Football Preview Week 8: Trenton @ Maysville

The last time Trenton and Maysville squared off on the gridiron there was nearly everything on the line. The Bulldogs and Wolverines did battle at C.F. Russell Stadium in Trenton just a year ago with a share of the Grand River Conference championship on the line.
As it turned out, the two teams would share the league title in spite of Trenton decimating Maysville 42-12 in that game.
But, that was last year and this is this year and 365 days makes a huge difference. There will be no conference title on the line this Friday night when Trenton visits the Cemetery Bowl in Maysville. At 3-2 in the GRC, and 3-4 overall, the Bulldogs are simply playing week to week, focused on finishing the regular season with a record over .500 and garnering a favorable match-up in the first round of the Class 2, District 8 Tournament.
“It’s kind of a critical situation in terms of where we are at,” Trenton head coach Brandon Boswell said. “There’s so many implications from here on out – having a chance to have a winning record, be in a good position for districts, finishing strong. All of those things are pretty important and beating Maysville has a place in all of those.”
Trenton currently sits in fifth place in the district standings. The Bulldogs probably cannot catch LeBlond, who is in fourth and in possession of the final spot that gets to host the first round of districts. The Golden Eagles are just 2-5 this year and staring another loss in the face this week as they battle Class 4 St. Joseph-Lafayette, which is 6-1 on the season. But every week sees bonus points come LeBlond’s way for playing up in class size – one of the few benefits the Purple and Gold gets from playing in the Midland Empire Conference.
But a trip to St. Joseph to face a LeBlond team that hasn’t done a lot of winning this year wouldn’t be a bad scenario for Trenton. To get that match-up, however, Trenton must hold off Lawson, which sits in sixth, trailing Trenton by just one-tenth of a point. Lawson gets Mid-Buchanan and West Platte to close out the season, two Class 1 schools the Cardinals should top by at least the 13 points they can gain each week. That puts the pressure on Trenton to close the season strong against Maysville this week and Gallatin the next.
“We will play wherever,” Boswell said. “Obviously, getting the five would be great because you think match-up-wise you are better suited. Lawson probably has us on strength of schedule, but you just never know. There are so many things that go into that.”
As for Maysville, Trenton’s fall from GRC Conference co-champions has been pretty miniscule compared to what the Wolverines have suffered this year. Maysville played defending state champion Hamilton decently in week one before earning a week two victory over Mid-Buchanan. That would be the Wolverines only win to date, however, as personnel issues took a toll on the team once conference play began. Maysville is 0-for-5 in the GRC this year, losing those contests by an average of over 35 points per game.
“(Maysville) is struggling,” Boswell said. “They have had some talented kids leave the team. But now, what you see is that the kids that are still there really want to be there. The game is important to them and they are playing hard for their teammates and their school. They love football and any kid like that is a dangerous opponent.
“I still see some talented kids out there on film. Nick Evans is a really good player. (Marcus) Rodriguez has shown that he has good speed and big-play potential. Mallan Cole is back there under center. He may have struggled, but it is only a matter of time until he just figures it out. So they have some kids that I think can give us problems if we just go in there and act like we are just going to walk all over them.”
Trenton, meanwhile, had a fantastic night rushing the ball last week against Polo, netting 579 yards on the ground with three different backs going over 100 yards. With rain in the forecast for Friday night, Trenton will most likely lean on the ground game even more this week.
While the Bulldogs certainly will look to move the ball with the same running attack this week, wide receiver Colton Colston has an opportunity to make some history. He currently sits fourth on the school’s all-time receiving yards list with 786, but needs just 60 yards to become number two. Should he do that, he will trail only Marti Gooch, who is the only Bulldog to ever move past 1,000 receiving yards for his career.
“(Colton) has just been a great asset to the team in terms of having a deep threat to keep the secondary honest in their coverage,” Boswell said. “One thing I think he has improved on this year is his blocking so we can be a better running team. He just has some of the best hands that I have seen, though, of the kids that I have coached. To know that, if we are behind the sticks and need a long ball, we can just throw it up and he will go get it is just pretty comforting. He does so many great things and I am just pretty fortunate to have him in my life and to have had the opportunity to coach him. I’m just very proud of him.”
The Bulldogs and Wolverines will kick off from the Cemetery Bowl at 7 p.m. on Friday in Maysville.

