PERRYSBURG –
Whether it was his boisterous voice, his extensive resume, or the fact that he is an assistant coach for one
of the country’s most successful football programs, all eyes were focused on Tim Hinton Tuesday night as he
spoke to participants of the Northwest Ohio Regional All-Star football teams."When someone from Ohio
State comes and talks to you, it grabs your attention right away," said Quinn Donaldson, a graduate of
Bowling Green High School playing for the Gold All-Star team. Donaldson will play football at Johns Hopkins
University in the fall.Hinton, the assistant coach for tight ends and fullbacks coach at OSU, spoke to the
athletes in between practices leading up to Friday’s All-Star game at Steinecker Stadium. Kickoff is at 7
p.m.His speech centered on embracing the "competitive spirit," avoiding being a "what
if" person and underscored the importance of avoiding temptations like drugs and alcohol."He is
very inspirational," said Derick Mobus, who just graduated from Elmwood and is playing for the Black
squad. "It’s nice to have someone reiterate everything you learned growing up."Mobus plans to
continue his football career at Mt. Union."How many of you can look back at your time during high
school and say ‘What if,”’ Hinton asked the players."Don’t live your life as a ‘What if.’ Live your
life as an ‘I am going to.’"I don’t care who you are or where you are from, you can accomplish anything
as long as you aren’t the ‘What if’ guy."And to seize opportunity, Hinton said drugs and alcohol have
to be left behind."I know this sounds a lot like what you have heard all your life … But I am telling
you right now, drugs will not enhance your life."Social media, too, can be a potential trap."Think
about what you are saying before you send it. Because after you send it, it’s there for a lifetime,"
Hinton said.The assistant coach also cautioned the teenagers that becoming an adult won’t be easy."You
are leaving high school and some of you are going off into the military, others are going to D-I schools,
D-III schools or not playing football anymore," Hinton said."You’ve been in a world where you have
always had a disciplinarian whether it was a teacher, a coach or a parent."Now you have to become a
self-disciplinarian," he said."It’s going to be really hard to be an adult. But go grab it."