On the final Friday night of the regular season, the Trenton Bulldogs defensive front was uncharacteristically slow to the ball, with Gallatin’s rushing attack gashing THS in a two-touchdown win that cost the Bulldogs a chance at an outright Grand River Conference championship. To begin district play, Trenton faced a second-round trip to Lathrop this season, hoping to reverse its fortunes from mid-August, when the Mules beat the Bulldogs in the season opener.
In the district quarterfinal round, broadcast on Hot Country Z 101.7 and KGOZ-TV, Trenton played tremendous football, harassing Lathrop quarterback Brock Lewis throughout the evening and scoring four rushing touchdowns, three by junior quarterback Lathan Croy, in a 28-13 road win that sends the #5 seed Bulldogs to Lexington, looking to payback the Minutemen for a shutout loss in Week #2.
Trenton’s defensive line was tremendous, particularly off the edges, as Mason Owen, Jadan Whitney, and Cole Schilling had their finest nights of the season. Spencer Harris and Colton Colston, in a 2 minute and 15 second span early in the third quarter, grabbed interceptions for the Trenton defense, and, with a two-score lead in the fourth quarter, the Bulldog defense bent, but did not break, in securing the first district victory at Trenton High School for third-year Head Coach Brandon Boswell.
Trenton, after fumbling on its first possession of the contest (at the 45 yard line), saw its defense stuff the Mules on four straight plays, giving a reprieve to the offense. The Bulldogs opened the scoring with 6:17 remaining in the quarter on a Croy quarterback sneak:
The extra point by Mason Owen barely made it over the crossbar, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. Lathrop responded with a quick drive that lasted only 1 minute and 52 seconds. The running attack by Chris Holt’s team, along with the extra point, tied the game at 7 after one quarter:
The second quarter provided Trenton a chance to re-establish momentum and the line of scrimmage, with the Bulldog offensive linemen doing just that, setting up the offense for two more short touchdown runs by Croy. The first came with 7:09 remaining in the first half:
Croy added another short scoring run with 44 seconds remaining in the half, looking to give the Bulldogs a 14 point lead into the locker room:
While things looked positive for Trenton late in the quarter, Lathrop decided to throw the football instead of taking a knee late in the half, and by the time the clock had run to triple-zero’s, the Mules had moved the ball to the Bulldogs 19 yard line. A Trenton penalty extended the half by one play, giving Lathrop a chance to cut into the lead:
Josh Saling took the ball away from the hands of two Trenton defenders, one yard deep in the end zone, but the extra point missed, leaving Trenton up 21-13 at the half.
Into the third quarter, Trenton’s defense frustrated the Mules with its relentless pressure and strong run stoppage. Meanwhile, the THS offense faced a crucial 4th-and-2 decision from Lathrop’s 5 yard line, late in the quarter:
The final quarter was scoreless, leaving Trenton the winners, 28-13. The victory sends the 7-3 Bulldogs to Lexington High School this Friday night, October 28th, for a 7 o’clock meeting with the Minutemen. Lathrop, the third-place finisher (behind Penney and Lawson) in the KCI Conference, finishes the year with a mark of 7-3.
Austin Burkeybile carried the ball 30 times for 144 yards for Trenton, with Croy racking up 18 carries and 126 yards.
