The Gallatin Bulldogs, on the strength of a dominating 37-6 win over Trenton, combined with a 17-8 Milan victory at Polo, have taken sole possession of first-place in the Grand River Conference, with just one week remaining in the regular season.
For the third consecutive week, Gallatin jumped on its opponent early in the first quarter, with the Bulldogs, against Trenton, taking the first possession down the field, and scoring on a 12-yard touchdown run by Draven Wright 3 minutes, 34 seconds into the game, with a two-point conversion run by Peyton Baker pushing the lead to 8-0.
Trenton remained competitive with Gallatin for the majority of the first quarter, but a quick one-two hit of touchdowns by the end of the quarter pushed Gallatin’s lead to 22-0. The first of two touchdown connections from Peyton Baker to Peyton Feiden, this one from 13 yards with 1:32 remaining in the quarter, gave Gallatin a 16-0 lead after the PAT conversion run.
Trenton took the football late in the first quarter, and just 27 seconds after Gallatin’s second score, a missed slant pattern ended up in the hands of Wright, who returned the interception 55 yards for another score.
The teams battled through a scoreless second quarter until Trenton endured another gut punch late in the half, as Gallatin took the ball at the 35 yard line, and with two big connections from Baker to Feiden, the second on a 25 yard touchdown strike, the Bulldogs took a 30-0 lead to the locker room after a Feiden two-point catch.
Gallatin controlled play in the game, particularly in finding more big plays than Trenton, but the visitors from THS were able to find the end zone on an impressive drive to start the third quarter, holding the football for 8 minutes and 26 seconds, with a 3 yard plunge by sophomore Gabe Novak closing Gallatin’s lead to 30-6, as a bobbled snap on the PAT kept Trenton from drawing closer.
Gallatin scored again from its defense in the fourth quarter, as Isaac Bird picked off a pass and returned the ball 43 yards for the game-clinching score, with the extra point making the final margin 37-6.
The win improves Gallatin to 6-2 overall, and at 5-1, leaving the Bulldogs as the only team in the GRC’s Eastern Division with only one conference loss. A large group of teams sit one game back, with Milan, Trenton, South Harrison, and Polo all at 4-2. Gallatin, with a victory at Princeton this Friday night, would clinch the GRC championship for 2021.
Trenton (4-4, 4-2), having lost its head-to-head meeting with Gallatin for the sixth consecutive season, will finish the regular season at South Harrison on Friday night.
Polo had entered Friday night tied with Gallatin and Trenton on top of the GRC, but a spirited effort by Milan dropped the Panthers into the four-way tie for second place, giving the Wildcats a key late-season victory, 17-8. Here is victorious head coach John Dabney:
Here is the high school football scoreboard from Friday, October 15, 2021:
Gallatin 37, Trenton 6 (Heard on Hot Country Z 101.7)
Milan 17, Polo 8 (Heard on KTTN FM 92.3)
South Harrison 48, Princeton 0
Maysville 51, Putnam County 8
West Platte 38, Penney 29
Mid-Buchanan 56, Plattsburg 7
East Buchanan 41, Lawson 18
Lathrop 49, North Platte 7
Chillicothe 62, KC East 0
Cameron 20, Benton 14
Maryville 42, Savannah 0
St. Pius X 40, Lafayette 7
Macon 28, Centralia 22
Highland 24, Brookfield 18
Monroe City 58, Clark County 16
Palmyra 27, South Shelby 8
Marceline 28, Westran 12
Harrisburg 34, Scotland County 30
Fayette 44, Salisbury 12
Herculaneum 20, Paris 8
Holden 58, Carrollton 0
Higginsville 69, Lexington 0
Richmond 47, Knob Noster 18
8-Man:
East Atchison 48, Stanberry 42
Worth County 70, North Andrew 50
Pattonsburg 62, St. Joseph Christian 32
King City 62, Albany 14
Mound City 56, DeKalb 0
South Holt 40, Rock Port 34
Platte Valley 52, Stewartsville-Osborn 0
Southwest Livingston 32, Nodaway Valley 28
Bishop LeBlond 80, Northland Christian 26
Northwest (Hughesville) 64, Norborne/Hardin Central 30
North Shelby 52, Orrick 12
Braymer 56, Santa Fe 28
Concordia 74, Keytesville 70
