#80 Aaron Anderson
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“Lexington is a good team,” Trenton Head Coach Brandon Boswell said. “They don’t have a lot of kids out, but the kids they do have out are pretty darn good. All of the coaches on our staff have been pretty impressed with what Coach (Kyle) Barkley has been able to do there. It is a big game for us, though. Not that Lexington isn’t good, but those teams behind them on the schedule are in a little better situation in terms of established coaches and programs. Right now Higginsville is state-ranked and Holden was receiving votes to be ranked. Those games will be difficult, but we just have to take it week-to-week, believe in what we are doing, keep buying in and try to perfect what we do.”
In Lexington, Trenton will see an offense not many teams run in the single Wing T. Though aspects of the offense are similar to Trenton’s pistol Wing T, the two will have a distinctly different feel on Friday night. The key players in the Lexington offense include fullback DeHaven McCrary and Tommie Smith. The duo will handle the bulk of the carries for Lexington.
Though Lexington has a tradition of running the football, passing has become more a part of the Minutemen’s game this season to the point where the team has incorporated some spread sets. With the way Carrollton quarterback Luke Wozny carved up the Bulldogs’ defense, look for Lexington Head Coach Kyle Barkley to give his quarterback, Reese Gassen, plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the air. That is something Trenton will need to improve on this week.
“The single wing offense they run is pretty rare for this day and age, but they run it pretty well,” Boswell said. “Obviously they probably feel like they can pass on us after last week, but that is something we have really been working on. We have some different things we are going to do because we can’t let what Carrollton did to us happen again. We know they can throw the ball based on their jamboree film. That’s pretty much all they did. We have a plan that we have confidence in, though. We feel like we can defend both their single wing run and their spread pass.”
Defensively, Lexington will stack the box with a 4-4 defense, looking to key on a Bulldogs rushing attack led by Colton Neff. Trenton’s returning 1,000-yard rusher was at it again in week one, carrying the ball 21 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Keep an eye on Trenton running back Travis Leeper as well, however. Leeper is the Bulldogs’ big-play threat, proving so in week one with a 53-yard touchdown run. Last year in Lexington, with the Minutemen leading Trenton 14-0, Leeper ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run just before halftime that changed the momentum of the game. The Bulldogs scored 27 unanswered points to come back and win the game 27-14. Leeper and Neff both ran for over 100 yards in the contest.
“We expect Lexington to be in a 4-4, but ultimately their outside linebackers are going to come up to the line so they more or less will have six guys on the line,” Boswell said. “They definitely are lining up like they are not going to give up the edge, but we still feel like we have angles. In the end we are going to do what we do, or do what we do best. We don’t want our kids to overthink things. We are not afraid and we are going to go right at them. That’s our plan.”
The Bulldogs and Minutemen will kick off from C.F. Russell Stadium Friday night at 7 p.m. A pre-game tailgate held at the Eastside Park shelterhouse will be sponsored by the S.M. Rissler PTO. The tailgate begins at 5 p.m. and is a free-will donation event.
As part of Alumni Week festivities, the 1984 Midland Empire Conference championship football team will be honored prior to kick off. The ’84 Bulldogs were 7-3 overall and 5-1 in MEC play. The team remains the last Trenton football team to win a conference championship. Trenton is currently an independent school with no conference alignment.
Starting Lineups
Trenton Bulldogs
QB 13 Dalton Ellis 5-10 158 Sr.
RB 11 Travis Leeper 5-11 154 Jr.
WB 21 Gavin Griffin 6-4 179 Sr.
FB 33 Colton Neff 6-1 203 Jr.
OT 51 Alex Davis 6-3 218 Sr.
OG 56 Trey Shields 6-1 169 Jr.
C 53 Nick Gass 6-0 189 Sr.
OG 54 Jeramiah Chipps 5-11 215 Sr.
OT 74 Terrin Ellis 6-4 256 Sr.
TE 24 Cree Mullenix 6-1 184 Jr.
WR 80 Aaron Anderson 6-1 161 Sr.
DE 75 Travis Gilbertson 6-2 275 Sr.
NG 71 Troy Hanes 5-9 171 Sr.
DE 53 Nick Gass 6-0 189 Sr.
LB 11 Travis Leeper 5-11 154 Jr.
LB 24 Cree Mullenix 6-1 184 Jr.
LB 56 Trey Shields 6-1 169 Jr.
LB 21 Gavin Griffin 6-4 179 Sr.
LB 27 Austin Burkeybile 6-0 176 So.
CB 13 Dalton Ellis 5-10 158 Sr.
CB 80 Aaron Anderson 6-1 161 Sr.
FS 18 Kail McCarter 5-11 153 Jr.
Carrollton Trojans
DE 3 Michael Sunday 6-0 175 Sr.
DT 65 Kwamae Simmons 5-5 190 So.
DT 70 Taylor Adkison 5-11 240 Sr.
DE 24 Warren Sheppard 6-1 185 So.
LB 7 Blake Johnson 6-0 155 Jr.
LB 44 DeHaven McCrary 5-11 185 Jr.
LB 56 Trey Kaullen 5-11 185 So.
LB 33 Cooper Lynn 5-10 155 Jr.
CB 5 Corbin Conley 5-8 175 Sr.
CB 2 Demitri Lewis 6-0 150 Sr.
FS 11 Reese Gassen 5-8 150 S0.
QB 11 Reese Gassen 5-8 150 S0.
RB 6 Tommie Smith 5-9 160 Sr.
RB 44 DeHaven McCrary 5-11 185 Jr.
RB 24 Warren Sheppard 6-1 185 So.
OL 56 Trey Kaullen 5-11 185 So.
OL 65 Kwamae Simmons 5-5 190 So.
OL 66 Tyler Charlton 5-9 220 Jr.
OL 70 Taylor Adkison 5-11 240 Sr.
OL 76 Nolan Harris 6-0 220 Jr.
WR 2 Demitri Lewis 6-0 150 Sr.
WR 5 Corbin Conley 5-8 175 Sr.
Week 2 Notables
Offense
Rushing – Colton Neff, 21 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD; Travis Leeper, 8 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD; Bailey Owen, 8 carries, 55 yards.
Passing – Dalton Ellis, 4-10, 72 yards, 1 TD.
Receiving – Aaron Anderson, 3 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD.
Defense
Tackles – Trey Shields, 14; Kail McCarter, 11; Gavin Griffin, 9.
Tackles For Loss – Griffin, 2; Shields, 1; Austin Burkeybile, 1.
Sacks – Griffin, 1.
Interceptions – none.