Back-to-back wins to close the regular season did a lot of things for the 2019 Trenton Bulldogs. The victories over Polo and Maysville laid groundwork for a first-year head coach seeking to return Trenton to former glory. They sent senior players off with good memories to look back on years from now. They created sutures aimed to heal the wounds created in seven straight defeats to open the season.
On Friday night in Lathrop, those sutures burst apart shortly after kickoff.
Trenton was no match for the defending Class 2, District 8 champion Lathrop Mules, who are ranked second in the state at the Class 2 level, falling 62-13.
The game was seemingly over midway through the opening quarter. After a three-and-out to start the contest, Trenton’s punt resulted in the first of what would be two Lathrop punt returns for scores. A Trenton fumble on the ensuing possession was followed by a 25-yard touchdown pass on Lathrop’s first offensive play of the game. Trenton had a punt blocked and returned for six after that as the lead swelled to 21-0 with still over six minutes left in the first quarter.
“We were just outmatched,” Trenton Head Coach Kevin Hixson said. “(Lathrop’s) overall team speed was just a lot better than ours. They were physical and fast.”
Trenton finally showed some life on its next possession as Jaren Whitney rushed for the Bulldogs’ initial first down of the game. A late hit out of bounds put the Bulldogs on Lathrop’s side of the 50. But the Mules would intercept Sam Schilling and, on the very next play, Lathrop’s Caden Rardon went 86 yards to push the lead to 28-0. It was just the second time all game that Lathrop had snapped the ball.
The pace would slow from that point, but Lathrop continued to flex its muscles and the Bulldogs continued to hemorrhage points.
Trenton’s third turnover of the relatively young game – another interception in Lathrop territory – sparked an actual scoring drive for the Mules, one that required more than one play. It was 35-0 after one quarter and 49-0 before Trenton ever got on the board.
Mark Trump shook loose for a 50-yard run that set Trenton up inside the Lathrop 10-yard line. Two plays later, Whitney raced around the right edge on a sweep, scoring from five yards out. Twenty seconds ticked off the clock and the game went to halftime with the Bulldogs down 49-7.
The game reached uncomfortable proportions in the second half when Lathrop’s junior varsity scored on Trenton twice, once on a 66-yard run and again on a punt return.
“Special teams really hurt us tonight,” Hixson said. “
Trenton capped the scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run by Trump. Schilling’s point after kick was off target as the running clock – and Trenton’s season – expired.
Trump led Trenton with 116 yards on 16 carries, but the Bulldogs as a team only netted 111 yards. Trenton could not get any traction outside of Trump as three other players carried the ball, combining for minus-5 yards.
The loss gave Trenton a final record of 2-8 – the third such record for Trenton in the past 11 seasons. The loss also marked the seventh time in the last eight years that Trenton was bounced from the district tournament in the opening round.
From here, however, Trenton looks forward. There will obviously be work to do. Despite the record, Trenton had two backs just miss 1,000 yards rushing for the season and both were seniors. Three of the starting five offensive linemen were seniors as well, along with quarterback Sam Schilling and tight end Dalton Burchett. Despite what the players gave Trenton on the field, their leadership off it will be what Hixson will miss the most.
“I think our seniors did a great job as far as leadership,” Hixson said. “They grew up. The last four games of the regular season they started to get it. They started to gel together and they started working as a unit together. They understood what it meant to be a team, be a family. Those guys laid the groundwork. It is going to be just as tough trying to find leaders to replace those guys as it will be to find physical bodies to do some of the things that Mark and Jaren and Jerrick Stotts were capable of doing for us this year.
“We’ve got to get in the weight room, we have got to build some physical strength and we have got to get faster. The work starts now.”
Trenton is scheduled to open the 2020 season at home against Brookfield on Aug. 28.

STATISTICS
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
First Quarter
L – Caden Rardon 46-yard punt return (Jackson Gentzell kick).
L – Blake Gordon 25-yard pass to Chris Moore (Gentzell kick).
L – Nick Knight 5-yard punt block return (Gentzell kick).
L – Rardon 86-yard run (Gentzell kick).
L – Tyler Paul 3-yard run (Gentzell kick).
Second Quarter
L – Tanner Dalinghaus 8-yard run (Gentzell kick).
L – Rardon 56-yard run (Gentzell kick).
T – Jaren Whitney 5-yard run (Sam Schilling kick).
Third Quarter
L – Knight 66-yard run (pass failed).
Fourth Quarter
L – Dylan Scanlan 51-yard punt return (Gentzell kick).
T – Mark Trump 14-yard run (kick failed).

TEAM STATISTICS
THS LHS
First Downs 8 14
Rushes-Yards 31-111 29-402
Passing Yards 33 37
Comp-Att-Int 2-8-2 4-6-0
Total Yards 144 439
Penalties-Yds 2-20 5-45
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Third Down 1-9 1-3
Fourth Down 0-0 0-2

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Trenton, Mark Trump, 17-116; Jaren Whitney, 9-4; Dalton Burchett, 1-2; Sam Schilling, 4-(-11). Lathrop, Caden Rardon, 2-142; Nick Knight, 2-76; Tyler Paul, 4-59; Drystin Dotson, 7-49; Tanner Dalinghaus, 5-43; Dylan Scanlan, 4-28; Jackson Hood, 3-9; Zach Lucas, 2-(-4).
PASSING – Trenton, Schilling, 2-7-2, 33 yards; Whitney, 0-1-0. Lathrop, Blake Gordon, 2-2-0, 30 yards, 1 TD; Lucas, 2-4-0, 7 yards.
RECEIVING – Trenton, Dalton Burchett, 2-33. Lathrop, Chris Moore, 1-25; Dotson, 2-7; Dalinghaus, 1-5.
DEFENSE – Trenton, Whitney, 9 tackles; Noah Lewis, 8 tackles; Royce Jackson, 5 tackles; Sam Schilling, 5 tackles; Sam Gibson, 4 tackles; Payden McCullough, 4 tackles; Jerrick Stotts, 3 tackles; Coleman Griffin, 1 tackle; Dalton Burchett, 1 tackle; Kayden Spencer, 1 tackle; Riley Raymo, 1 tackle.