Trenton All-Time
Receiving Leaders
1. Marti Gooch 1,157
2. Jamie Stephens 845
3. Andy Hill 838
4. Colton Colston 786
5. Scott Spillman 639
6. Logan Epperson 606

Trenton All-Time
Passing Leaders
1. Brad Perry 3,554
2. Wade Peters 1,785
3. Byron Shields 1,565
4. Dalton Ellis 1,232
5. Lathan Croy 1,165
6. Jacob Spillman 1,034

PROJECTED STARTERS
Trenton Offense
QB 11 Lathan Croy 6-2 189 Sr.
RB 15 Hunter Dugan 5-9 143 Sr.
RB 25 Matthew Sibbit 5-10 167 Jr.
FB 28 Carson Radcliff 6-1 163 Jr.
OT 52 Jadan Whitney 5-9 201 Jr.
OG 58 Jarren King 6-0 216 Sr.
C 64 Mason Owen 6-0 225 Sr.
OG 75 Carson Burchett 6-0 253 So.
OT 65 Cole Schilling 6-2 197 Sr.
TE 17 Dalton Burchett 6-0 193 So.
WR 88 Colton Colston 6-1 175 Sr.
Trenton Defense
DE 65 Cole Schilling 6-2 197 Sr.
DT 75 Carson Burchett 6-0 253 So.
DT 79 Hunter Trask 5-11 242 Jr.
DE 64 Mason Owen 6-0 225 Sr.
LB 11 Lathan Croy 6-2 189 Sr.
LB 52 Jadan Whitney 5-9 201 Jr.
LB 46 Lucas Clark 6-0 167 Sr.
SS 25 Matthew Sibbit 5-10 167 Jr.
CB 88 Colton Colston 6-1 175 Sr.
CB 34 Chase Marsh 5-8 144 Sr.
FS 15 Hunter Dugan 5-9 143 Sr.
Maysville Defense
DE 66 Logan Caldwell Sr.
DT 72 Michael Saucedo Sr.
DE 55 Brycen Windham Jr.
LB 19 Morgan Tait Jr.
LB 5 Nick Evans Sr.
LB 35 Kyler Popplewell Sr.
LB 9 Cotton McPike Jr.
SS 11 Connor Flinn Fr.
CB 33 Brendan Bertoncino Jr.
CB 10 Austin Shirk Sr.
FS 8 Marcus Rodriguez Sr.
Maysville Offense
QB 7 Mallan Cole Fr.
RB 5 Nick Evans Sr.
RB 8 Marcus Rodriguez Sr.
OT 55 Brycen Windham Jr.
OG 66 Logan Caldwell Sr.
C 65 Jarod Pullen So.
OG 72 Michael Saucedo Sr.
OT 73 Dalton Sweiger Jr.
WR 10 Austin Shirk Sr.
WR 19 Morgan Tait Jr.
WR 33 Brendan Bertoncino Jr.
Maysville does not provide heights and weights for its players.

WEEK 8 GRC SCHEDULE
Trenton @ Maysville
South Harrison @ Princeton
Putnam County @ Gallatin
Milan @ Polo

GRC STANDINGS
1. Princeton 7-0 5-0
2. Gallatin 5-2 4-1
3. Trenton 3-4 3-2
3. South Harrison 3-4 3-2
3. Polo 5-2 3-2
6. Putnam County 2-5 2-3
7. Maysville 1-6 0-5
7. Milan 0-7 0-5

Class 2 District 8 Standings
Rk. Team, Record Pts.
1. Higginsville, 7-0 50.02
2. Lexington, 7-0 47.88
3. Lathrop, 6-1 42.05
4. LeBlond, 2-5 35.48
5. Trenton, 3-4 29.62
6. Lawson, 3-4 29.52
7. Carrollton, 2-5 26.34
8. Brookfield, 2-5 22.71

Class 1 District 8 Standings
Rk. Team, Record Pts.
1. Princeton, 7-0 47.76
2. Penney, 6-1 46.95
3. Gallatin, 5-2 37.67
4. Polo, 5-2 35.24
5. South Harrison, 3-4 31.38
6. Putnam County, 2-5 26.41
7. Maysville, 1-6 16.9
8. Milan, 0-7 16.05