The 39th Annual 8-Man All-Star Games will take place this Saturday, June 8 at Trojan Field in Beloit and as is normally the case, the Clifton-Clyde Eagles will have representation. Trent Long will join the long list of Eagles in the past who have played in the 8-Man All-Star Game when he suits up for a final time in a high school game for the DI East All-Stars.
Long certainly earned his spot as an all-star, putting together what was likely the best single season for a dual-threat quarterback during Russ Steinbrock’s tenure as the head coach for the Eagles. In a typically run-first offense, Long’s 1,386 passing yards in 2023 nearly doubled the old school record of 707 which was set just two seasons ago by Jett Skocny. He also now holds four of the top five marks for passing yards in a single game and his 1,951 career yards rank atop the charts as well, passing former 8-Man All-Star Aiden Rudolph who threw for 1,762 from 2017-2020. He also ranks atop the leaderboard for completions in a season (92), completions in a career (139), passing touchdowns in a game (4, 2 times), passing touchdowns in a season (23) and passing touchdowns in a career (31).
To add to his success in the passing game, Long was also a huge threat in the running game. In helping lead the Eagles to a 7-3 record in 2023, he ran the ball 133 times for 1,128 yards and 19 TD is his senior season. He averaged 8.6 ypc throughout his career, putting him in second place among all Eagles in that category under Steinbrock.
Long was also a first team all-state defensive selection in 8-Man DI as a senior. He led the Eagles with 95 total tackles in 2023. He finished fifth all-time on the Clifton-Clyde tackle chart with 236 total stops.
Over his four seasons at Clifton-Clyde, he has helped the team to a 28-9 overall record, as they won seven games in each of those seasons. Long has enjoyed his time playing for Clifton-Clyde and he offered his thoughts on what playing in coach Steinbrock’s program has meant to him.
Catch Trent Long of Clifton-Clyde in the 8-Man DI All-Star Game on Saturday in Beloit. He will suit up one final time for the DI West All-Stars. The game kicks off at 10:00 from Trojan Field and if fans are unable to make it, you can listen on KR 92 out of Belleville on the 8-Man All-Star Radio Network or online here at 8manallstars.com. Pregame coverage will begin at 9:30 on Saturday morning.
