Ten 10 MaxPreps stories from fall of 2012

From a record-setting rusher to blind athletes to 67-yard field goals to 21-year-old imposters, the fall of 2012 had it all. Here's a sampling.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Mitch Stephens
By
Jan 2, 2013, 3:00pm

7. Trent Bauer goes from mascot to starting QB

From football mascot to starting quarterback in seven weeks - even Hollywood would balk at turning that script into a movie.

Trent Bauer, Dunbar
Trent Bauer, Dunbar
Courtesy photo
But that's the truly incredible story of Trent Bauer, a junior at Dunbar (Lexington, Ky.).

Let's call it "The Trent Bauer Story" and begin with Dunbar's season opener, a lopsided 45-6 loss to Eastern (Louisville, Ky.). Wearing the outfit of the team mascot, a bulldog, Bauer had done everything he could to put life into the rather lethargic crowd. He even stumbled and fell twice on the bleachers - on purpose - in hopes of creating some chatter.

The next school day, Bauer approached coach Derrick Thomas and asked if he could join the team as a player. He had many friends on the team and they had been recruiting him since the previous year - even though he had not played organized football since he was 10 years old.

"I thought, maybe, I could help out in some way," Thomas said.

Thomas, who is slowly resurrecting the Dunbar program, was a little skeptical at first because Bauer actually had tried out the previous spring but quit after just a few days.

"He kind of hung up his cleats and walked away," Thomas said.

Rest of story