Football Preview Week 2: Trenton vs. Putnam County

After two weeks of getting beat up and losing football games, the Trenton Bulldogs are ready for a change of scenery. Lucky for them that’s just what they will get in week three.
Trenton begins its Grand River Conference season on Friday night when the Putnam County Midgets travel to Trenton’s C.F. Russell Stadium for a clash of new conference members at the old stadium. Trenton comes to the GRC, after being an independent for 25 seasons following its departure from the Midland Empire Conference after the 1989 season. Putnam County, meanwhile, joins the new look GRC after spending years in the now-defunct Tri-Rivers Conference.
For Trenton, the beginning of the conference season comes at a good time, allowing the Bulldogs to turn their attention to a new team goal as they try to forget the back-to-back losses to district foes to open the season.
“Winning a conference championship has always been on our kids’ minds,” Trenton Head Coach Brandon Boswell said. “That long-term goal finally starts this week, so for that to be here has the kids excited. For an 0-2 team I feel like our morale is pretty good. The kids have worked hard this week, so it’s exciting to finally play for something.”
The Bulldogs go into the conference showdown a little banged up after two weeks. Nose tackle Isaiah Coon is out as are offensive linemen Justin Martin and Braughn Hursh. Trenton will look to Cole Little to fill Coon’s spot on the defensive front while Jarren King will get his first career start on the offensive line. Sophomore running back Matthew Sibbitt and junior safety Chase Marsh are also getting their first career starts.
In Putnam County, Trenton will see a team they played every year from 2010-2013. Trenton won all four meetings, capping the series with a 19-0 win in Unionville.
This year’s Midget team features some experience at key positions from a team that was just 2-8 last season. The group’s season has started as slowly as Trenton’s as Putnam enters the game 0-2 with losses to Hallsville and West Hancock, IL. Quarterback Calvin Heidenwith and running back Carson Quint will be the featured players in the Midgets’ offense, usually running the ball behind tackle Ryan Valentine, who stands 6-3 and tips the scales at 265.
“(Putnam) runs a lot of the pro-style offense with an I-formation,” Boswell said. “They can run a lot of traps, sweeps and they are very good at the play-action pass. Heidenwith does a very good job of selling the run and he has a good arm. Then up front, on the offensive line, Ryan Valentine will really stick out. He’s a very big kid and pretty athletic, so we think that they have the ability to run the ball right at you or get the ball to the edge with their speed.”
Offensively, Trenton will see some good size on the Putnam County defensive front. Trenton struggled to get its ground game going last week, collecting just 69 rushing yards on 34 carries, and the results were not good. This week Trenton will work to move the ball better with their rushing attack, which drives the offense.
“(Putnam) has some good size there in the middle with Valentine,” Boswell said. “They are pretty disciplined in terms of reading their keys. We just need to establish the dive option and get some movement up front. We feel there are places in their defense we can attack, we just have to execute and maintain blocks, which are things we haven’t done very well.”
Trenton and the Midgets get the GRC era under way on Friday, both looking to turn their respective seasons around. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.