THS Football Team Ends Season With Win

Nov 8, 2004 | Sports & Recreation

The season wrapped up at Hamilton on Friday night for the Trenton High School varsity football team.

The Bulldogs rolled their way to a 21-0 lead in the first half, only to see that lead disappear in the second half. But THS held on to win, 28-20.

?We came out ready to play and scored on our first three possessions,? Head Coach Rich Johnson said. ?Hamilton scored late in the first half and then we forgot to come out and play in the second half.?

THS quarterback Wade Peters rebounded in a big way after a tough night against Brookfield last week. Peters rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Peters, who came into the contest lacking 140 yards to reach 1,500 yards rushing, made that in in the first half and finished the game with 269 yards.

?Wade reaching 1,500 yards was a big deal for our offensive line,? Johnson said. ?After the game, that is the first thing those kids wanted to know: did Wade reach 1,500 yards.”

Trenton?s offensive line controlled the line all night as the Bulldogs rolled for 364 rushing yards and 450 yards of total offense.

?The only thing that stopped us in the second half were turnovers and penalties,? Johnson said. ?Ourselves were the only things that could stop our offense. Hamilton didn?t stop us all night long.?

The Bulldogs racked up a total of 15 penalties for 117 yards, including six holding calls and three offside miscues. Trenton had nearly as many penalty yards in the first half, 47, as Hamilton had in offensive yards, 55.

?We made too many mental mistakes,? Johnson said. ?We killed ourselves with silly penalties.?

Hamilton’s Roy Rosenbaum broke free right before halftime on a 23-yard touchdown run. Rosenbaum had 45 of Hamilton?s 55 first-half yards and also helped bring the Hornets back in the second half

Rosenbaum accounted for all three of Hamilton?s scores and 167 yards of the Hornets’ 208 total offensive yards.

?Rosenbaum had a great second half. He had 87 yards in the fourth quarter alone. Our defense couldn?t find a way to stop him,? Johnson said. ?Luckily, Hamilton did not have an answer for Wade. He ran wild all night long.?

Hamilton?s offense kept THS off the field in the third quarter as the Hornet offense was on the field for nearly the whole period. The Hornets ran 21 plays to Trenton?s six. Hamilton was forced to punt on its first possession of the second half. The Hornets then stopped THS on fourth down. Hamilton drove the ball 5 yards on 10 plays, making the score 21-14.

Trenton answered two plays later and extended the lead, 28-14. The Hornets answered with a 12-play drive that ended on an 11-yard run by Rosenbaum. Momentum really swung toward Hamilton when THS fumbled the ball back to the Hornets on the first play of next drive.

Trenton’s Zane Robinson intercepted pass on the six-yard line to end the Hornets’ drive and their scoring threat. The Bulldogs then went 31 yards on 17 plays. Hampered by five penalties, the Bulldogs were forced to punt back to Hamilton with just under four minutes to play.

The Bulldogs stopped Hamilton, but still needed another score (at least a 13-point difference) to ensure they would finish no worse than second in district play.

?We had to try and score again. In district play, 13 is the magic number,? Johnson said. ?If you don?t win all three games, then you are forced to chase points to give your team the best possible chance. We were forced to try and score until we had our 13 points.?

According to MSHSAA rules, the first tiebreaker in a three-way tie is points in district play. The point system is based on margin of victory up to plus or minus 13 points. Because Brookfield, Trenton and Macon all finished district play with a 2-1 record, the district title was determined based on the point system.

Brookfield won its opening game over Hamilton, 27-12, which gave them a plus-13 points. Brookfield then defeated Trenton, 26-6, to give them another plus-13. Brookfield lost its final contest to Macon, 21-14, giving them a minus-7 and a total score of plus-19 and the district championship.

Trenton won its opening game over Macon, 42-21, giving THS a plus-13. THS then lost to Brookfield 26-6, giving the Bulldogs a negative 13 points. Trenton came back to defeat Hamilton, 28-20, giving THS plus-8 and a final score of plus-8 and a second-place finish in district play.

Macon lost to Trenton in its first game, 41-21, giving them a minus-13. The Tigers then defeated Hamilton by 13 points. In their final game, the Tigers defeated Brookfield, 21-14, giving them a plus- 7 points and a final score of plus-7, which placed them third overall in district play. Hamilton lost all three games and finished with a final score of minus-34.

It was the final football game for nine THS seniors who, according to Johnson, will be missed next season.

?This senior class is the most athletic bunch that I have coached since coming to Trenton,? Johnson said. ?I told these seniors, before the season that we should be at least 8-2 and I honestly believed that would include a district championship.”

?The season is over too soon, Johnson added. ?This senior class is a good group of boys both on and off the field. I know they wished they were hosting a sectional game on Wednesday, but that is not an option for us. Even without a district championship, they still have a lot to be proud of.?