2005 COVINGTON BUCCANEERS - A SEASON FOR OUR BROTHER

The Buccs returned Covington football back to its winning ways, but more importantly they honored a teammate and brother.

The 2005 Covington Buccaneers dedicated the season to their teammate and brother, Dan "The Man" Rindler.
Kevin Finfrock

The 2005 football season was one of the most tragic seasons in school history, and yet one of the most memorable seasons in school history. It brings back painful memories for those who remember 1959, 1991, and 2000. In each of those seasons the Buccaneer faithful lost a member of the family in tragic accidents and in 2005 the Buccs lost a brother in #28, Dan “The Man” Rindler.

Much like the teams did in those years previously mentioned, the 2005 Buccaneers dedicated their season to their teammate who was taken from them far too soon.

Although the Buccs finished with a very admirable 9-1 regular season record, a share of the conference title, and a birth in the state playoffs, the season wasn’t about wins and losses. The season was more about brotherhood and togetherness as the entire roster came together for one purpose, to play for Dan.

The Buccs opened the season with heavy hearts, but managed to make quick work of Miami East, 43-8. Covington racked up 341 yards of total offense, 100 yards coming from senior Dusty Kimmel in his first ever high school football game.

In the home opener against Tri-County North, the Buccs recorded a memorable 40-7 win over the Panthers. The Buccs were sparked by winning the coin toss for the for the first time in two years as the Rindler family was chosen as honorary captains for the game as suggested by sophomore lineman J.J. Thompson.

“That was a very nice suggestion by J.J.,” said coach Kevin Finfrock at the time. “Wouldn’t you know it, it was the first time in two years we won the coin toss? Dan is with us and will always be with us, every step of the way. His parents are very special to us and our kids. We really miss Dan.”

The Buccs ran wild that night as Dusty Kimmel recorded 172 rushing yards and Gene Studebaker ran for 109 yards.

After the emotional win over North, Covington couldn’t keep the momentum going the next week as Anna handed the Buccs their lone loss of the regular season, 26-8. The Buccs failed to score inside the Anna five on three occasions and dropped the contest despite holding a statistical advantage in virtually every category and Gene Studebaker’s 177 rushing yards.

Covington got back on track in week four with a 48-0 shellacking of Twin Valley South on homecoming night. Studebaker and Kimmel both went over the 100-yard barrier with 187 and 119 yards respectively. Sophomore Brock Iddings also had a break-out game with 70 rushing yards and an interception.

The Buccaneer express kept rolling in week five with a 42-7 win over National Trail. Studebaker and Kimmel combined for 242 rushing yards in three quarters as the Buccs dominated their out-manned conference foe.

Perhaps Covington’s most impressive performance of the season came in week six in a 63-12 win over Ansonia. The Buccs recorded the fifth highest rushing total in school history with 435 yards on the ground. Kimmel ran for 190 yards and Studebaker broke loose for 134 yards as the Buccs scored at will on the Tiger defense.

The Buccs’ biggest win of the season came in week seven against unbeaten Arcanum. In a physical, hard-fought game that could have went either way, Covington snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with 1:00 left on a Studebaker to Seth Mohler pass and then a two-point conversion by Studebaker for a come-from-behind 30-28 win. Gene took over the contest as he recorded 177 rushing yards and had a hand in all four Buccaneer touchdowns, two rushing and two passing.

In week eight the Buccs avenged perhaps their most embarrassing defeat from a year ago with a 49-21 win over Mississinawa Valley. Dusty Kimmel ran possessed with 290 yards on just 19 carries as Covington racked up 471 rushing yards, the third highest ever in school history.

The Buccs dodged a bullet in week nine in a sloppy affair with Bethel. In a game where the rain poured down and the field became a sloppy mess, Covington came back from a 7-0 half time deficit to score 12 second half points and escape with the win. The host Bees threatened to score with seconds left in the contest, but a Nick Christian tackle for a loss set up a fetal passing attempt that was picked off by Logan Brown in the end zone to preserve the win.

In the final week of the regular season the Buccs got a little more payback, this time against long-time rival Bradford. Behind a 286-yard rushing performance by Studebaker, Covington trounced the Railroaders on “Parent’s Night” to earn a share of the conference title.

