NEW MADISON — Defending Western Ohio Athletic Conference champion Tri-Village gave an encouraging early glimpse of the 2026 football season during a preseason 7-on-7 scrimmage against Covington and Richmond (Indiana).
While the Patriots displayed solid air attack, veteran coach Matt Hawkins knows that replacing several standout graduates will determine whether Tri-Village can successfully defend its conference championship.
“Well, we’re going to try,” Hawkins said of defending the WOAC title. “We have a lot of big shoes to fill. It’s especially hard to replace Noah Finkbine. It’s really hard to replace Trey Sagester, so we have to fill those pieces in.”
Tri-Village rotated two quarterbacks throughout the varsity scrimmage, with both signal-callers consistently finding open receivers and showing promise as the Patriots continue their offseason development.
“It’s a process,” Hawkins said. “It’s guys that have never been in this role on our team before, so it’s a learning process. It’s a learning curve, and I have to understand that.”
For Hawkins, the biggest adjustment this season has been developing a roster with fewer experienced starters than he has enjoyed in recent years.
“I’m used to having two- or three-year starters, so it’s hard to bring these young guys along because I’m getting too old and don’t have a whole lot of patience,” Hawkins said with a smile. “They’re doing a really good job for us this summer.”
Despite the graduation losses, Hawkins believes the Patriots remain among the league’s top contenders but expects a competitive race for the conference championship.
“I think Arcanum is going to be really good, and Ansonia is going to be good because they’re going to be older, but we are right up there,” Hawkins said. “We’re going to have to figure some things out, and we’re going to have to compete our butts off.”
Hawkins noted that while Tri-Village is replacing key contributors, several other conference rivals are also replacing experienced talent.
“That always helps,” Hawkins said. “I know Ansonia was super young last year. They’re looking to be really tough again. And then Arcanum, they’re chock-full. They’ve been waiting for this year for a while, so we know Week 10 is going to be an absolute battle at their place.”
Although no official score was kept in the passing scrimmage, the Patriots used the summer competition to evaluate personnel, build chemistry, and prepare for the upcoming season as they begin defending their WOAC championship.
