Kinsey becomes the 39th winner of Ohio Mr. Football and the first East District player to claim the award since Howe won the inaugural trophy nearly four decades ago. The statewide media panel awarded Kinsey 107 points in the balloting, narrowly edging Shelby senior quarterback Brayden DeVito, who finished with 96 points as runner-up.
Over four seasons, Kinsey rewrote the Ohio High School Athletic Association record book, finishing as the state’s all-time leader with 133 career touchdowns and ranking second in total points at 840. He also sits third on the OHSAA career rushing list with 8,607 yards and owns 50 touchdowns in a single season, one of the best marks ever recorded in Ohio.
Kinsey’s surge to Mr. Football status was built on consecutive monster years in the backfield. He rushed for 3,278 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2024 while leading Indian Valley to its first Division IV state championship, then followed with more than 2,700 rushing yards and 40-plus scores as a senior in 2025 as the Braves returned to the state semifinals.
While known primarily for his offensive fireworks, Kinsey also anchored the Braves’ defense at inside linebacker this fall, recording around 120 tackles, three sacks and multiple pass breakups for a vastly improved unit. Off the field, he ranks near the top of his class academically with a GPA above 4.0 and membership in the National Honor Society, underscoring a résumé that impressed voters beyond the stat sheet.
Kinsey has signed to continue his career at the United States Air Force Academy, where he will join DeVito, his Mr. Football runner-up, as part of the Falcons’ incoming class. For the tight-knit Gnadenhutten community and the broader East District, his selection represents not only a personal milestone but a breakthrough moment for small-school football in rural Ohio.
