Mike Hetrick carries on football tradition

BROOKVILLE - If small-town football has a Mecca, it might be tucked away amid the cornfields and trees of Versailles. Hiding just off of Ohio 49, nestled in rural Darke County, Versailles is as far from a shopping mall as one can get in the Buckeye State without being on water. But the tiny town has produced champions, most of which were on the gridiron. This is the home of Brookville football coach Mike Hetrick. Hetrick played for his father Al in high school. A coaching legend with multiple state titles under his belt, Mike Hetrick learned the ropes from one of the state's best. The experience planted the seeds for a coaching career he began pondering after high school. "I had a small inkling that I might want to do it," Hetrick said. Football coach has always been a position of importance in smalltown Ohio. But having one of the state's best coaches as a father wasn't a distraction for Hetrick while growing up. "I really didn't know anything different," Hetrick said. "It was just the way it was. Dad handled it real well. He never put a lot of pressure on us at home. There wasn't a lot of football talk." Hetrick graduated from Versailles in 1983. He played college football at Division II Winona State in Minnesota. After college , Hetrick returned to Ohio for stops at Dixie and Southeastern. Hetrick was head coach at Southeastern for six years before Brookville came calling. The sport has changed since Hetrick was calling signals under center for Versailles. He's had a front row seat for the growth in the sport. "The athletes are getting bigger and faster," Hetrick said. "I think teams are throwing the ball more, the game is more wide open. The skill of the athletes has improved a lot." The sport has also become its own industry. High school football now garners national attention. ESPN and Fox Sports feature high school games every weekend. College recruits, once anonymous to all but a few college football junkies, are now instant celebrities. "Now there is exposure on ESPN on Friday nights," Hetrick said. "It's becoming a bigger spotlight every year." With those changes have come bigger expectations. Two decades ago, firing a coach for a win and loss record was a rarity. Now schools place winning as a major factor in the selection of coaches. While the spotlight means more attention for the sport, there are also downsides. "I think you can lose sight of why kids should be playing sports and the benefits of it," Hetrick said. "It's more than wins or losses. There is a lot of focus put on playoffs and championships and things like that. "Everyone 10 or 20 years ago, the playoffs were a distant dream to 80 percent of the schools in Ohio. It was stuff you read about. They started to expand, expectations grew and everyone wants that state title." Hetrick has had his share of success. His 2008 team went 10-0 in the regular season and won the Southwestern Buckeye League before losing to eventual state champion Alter in the first round of the playoffs. One thing hasn't changed over the years - the way a small town comes together for its football team. "I think it's a community effort," Hetrick said. "It's the expectations from the time kids are growing up, going to games and wanting to be a part of it. I think the kids want to be apart of something special. The community has a big role in that." Contact this writer with story ideas at bj.bethel@gmail.com