Sports Spotlight: Trey Mildenberger

MANDAN, N.D. (KFYR) - The Sports Spotlight is usually done for standout high school senior athletes or college athletes who are making an impact in a big way.

Mandan’s Trey Mildenberger certainly fits the bill for the former.

He’s making maybe the biggest impact of anyone for the Braves football team, and he hasn’t taken a snap this season.

Every Friday night this fall, Trey Mildenberger has been right where he needs to be.

“I realized my journey and my path would just kind of shift a little bit, because I still get to be out here with all of my guys,” Mildenberger said. “It might just look a little different, but as long as I’m out here trying to help as much as I can, I’m going to do it.”

Mildenberger is right beside his Mandan Braves brothers. He has only missed one game this season.

“I’ve been thinking about this senior year nights, days, every time, what kind of dance I’m going to do, starting lineups, what I’m going to do with that,” Mildenberger said. “It was hard taking that in.”

Number 88’s senior season looks different than he ever could have imagined, but he’s embracing the role shift from tight end and linebacker to number one supporter.

“It’s really my escape from all of this going on,” Mildenberger said.

A truck rollover in mid-March changed the trajectory of Mildenberger’s life. He was a passenger in a vehicle that was speeding on a gravel road and lost control when the driver missed a curve in the road. The truck rolled three times, according to police reports.

“I still remember it,” Milenberger said. “It felt so slow, but obviously it wasn’t slow. I remember everything. I feel like I remember every hit. It was a lot worse than the football hits I take out here. Once I realized that we were on our side and my buddy had to pull me out, then I realized I can’t move my legs.”

Doctors told Mildenberger he’d never walk or move his hands again. He suffered a complete spinal cord injury, along with a collapsed lung.

However, his Braves mentality did not take long to kick in.

“I mean, I’m moving— I’m starting to move my hands,” Mildenberger said.

Mildenberger’s doctors did not expect him to be able to fully feed himself or be able to breathe on his own after surgery, but right away, he was able to do those things. Doctors said that was thanks in part to his athleticism.

“I’m a very competitive person, so if I don’t win, I get pretty mad,” Mildenberger said.

He’s carrying that positive attitude over to his new role, where he is showing support for the same people who showed up for him in the most difficult time of his life.

“Those are my guys,” Mildenberger said. “I’ve got to show up for them no matter what, you know?”

Mandan Head Football Coach Todd Sheldon said Mildenberger’s injuries haven’t taken away his ability to light up a room, but Mildenberger admits it has changed the way he thinks about life.

“Don’t take life for granted,” Mildenberger said. “And I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life.”

Mildenberger plans to graduate with his classmates in the spring and then go to Arizona State University to play adaptive rugby. It’s a game he has never played before, but he said he is excited about the challenge. After that, he wants to move back to North Dakota and coach the next generation of athletes.