Every year when the football schedules come out, the first date fans look to circle is the Trenton-Brookfield game. Not only is the game looked at as a rivalry, but it also plays the role as an unofficial Class 2 District 8 championship game most years.
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Trenton fans and players look at this game as one of, if not the biggest game on the schedule and Head Coach Wes Croy knows the magnitude of the matchup.
“It’s a big game for us, and it always has been,” Croy said. “Brookfield has been a big game for these kids ever since they were Junior Dog players in fourth, fifth and sixth grade. They would love nothing more than to beat them and I think we have the opportunity to do that if we play well. But it’s going to take a great game by us because Brookfield is a good program.”
Brookfield will roll into Trenton on Friday sporting a 7-1 record, with their only loss coming at the hands of Clark County, who is 8-0 and currently ranked fifth in the state Class 2 poll. Brookfield has owned the Bulldogs over the past 17 meetings, winning 16, including the last eight straight.
Trenton, however, boasts an unbeaten 8-0 record and currently sits fourth in the state rankings. Playing at home, the Bulldogs could be considered the favorites in Friday night’s matchup.
When the teams hit the field, the Trenton defense will be looking at a balanced Brookfield offense that will have the ability to pass and run.
“They are pretty varied,” Croy said. “They traditionally have run the football really well and they still have the potential to do that, but they have also been doing a lot of spread stuff this year. They do that more to get their quarterback in space than anything else. Colby Bailey is a tremendous athlete and the more room they give him to operate, the more good things happen for them.”
Front line play by the Bulldogs defensive ends, Kade Kinney and Ethan Tabbert, will be essential to keeping Bailey contained in the pocket.
When Brookfield runs the ball, the Bulldogs will face a couple of hard runners in Dustin and Justin White. The Bulldogs know all too well what kind of a runner Dustin White is. In last year’s matchup, White ran up 168 yards.
When Trenton has the ball, they will be looking at a 5-3 defense very similar to the one Macon ran against the Bulldogs last week.
“We will see a lot of the same stuff we saw last week at Macon,” Croy said. “We like to run the football and they are going to try and get as many people in the box as possible. Like we have said all year, we are what we are. We can’t change things and become a team that is going to throw it 20 times a game. We are going to have to run the ball and we have to be able to do it well.”
Brookfield’s defensive line doesn’t have the size and strength that it had last year, but it’s a very aggressive unit. Trenton needs a performance from the offensive line like they got at LeBlond and Macon, where the opponent’s front line was treated to a physical, hard-hitting battle that had it gasping for air midway through the second quarter. If Trenton can repeat those performances, they should be able to move the ball on the ground successfully.
Trenton and Brookfield kick off at C.F. Russell Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday for what should be a great matchup for a Class 2 District 8 title.
If the Bulldogs can take the win, given the past history of this rivalry, athletic director Kris Ockenfels may want to start pricing new goal posts before the season finale with Schuyler County, next week in Trenton.