The Trenton Bulldogs had Pembroke Hill right where they wanted them Friday night. Then Michael Keane showed up. The Raiders big tight end caught two huge passes in the fourth quarter, one for the go-ahead touchdown and the other to deny Trenton a chance at a comeback.
In the end, Trenton had to settle for a moral victory after an improved effort, but fell to 0-5 overall on the season with a 26-15 loss at C.F. Russell Stadium.
Everything went Trenton’s way near the end of the third quarter. After falling behind 12-0, the Bulldogs broke a 12-quarter long scoring drought with a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dalton Ellis to running back Travis Leeper. Ellis then hit Cree Mullenix for a two-point conversion. Bailey Owen scored on a 10-yard run on Trenton’s next possession and Jonathan Lamp’s point-after kick gave Trenton a 15-12 lead, its first lead since week one against Carrollton.
The fourth quarter began with a bang for Pembroke Hill, however, as Keane caught a 55-yard touchdown pass to erase Trenton’s new-found, short-lived momentum and put the Raiders back in front. After Trenton turned the ball over, Keane caught his second big pass, this one coming on fourth and long. The catch denied Trenton an opportunity to get back on the field and set up a second fourth-quarter score for the Raiders that essentially sealed Trenton’s fate.
“We played our best game of the year, but ultimately we just made too many mistakes to come out with the win,” Trenton Head Coach Brandon Boswell said. “We had the momentum going into the fourth quarter and then we had a broken assignment. One of our linebackers didn’t cover a tight end and they were able to take the lead for good. That stuff is really frustrating when you play a decent game and then you make a major mistake like that.
“We can take a lot of positives from this. We obviously showed signs of what this team can be, but our boys were hurting at the end. They were close and ultimately fell short.”
Early on, Trenton’s scoring struggles were still evident. The Bulldogs cracked the red zone once in the first half, but were turned away on four-straight plays inside the 10-yard line, keeping Trenton off the scoreboard. The offensive issues, however, were not present. The Bulldogs moved the ball very well all game long, especially on the ground.
Despite the heartbreaking fashion of the loss, Trenton did have a lot of positives to look at, the ground game in particular. Trenton made some personnel adjustments both on the offensive line and in the backfield and it seemed to click. Trenton rushed for 175 yards on the night, the highest total since week one in Carrollton. Bailey Owen led the way with 70 yards, followed by Jonathan Lamp, who carried the ball six times for 52 yards in his first varsity career start. Leeper had 22 yards on seven carries and Logan Shuler and Dalton Ellis added 11 and 20 yards respectively.
“We made some personnel changes and decided to start attacking the edge,” Boswell said. “Lamp, Leeper and Bailey Owen and even Logan Shuler were able to benefit from it. We were able to get some pretty good runs with those guys. Leeper didn’t have a lot of yards, but he had some runs where it was crucial that we get a first down and he got to the edge and got it.
“With Lamp, not one guy is going to tackle him. Most of the night it took two to bring him down and he was making guys miss, so yeah, it was great to finally see some production there. I think it is a testament to our offensive line. They showed up this week and they did a pretty good job. We made some switches there and I think we found something there that we can really build on.”
Trenton will get its chance to build off the improved rushing performance this week as the Bulldogs play host to the Princeton Tigers, also winless on the season, Friday night at C.F. Russell Stadium for the annual homecoming game.
“I think we can really break out this week,” Boswell said. “Of course, these kids are kids and can always get distracted by everything that is going on this week and maybe look past Princeton. Princeton has some kids who can beat us. Coach (John) Goodin does a good job up there. They haven’t won a game either, but it can easily be a close game if we don’t show up. Sometimes with Homecoming week that can happen. We just have to make sure that we have a good week of practice and make sure our kids know that they can have a great night Friday, but it’s up to them to stay focused and get it done.”
The Bulldogs and Tigers will kick off from C.F. Russell Stadium on Friday night at 7 p.m.
STATISTICS
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
PH – Dylan Peters 30-yard pass from Travis Sedlock (pass failed).

Third Quarter
PH – Peters 3-yard run (pass failed).
T – Travis Leeper 6-yard pass from Dalton Ellis (Cree Mullenix pass from Ellis).
T – Bailey Owen 10-yard run (Jonathan Lamp kick).

Fourth Quarter
PH – Michael Keane 55-yard pass from Sedlock (George Story kick).
PH – Peters 2-yard run (Story kick).

Team Statistics
THS PHHS
First downs 9 13
Rushes-Yards 37-175 45-235
Passing Yards 28 126
Comp.-Att.-Int. 3-10-2 8-12-0
Total Yards 203 361
Penalties-Yards 2-15 3-20
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0

Individual Statistics
RUSHING – Trenton, Bailey Owen, 9-70; Jonathan Lamp, 6-52; Travis Leeper, 7-22; Dalton Ellis, 9-20; Logan Shuler, 6-11. Pembroke Hill, Billy Humphrey, 14-114; Dylan Peters, 16-84; Hank Graves, 9-24; Travis Sedlock, 5-12; Nelson Sabates, 1-1.
PASSING – Trenton, Ellis, 3-10-2, 28 yards, 1 touchdown. Pembroke Hill, Sedlock, 8-12-0, 126 yards, 2 touchdowns.
RECEIVING – Trenton, Cree Mullenix, 1-17; Leeper, 2-11. Pembroke Hill, Michael Keane, 3-84; Peters, 4-37; Sabates, 1-5.
DEFENSE – Trenton, Trey Shields, 17 tackles; Kail McCarter, 11 tackles; Tucker Franklin, 8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack; Mullenix 8 tackles; Leeper, 7 tackles; Ryan hines, 7 tackles; Aaron Anderson, 7 tackles; Austin Burkeybile, 5 tackles; Dalton Ellis, 5 tackles; Gavin Griffin, 4 tackles; Shuler, 3 tackles; Nick Gass, 2 tackles.