At the start, it wasn’t pretty. By the end, the Trenton High School football team had some reasons to be hopeful that 2019 will be a bounce back year for the Bulldogs.
Trenton started slow at the jamboree on Friday night, falling three scores to none against Knob Noster before turning the night around in its next two sessions. The Bulldogs held their own in a two scores-to-one loss to Windsor before capping the night with a win over Summit Christian, one score to none.
“We got better,” Trenton Head Coach Kevin Hixson said. “And, that’s what I told the kids at the end. We just can’t wait until the third quarter to start playing. But we are growing and I think that would be the thing that I walked away with – we are getting better and we are getting it.”
The jamboree ended up playing a valuable role for the Bulldogs as the team continues to learn under its new head coach. The flashes of brilliance provided much-needed confidence for a team coming off of a three-win season a year ago, while the more humbling moments led to learning moments for key players.
“(Quarterback) Sam (Schilling) is looking at me, wanting to run the same play again,” Hixson said. “He sees it. We missed on an option one time and he comes back to the huddle and says ‘Coach if we had that boot (leg) in, the flow is just going that way.’ So, he is starting to get it, he is starting to understand it. That’s what I told (the team), we are getting there.
“After watching film, we are just one or two techniques away,” Hixson said. “We are going to coach them up this week, coach up those techniques. The linebackers have to stop trying to run backwards and run down hill. So, we are a few fundamentals and a few techniques away from being competitive.”
Trenton has this week to fix the techniques that were a step off at the jamboree before opening the season on Friday night against the defending Class 2 state runner-up Lathrop Mules.
“For the first year in, especially the first game out and having to play a state qualifying team, if we can go out and compete respectfully then we can walk away holding our heads up,” Hixson said.
Kickoff on Friday at C.F. Russell Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
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