The Trenton Bulldogs made the most out of their first road trip of the season as they shut out the Putnam County Midgets, 40-0.
On a chilly Friday evening in Unionville, the Bulldogs’ defense stole the show away from the high-powered running offense Trenton is usually known for.
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The Trenton defense held Putnam County to just 28 yards of total offense and held the Midgets out of the end zone the entire game. When Putnam County tried to run the ball, the Bulldogs pushed them backwards. The Midgets had minus 27 yards on the ground when the final gun sounded.
Trenton’s offense got its yards as usual as De’Andre Vandevender had 200 and Scott Stevens had 149, but the defense was the story of the night.
“I thought it was definitely the defense’s best performance,” Head Coach Wes Croy said. “Things are coming around for us. Putnam County is not a great offensive team, but the fact we were able to hold them to negative 27 yards rushing and just 28 yards for the game speaks a lot for the progress our defense has made. I think Coach (Jon) Adwell has done a nice job making adjustments and getting the personnel to fit in the right spots.”
All totaled, the defense came away with six tackles for a loss, two sacks and three interceptions.
First Quarter
The game started with the Bulldogs’ defense flexing its muscles. Putnam County got the ball to start the game and was quickly shut down for a three and out. The Midgets failed to earn a first down and were forced to punt.
Trenton began marching down the field, but the passing game suffered. The Bulldogs were 0-for-2 passing on the drive, which ended with an interception.
Putnam County took over, but it wasn’t long before Kameron Alley, getting his first start on the defensive side of the ball, intercepted a Putnam County pass.
“Kameron came away with a big hit and a big interception in the first part of the game,” Croy said. “He’s a good athlete, a tall kid with a lot of speed, and I thought he did a good job in his first start.”
Trenton made the most of the opportunity and shortly thereafter Stevens ran the ball in from 54 yards out to get Trenton on the board early. A successful point-after kick by Aaron Lowrey sent the Bulldogs up by a score of 7-0.
Putnam County’s next drive also ended in an interception, this one coming from Colton McGinness. Trenton took over and Stevens reeled off another big run, this time for 37 yards as the first quarter came to a close.
Second Quarter
Trenton’s drive came to an abrupt halt at the start of the second quarter when the Bulldogs went for it on fourth and short in the red zone. Quarterback Ethan Bunnell was taken down for a 10-yard loss, giving the ball back to the Midgets.
Trenton’s defense stepped up yet again, holding Putnam County and forcing them to punt the ball for the second time in the game. Trenton took over with good field position.
It only took the Bulldogs five plays to get into the end zone. Vandevender ran the ball in from 19 yards out for his first touchdown of the game. Lowrey’s kick put Trenton up 14-0.
Putnam County turned the ball over for the third time in the contest on its next drive. The Midgets fumbled the ball and Alley pounced on it for the Bulldogs.
Vandevender ran the ball three times, finding the end zone on the third carry from 15 yards out. Another Lowrey kick gave Trenton a 21-0 lead with 4:39 left in the half.
Putnam County was forced to punt yet again and the Bulldogs ran out the remaining time and took their 21-0 lead into the locker room at the half.
Third Quarter
Trenton got the ball to start the second half, but the drive would be short-lived. On third and eight, Vandevender slipped, losing a yard in the process. Trenton punted for the first time all season when McGinness booted the ball back to Putnam County.
Putnam County continued to struggle against the Trenton defense. The Midgets attempted a fake punt on fourth down and failed miserably, turning the ball over to Trenton in the process.
With good field position, Trenton drove down and Vandevender punched it into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game. The extra point never got off the ground or even really snapped for that matter, leaving the Bulldogs with a 27-0 stranglehold on the game.
Another Midget punt followed shortly. Sophomore quarterback Tony Thompson got a few snaps for the Bulldogs as the third quarter came to a close.
Fourth Quarter
Bunnell returned to the game and the Bulldogs found the end zone yet again, this time via the legs of Dylan Robinson, who carried the ball in from 14 yards out. The point-after kick just missed and the Bulldogs led 33-0.
Putnam County threw its third interception of the night on the next possession. Brett Lawson stepped up and picked off the Midget pass, giving the ball back to Trenton.
Thompson entered the game permanently on the Bulldogs’ next drive. Robinson broke a 20-yard run on Trenton’s next play, putting Trenton in scoring position yet again. Thompson ran 23 yards on a keeper shortly after and found the end zone. Lowrey’s kick was good and Trenton led 40-0 with just 3:54 left to play.
Putnam County was forced to punt again and the Bulldogs took over with a minute left. Trenton ran the clock out to capture its third win of the year, moving to 3-0 on the season.
The Bulldogs will be on the road for the second consecutive week this Friday when they travel to Gower to face the Mid-Buchanan Dragons. The Bulldogs and Dragons will kick off play at 7 p.m.
Statistics
Team 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q F
Trenton 7 14 6 13 40
Putnam Co. 0 0 0 0 0