By Seth Herrold
District time for fall sports is always an exciting time of the year, but it’s even more exciting when you have teams and individuals in the running. This year in Trenton, there are plenty of horses in the race.
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Trenton’s girls golf and softball teams are in the running year-in and year-out and this year they have kept up their reputations. The Lady Bulldogs golf team sent four players to sectionals after a successful season and Chandler Wilson and Hannah Griffin will be representing the Black and Gold at the state tournament in Springfield. Trenton has had at least two girls’ golfers at the state tournament every year since I started covering Trenton sports and have captured a pair of top-four finishes in that time.
The softball team is just one win away from a second-straight district championship, after an exciting 10-inning win over a higher-seeded team on Thursday night. Like I said, this is an exciting time of year and games like that, though tough on your nerves and heartstrings, are what makes this time of year so great. An extra inning game where even the slightest mishap could end your season? Now that’s real drama.
While everyone knows, and expects, the golf and softball teams to be successful, this year the two squads have had to make room for the tennis team, which produced one of the best seasons in the program’s history. A team record for wins in a season (14) and a district champion have made this season one that will go in the books. Alyssa Dougan broke a six-year drought of individual district champions and also set the school record for career wins by a THS girls tennis player, eclipsing the 100-win mark in the process (she currently has 110 career wins).
Not only have those three girls teams been successful, but the Trenton football team, which fell on some rather hard times last season, appears to be much improved. District play will begin following this week’s match-up in Higginsville. The district includes Plattsburg, LeBlond and the runaway favorite, Hamilton.
LeBlond is first up, a team Trenton has had a stranglehold on over the past decade. Plattsburg doesn’t appear to be a strong team this year, either. Those two teams make the playoffs seem like a very possible reality for the Bulldogs, however, anything can happen, especially if a favored team looks past an underdog. Hamilton is the second district game of the season for the Bulldogs and it would be easy for a team to look past the opening game against LeBlond with Hamilton coming to town the following week. The LeBlond game has all the classic signs of a trap game and the Golden Eagles will need to be the sole focus of the Bulldogs on Oct. 15 and the week leading up to it.
Fortunately, the Trenton coaching staff is a good one and Head Coach Wes Croy didn’t get to the 100-win plateau in his career by looking past opponents. The Bulldogs have a good ground game and are definitely going to be battle-tested heading into district play after contests with West Platte, Lexington and Higginsville.
There are few things as exciting as playoff football. I have enjoyed covering two runs by the Bulldogs in 2007 and 2008. Another appearance in the playoffs this season would be exciting and it’s a possibility.
Trenton has one district championship in its pocket, one on the line Saturday, a pair of state qualifiers and a chance at another on Monday. Two teams are gunning for state playoff berths as well. It’s an exciting time in Trenton. It’s an exciting time to be a Bulldog.