Football Preview Week Three: Trenton @ Holden

The Trenton Bulldogs roll into week three looking to bounce back from a close one-point loss at Lexington in week two. Standing in the Bulldogs’ path are the Holden Eagles, who boast a 1-1 record themselves.
Last year Trenton put up a good fight against Holden, but ultimately couldn’t do enough on offense to pick up the win. Holden took the game 14-0, sending Trenton to an 0-3 start to the season.
This year’s Holden team is a bit different from last year’s however. Holden graduated seven offensive starters and eight defensive starters. Austin Tevis is the key loss for the Eagles. Last year he had the game’s only two touchdowns and ran for 220 of the Eagles’ 375 total yards in the win.
Holden might not have the horse to carry them the way they did last year, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles don’t have players who are capable of stepping in and producing Friday night.
“First of all, looking at their roster, number 15, Trevor Wamsley, is the kid that we feel like makes their offense go,” Trenton Head Coach Brandon Boswell said. “He is the one that brought them back last week in their fourth quarter comeback – he kind of put the team on his shoulders. He is a two-year starter and he is a good player with pretty good speed. After him they have Cole Chisler, who is a good-sized running back that is going to be hard to bring down if we don’t tackle properly. They are bigger than Lexington, so if we aren’t ready to go it could be a challenge for us. They are a little young, but if your quarterback is a senior and knows what he is doing he can kind of will his team to victory. So, we have got to make sure defensively that we keep an eye on Wamsley.”
Tevis’ absence on defense may be a tougher hole to fill for the Eagles than his loss on the offensive side of the ball. Again, however, Boswell feels the Eagles’ defense will still be a strong unit.
“Austin Tevis was a great player, but Cole Chisler is a pretty good linebacker in my opinion,” Boswell said. “I believe Mason Hunt is their other inside linebacker and they have decent speed on the edge. Their interior D-line has good size and they can give us problems if we don’t come off the ball low and fast.”
Trenton isn’t planning on being shut out again this year like the last time the two teams squared off. Helping put points on the board will be the Bulldogs’ rushing attack that has piled up an average of 238.5 yards per game through the first two contests. Quarterback Kail McCarter has nearly 200 yards rushing this season and both he and running back Travis Leeper have scored three touchdowns in the two-game stretch. Colton Neff has the most carries on the team and has scored once while picking up over 100 yards in games one and two combined.
“Really it starts with Colton Neff and Kail McCarter,” Boswell said. “I think teams are going to start to realize those are the two they have to stop and keep from getting established. Those two are great athletes and then if you are going to commit to stopping the dive, then we are going to get you on the edge with some speed in (Jonathan) Lamp and Leeper. It’s just been really nice having such good athletes back there who really play well and perform well.”
Trenton’s early success can be traced to the front lines where the offensive front has paved the way for Neff and company. The play of the offensive line hasn’t gone unnoticed by Coach Boswell either.
“Ultimately I think the success we have had running the ball starts with the offensive line,” Boswell said. “They have really improved this year and they work together so well. Tucker Franklin is a great leader at center and helps everyone on the line figure out where they need to go and what they need to do. We do have some great skill players, but they wouldn’t be able to do what they do if it weren’t for our offensive line.”
Trenton will be looking to put the past behind them, not only erasing the memory of last year’s shutout, but also trying to put last week’s loss to Lexington, a painful one that saw a furious rally fall one point short, firmly in the rearview mirror. Boswell thinks his team learned from last week’s experience.
“I think the kids understand how easily things can get away from them,” Boswell said. “That’s what happened at Lexington. All of a sudden you dig yourself a big hole and you can’t get out of it. We have been telling our kids all week a two-and-a-half hour bus ride to a place you have never played at – you might as well consider yourself down 7-0 before the game even starts. That’s a big disadvantage right there, but we have told our kids it won’t be easy and they really need to focus and be ready to go or it could end up just like last week.”
Trenton’s season-opening Missouri River Valley Conference-East run is in week three of four this week at Holden. The Bulldogs and Eagles will kick off from the Holden High School Football Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Projected Starters
Trenton Offense
QB 18 Kail McCarter Sr.
RB 11 Travis Leeper Sr.
RB 25 Jonathan Lamp Sr.
FB 33 Colton Neff Sr.
OT 64 Mason Owen So.
OG 56 Trey Shields Sr.
C 50 Tucker Franklin Sr.
OG 78 Ryan Hines Sr.
OT 77 Justin Martin Jr.
TE 44 Connor Cotton Jr.
WR 10 Cree Mullenix Sr.
Trenton Defense
DE 33 Colton Neff Sr.
DT 50 Tucker Franklin Sr.
NG 67 Isaiah Coon Jr.
DT 78 Ryan Hines Sr.
DE 10 Cree Mullenix Sr.
LB 44 Connor Cotton Jr.
LB 56 Trey Shields Sr.
LB 27 Austin Burkeybile Jr.
CB 11 Travis Leeper Sr.
CB 25 Jonathan Lamp Sr.
FS 18 Kail McCarter Sr.
Holden Defense
DE 74 Colin Shore Sr.
NG 72 Isaac Hill Jr.
DE 21 Trace Siezmore Sr.
LB 29 Benett Evans Sr.
LB 50 Mason Hunt Sr.
LB 34 Austin Loveall Jr.
LB 31 Cole Chisler Sr.
SS 25 Clayton Bryant Jr.
CB 7 Jordan Brown Jr.
CB 85 Zach Jones Sr.
FS 10 Nolan Brown Jr.
Trenton Offense
QB 15 Trevor Wamsley Jr.
RB 25 Clayton Bryant Jr.
FB 31 Cole Chisler Sr.
OT 55 Dylan Wilson Jr.
OG 74 Colin Shore Sr.
C 72 Isaac Hill Jr.
OG 50 Mason Hunt Sr.
OT 59 JJ Seaman Jr.
TE 21 Trace Siezmore Sr.
WR 29 Benett Evans Sr.
WR 85 Zach Jones Sr.

Trenton Stat Leaders
Offense
Rushing – Kail McCarter, 25 carries, 195 yards, 3 TDs; Colton Neff, 27 carries, 133 yards, 1 TD; Jonathan Lamp, 9 carries, 51 yards.
Passing – Kail McCarter, 6-8, 122 yards, 1 TD, 1 int.
Receiving – Cree Mullenix, 3 catches, 103 yards.
Defense
Tackles – Trey Shields, 25; Neff, 21; Cree Mullenix, 12; Austin Burkeybile 12.
Tackles For Loss – Neff, 5; Mullenix, 3.
Sacks – Mullenix, 3.
Interceptions – None.