Wooster Daily Record Football Defensive Player of the Year was a pretty clear choice
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When looking at who would be the rightful choice for the All-Area Defensive Player of the Year in Wayne/Holmes County for the 2025 football season, only one name really came to mind, and that was Triway senior defensive lineman Roman Gilbert.
Other considerations were Hillsdale senior linebackers Aiden Hoffman and Brady Heller, West Holmes senior linebacker Lynn Cline and junior linebacker Braxton Blake, Dalton junior defensive lineman Jackson Oswald, Norwayne junior linebacker Cameron Hackworth, Smithville sophomore linebacker Zach Lanneaux and Loudonville senior linebacker Josiah Hershberger.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Gilbert caused havoc all season on the D-line. Whether it was him being blocked in single coverage, or dealing with being double-teamed or even triple-teamed at times, it really didn’t matter. Gilbert was going to find a way to cut loose.
And he usually did.
Gilbert finished the season with 73 tackles, a crazy 27 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks (1.2 sack per game), three pass deflections and one fumble recovery. Whether he lined up on the edge or inside at the tackle position, he was causing trouble and using his size, strength and high motor to get to the quarterback and make plays in the backfield, which usually resulted in a loss of yardage for the opposition.
Said Triway teammate and senior linebacker Grayson Smith after Triway defeated Fairview 45-13 in their Division V second round playoff win, “When you have someone like Roman Gilbert on the line, there’s nothing another team can do. We run one blitz and he’s there in a half-of-second. He’s one of the best players I’ve seen.”
Triway’s defense was strong all season (two shutouts, seven games holding the opposing team to 15 points or less) and Gilbert was the head of that snake, leading the Titans to a 10-2 record, the Principals Athletic Conference title and a regional semifinal appearance. He was named to the Division V All-Ohio First Team, Division V Northeast Inland District Defensive First Team and the PAC First Team, while also voted as the Division V Northeast Inland District Defensive Player of the Year.
Gilbert was a beast all season. If you saw him play in 2025, you would know all about it.
jamessimpson@gannett.com
Twitter/X: @JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Triway’s Roman Gilbert chosen as All-Area football DPOY
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