during its tournament run, which continues Friday against Caldwell in the Division VII state semifinals at Zanesville High School's John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium.

Five members of Dalton's senior class — a senior class that's compiled a 39-10 record over four years — spent three years mostly on the varsity sidelines before contributing in a major way this season, helping the Bulldogs transform from a very good team into a great one. Gavin Annen, Jace Eberly, Talan Greegor, Kade Miller and Matthew VonBonin have seen all of that hard work pay off as they help the 'Dawgs march toward Canton.

"Football is definitely a developmental game and your time might not come until your senior year," Dial said. "We've had a great the last several years of seniors who got that opportunity their senior year and played really well and helped our team. Those are the kids that help you get over the hump and be successful. They're real difference-makers."

Annen, Miller and VonBonin play mostly defense for the 'Dawgs, coming off a dominant performance in a 31-8 win over Danville in the regional finals. Miller made one of the defensive plays of the year for Dalton so far, stripping a St. Paul defender in the regional semifinals and returning it for a touchdown to give the 'Dawgs a second-half cushion. VonBonin leads Dalton in sacks with seven and Annen is the team's leading tackler with 78.

"It feels great because we've been putting in the work for few years," Annen said. "Playing JV freshman, sophomore, sometimes junior year ... senior year, we're finally getting a chance to play in big games. It's an awesome feeling."

Meanwhile, Greegor and Eberly play roles on the offense, Greegor on the offensive line and Eberly at receiver. Dalton hasn't needed to go to the air too often during its tournament run but Eberly has seen an even bigger role over the past two weeks with No. 1 receiver Brady Hignight sidelined with an injury.

"Seeing all those positive role models in the spots ahead of you, seeing how they play in all these big games, that translates," Eberly said of observing the guys playing ahead of him over the past few seasons.

If any of those five players would have resigned instead of embracing the hard work heading into their senior seasons, the Bulldogs may have been more worried about Thanksgiving dinner this week than winning a state semifinal football game.

But they did embrace the hard work. And it's paying off in a major way for the entire team.

"It was hard," Eberly said of the offseason. "We knew we had a chance to do something that's never been done in Dalton football history. And I think we all worked harder than we ever had in order to achieve that goal."

That doesn't mean the previous three years were always easy. Football practices are tough. Weight room sessions are tough. Seeing classmates and younger players get more playing time is tough.

"(There are) one-on-one conversations you have with players," Dial said. "You talk to them and tell the truth. I think that's one thing kids really appreciate, is being honest with them."

The message Dial tries to impress upon all of his players — the tough times mold a person much more than the easy times.

"I tell the kids, nothing is guaranteed in life," Dial said. "The only thing you can do is make the most of it. Your character and your attitude really develop when you're facing hard times, not necessarily the easy times. You learn more from failure, you learn more from when things are tough. Really getting the kids to understand that's going to help them in the long run of life ... you're going to face adversity at some point. Things become a lot tougher when you're an adult."

Miller admits there have been tough times over the past few years. But was determined to keep getting better.

"I feel like everybody has those frustrations," Miller said. "But you keep pushing through and you'll get there eventually."

Eventually is now. One win away from the state championship game.

Sure, Dalton's program is built through learning lessons through the hard times and the losses.

But it's a lot more fun to do it while competing for a state title.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: OHSAA Playoffs: Dalton seniors persevere to make big difference