The Trenton High School Bulldogs came back from their first loss of the season with their best football game of the year, completely manhandling the St. Joseph Bishop LeBlond Eagles on Friday night, 53-7.
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The Trenton High School Bulldogs came back from their first loss of the season with their best football game of the year, completely manhandling the St. Joseph Bishop LeBlond Eagles on Friday night, 53-7.
?Overall, this was the best game we have played so far this season,? Head Coach Rich Johnson said. ?We dominated on offense, defense and special teams. We didn?t allow LeBlond to look like the quality football team they really are.?
From the opening drive on, Trenton made it clear that it had no intention of allowing LeBlond in the football game. Behind the aggressive play of Trenton?s offense line, THS drove that ball 64 yards for a touchdown, with Joel Peace scoring on a 30-yard run.
?Our offense drove their defensive line five to 10 yards off the ball and then the kids put LeBlond on their backs,? Johnson said. ?The offensive line was super. They fired off the ball and finished their blocks.?
Trenton kept the pressure on the LeBlond by blocking the Eagles? first punt and promptly turning that special teams? play into six points as Casey Beverlin scored on a four-yard run. Peace scored Trenton?s third touchdown on a 17-yard run.
Not to be outdone, the THS defense forced three punts and allowed only one first down in the opening quarter.
?I think it was very important for our defense to come back with a game like this,? Johnson said. ?Our defense was flying to the ball. The linebackers read their keys and made plays.?
Trenton?s running game worked hand-in-hand with the Bulldog defense to keep LeBlond in check. Trenton rushed the ball 60 times for 495 yards. Peace led the way for THS with 192 yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns.
Beverlin got his second touchdown in the second period, running the ball in from 16 yards out. Tyler Tolle then scored on a 15-yard run.
The second half saw Jesse Meek score on a 49-yard run, with Peace then scoring on a 10-yard run before Jesse Ingraham finished off Trenton?s offensive attack with a seven-yard touchdown run.
?Joel has really been running the ball well these last couple of games. That is exactly what you expect from your senior captain running back,? Johnson said. ?He has been running with a lot of desire and it shows with the number he has put up these last few games.?
The win pushes Trenton?s record to 6-1 overall heading into district play. Trenton hosts two district games this season, opening against Brookfield this Friday night at C.F. Russell Stadium. The Bulldogs will then host Marceline before travelling to Putnam County for the final game of district play.
?Obviously we have played bigger schools (than Brookfield), but bigger doesn?t necessarily mean better,? Johnson said. ?Scheduling doesn?t mean anything once districts start. All four teams are 0-0 and it becomes a three-game season.?
Trenton will be looking to end a seven-game losing streak against Brookfield. In fact, the wins have been few and far between for Trenton against Brookfield these last 10 years. as THS is 2-8 over that time.
?I am not sure how much of bearing that will have on this game,? Johnson said. ?Tradition helps, but the game is played on Friday night and our kids feel like we are a pretty good football team.?
Trenton is looking to win its fourth home game of the season to remain unbeaten at C.F. Russell Stadium.
?Each district game is a must win, but that is how we have addressed every game this year,? Johnson said. ?Our kids know that this is another big game. They know that they have to make plays to win this game. They have an offense that is going to try and drive it down our throats. On defense they are aggressive and play very hard. I expect this to be a very hard hitting game. This should be a fun game to be a part of.?