The season ended the following week in the first round of the state play-offs against Delphos St. John’s, but the Buccaneers had already re-established the winning tradition of Covington football in the ten weeks prior.

The 2005 Buccaneers added to the Covington record books as Gene Studebaker set the all-time single season rushing record with 1726 yards. The Buccs also recorded the second best rushing total for a season with 3,594 yards and the third best season for total yards with 4,418 yards.

Yes, 2005 was a memorable season and one that will go down in Buccaneer history as one of the better seasons in school history. It will also go down as a season in which the young men who wore the black and white played the game for one purpose…to honor Dan “The Man” Rindler.

POST SEASON AWARDS:
All-Ohio First Team: Gene Studebaker
All-Ohio Second Team: Logan Brown
All-Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year: Gene Studebaker
All-Southwest District First Team: Gene Studebaker, Logan Brown, Dusty Kimmel
All-Southwest District Honorable Mention: Nick Christian, C.J. Potter, Brian Ely
CCC Back of the Year: Gene Studebaker
CCC Lineman of the Year: Logan Brown; along with Craig Hoying, Anna
CCC Coach of the Year: Kevin Finfrock; along with Jason Schondelmyer, Arcanum and Brian Rioch, Anna.
First Team All-CCC: Gene Studebaker, Logan Brown, Dusty Kimmel, C.J. Potter, Nick Christian
CCC Special Mention: Brian Ely
CCC Honorable Mention: Bobby Wiltshire and Drew Craft
Mr. Football: Gene Studebaker
Dan Rindler Memorial: Nick Christian
Dr.Girouard Sportsmanship Award: Brian Ely
Lineman of the Year: C.J. Potter
Back of the Year: Dusty Kimmel
“Brotha” Offensive Award: Bobby Wiltshire
Skull & Cross Bone Defensive Award: Logan Brown
Three-Year Letterman Award: Brian Ely, C.J. Potter, Zach Deeter, Chase Manson, Seth Mohler, Gene Studebaker
Four-Year Letterman Award: Logan Brown, Nick Christian

2005 BUCCANEERS: Front Row (L-R) - Nick Meyer, Dustin Kimmel, Zach Deeter, Chase Manson, Nick Christian, #28 Dan Rindler, Logan Brown, Bobby Wiltshire, Dan Philabaum, Brian Ely, CJ Potter. Second Row (L-R) - Drew Craft,. Skylar Mitchell, Brad Plank, Tyler Kanet, Corey Patty, Jordy Burelison, Derrick Brumbaugh, Matt Thomas, Travis Wamer, Bill Dickey. Third Row (L-R) - Manager Jake Bitner, Gene Studebaker, Jake Wise, JJ Thompson, Tom Sampson, Cameron Rank, Lukas Broughman, Brock Iddings, Blaine Windell, Tyler Thompson, Manager Trent Tobias. Fourth Row (L-R) - Seth Mohler, Bryant Hale, Quentin Layman, Cody Swabb, Jake Jennings, Logan Wolock, Zach Clark, Daniel Thomas, Chris Long. Top Row - Mark Houle (Trainer), Coach Glen Hollopeter, Coach Doug Swartz, Coach Dave Tobias, Coach Tom Barbee, Coach Kevin Finfrock. (Not pictured: Carl Brown, Trey Tucker.)

DAN “THE MAN” RINDLER
Recently, Covington High School lost one of its finest students. Daniel (Dan) Rindler was about to enter his sophomore year. He served as a class officer for the class of 2008. With a 4.0 G.P.A., Dan was at the top of his class academically. He had already lettered in football and track, and participated on the school’s basketball team.

Dan was known for his out going personality and enthusiasm in all he did. Fellow football players recall that Dan entered every huddle with a desire to excel and motivate his teammates. Teachers agree he approached academics with the same fervor. Consequently, Dan was popular among his peers and appreciated by the faculty and staff of Covington Schools.

Good character was another of Dan’s attributes. He was the type of student who would rather set an example instead of blending with the crowd. Dan’s values were evident in his actions and his relationships. His leadership will be sorely missed in the halls of Covington High School.

Perhaps the best evidence of Dan’s impact on his peers is the large group of students who gathered to honor his memory Wednesday evening and again Thursday afternoon. It is through these gatherings and shared recollections that Dan’s memory will continue in our community.

