Brentwood’s Trent, Veatch to play together at Marietta

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, March 10, 2018 | 9:48 AM

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They have been best friends since elementary school.

Both are three-sport standouts; both are 18 years old.

They have competed regularly, and shared starring roles, in the Brentwood athletic arena, carrying over into distinguished high school careers.

And they have decided to keep their unique bond intact; they will be teammates once again in the Marietta football program.

Brentwood seniors Austin Veatch and Michael Trent recently committed to the Pioneers football program. Both were all-conference selections in 2017 — Veatch at wide receiver; Trent at quarterback.

At Marietta, both are planning to study to be a physician's assistant.

“I think the two of us playing together again in college was a big part of it,” Veatch said. “However, we both made the decision that's best for us and our future. And that just happened to be (selecting) Marietta. I decided on Marietta based on the value of the education.”

Veatch, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound wide receiver, was his best friend's favorite aerial target on the gridiron the past two years. He also competed in basketball in 2017-18, and is a member of the Spartans' baseball team this spring.

Veatch whittled his final two college choices to Marietta and Wheeling Jesuit. He also had considered attending Edinboro or Millersville.

Trent is a 6-2, 165-pound quarterback who also played basketball at Brentwood. He is competing in track and field program this spring.

Trent also contemplated going to West Virginia State, Bluefield (Va.), Tabor (Kan.) and Culver-Stockton (Mo.) before opting for Marietta. He and Veatch will join the Pioneers football program this fall.

“We have the same goals, and Marietta ended up being the best fit,” Trent said. “We both have unfinished business together.”

Veatch, a three-year letterman with 4.59 speed in the 40, led Brentwood in receiving last season with 54 catches for 848 yards. He also was No. 1 in scoring on the team with 15 touchdowns. Along with his 12 TD receptions, he scored twice on rushing attempts and once on an 87-yard kickoff return.

Veatch caught 30 passes for 618 yards as a junior, and ended his varsity career with 93 receptions for 1,605 yards and 23 touchdowns. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch for his career.

He also was nominated for Mr. PA Football (1A-3A), was voted to the MSA Sports/Kennywood high school preseason all-star team, and was listed among the WPIAL's top 100 football players/prospects for the 2018 class by Pittsburgh Sports Now.

Trent connected on 141 of 268 passing attempts for 1,826 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2017. He also ran for 168 yards and three scores.

His top passing performance of the season was delivered in Week Zero against Carrick when he hit on 15 of 24 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns. Trent eclipsed the 200-yard mark in passing five other times, including a 258-yard effort against Steel Valley in Week 9.

Both athletes acknowledged that their freshman season in college will prove to be a learning experience.

“My early expectations are to go in there Day 1 and, first off, learn the playbook,” Veatch said. “Secondly, I'd like to watch somebody play in front of me for a year so I can mentally and physically prepare myself for college football. And if I'm good enough to get on the field, then play to the best of my abilities.”

Trent said, “The goal is always to be the starter; grind it out in camp and prove that I can be the guy. If not, I'll use my freshman year to master the playbook and get ready to be ‘the guy' next season.”

Veatch and Trent will join another Brentwood product in the Marietta football program.

Brentwood grad Brendan Mulholland is listed as a 5-10, 257-pound senior offensive lineman on the Pioneers' spring roster. He is a three-year letterman and a physics major.

Marietta College, located in Marietta, Ohio, is a member of the NCAA Division III Ohio Athletic Conference. The Pioneers finished 6-4 overall in 2017.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Brentwood