– Covington High School

LOGAN BROWN BECOMES 4X NCAA QUALIFIER
Logan Brown, a senior on the 2005 football team and a 2006 Covington Graduate, went on to wrestle at Purdue University where he became a four-time NCAA National Qualifier at 197 pounds. In 2006, Logan became the first Buccaneer wrestler to win a state championship as he went 52-0 on the season at 189 pounds. He was a three-sport athlete at Covington, also excelling in football and baseball. On the football field at Covington, Logan earned 2nd Team All-Ohio honors, was chosen 2st Team All-Southwest District and was named the Lineman of the Year in the Cross County Conference.

CJ POTTER PLAYS AT WILMINGTON
2006 Covington graduate CJ Potter continued his football career at the collegiate level at Wilmington College. Potter was a three-year letterman and a standout offensive and defensive lineman for the Buccaneers. At Wilmington, Potter played on the offensive line for the Quakers.

2005 BUCCS - 9-2

DATE

OPPONENT

SCORE

AUG. 26

@ MIAMI EAST

SEP. 2

TRI-COUNTY NORTH

SEP. 9

@ ANNA

SEP. 16

TWIN VALLEY SOIUTH

SEP. 23

@ NATIONAL TRAIL

SEP. 30

ANSONIA

OCT. 7

@ ARCANUM

OCT. 14

MISSISSINAWA VALLEY

OCT. 21

@ BETHEL

OCT. 28

BRADFORD

STATE PLAYOFFS

NOV. 5

DELPHOS ST. JOHN'S

Select Result for Game Story.

2005 CCC STANDINGS

TEAM

CCC

ALL

COVINGTON

*8-1

9-1

ARCANUM

*8-1

9-1

ANNA

*8-1

9-1

TRI-COUNTY NORTH

5-4

6-4

BETHEL

5-4

6-4

ANSONIA

4-5

5-5

MISSISSINAWA VALLEY

3-6

4-6

BRADFORD

2-7

3-7

NATIONAL TRAIL

2-7

3-7

TWIN VALLEY SOUTH

0-9

0-10

SENIORS: Sitting (L-R) - Bobby Wiltshire, Nick Christian, Logan Brown, CJ Potter, Brian Ely. Standing (L-R) - Dan Philabaum, Zach Deeter, Dusty Kimmel, Nick Meyer, Chase Manson. (Not Pictured: Carl Brown)

2005 BUCCANEER PLAYERS

ZACH DEETER - 12
NICK MEYER - 12
NICK CHRISTIAN - 12
LOGAN BROWN - 12
DUSTY KIMMEL - 12
CHASE MANSON - 12
CJ POTTER - 12
BRIAN ELY - 12
DAN PHILABAUM - 12
BOBBY WILTSHIRE - 12
CARL BROWN - 12
TOM SAMPSON - 11
SKYLAR MITCHELL - 11
SETH MOHLER - 11
MATT THOMAS - 11
TYLER KANET - 11
GENE STUDEBAKER - 11
DREW CRAFT - 11
DERRICK BRUMBAUGH - 11
COREY PATTY - 11
CAMERON RANK - 11
BRYANT HALE - 11
BRAD PLANK - 11
TREY TUCKER - 10
LUCAS BROUGHMAN - 10
JORDY BURELISON - 10
JJ THOMPSON - 10
JAKE WISE - 10
DAN RINDLER - 10
BROCK IDDINGS - 10
BILL DICKEY - 10
ZACH CLARK - 9
TRAVIS WAMER - 9
TYLER THOMPSON - 9
QUENTIN LAYMAN - 9
LOGAN WOLOCK - 9
JAKE JENNINGS - 9
DANIEL THOMAS - 9
CODY SWABB - 9
CHRIS LONG - 9
BLAINE WENDAL - 9
RETURNING LETTERMEN: Sitting (L-R) - Tyler Kanet, Bobby Wiltshire, Nick Christian, Logan Brown, #28 Dan Rindler, CJ Potter, Nick Meyer, Brian Ely. Standing (L-R) - Gene Studebaker, Drew Craft, Zach Deeter, Chase Manson, Seth Mohler, Corey Patty, Jordy Burelison.
Captains: CJ Potter, Logan Brown, Nick Christian.
2005 Buccaneer Cheerleaders