Head Coach Kevin Hixson knows his team can’t afford a mis-step early tonight in the season opener at Brookfield. After a winless campaign in 2020, the Bulldogs need something positive to happen early as they seek to bury a nine-game losing streak that dates back to Oct. 2019.
“I’ve been telling the coaches all week, ‘we’ve got to have something positive happen for us,’” Hixson said. “We need to come out and score first or if they get the ball, we hold them.”
A strong start would do a lot for the team’s psyche after enduring such a rugged season a year ago – one that included a 50-0 defeat at the hands of Brookfield in week 1.
The Brookfield team Trenton will look to snap the streak against isn’t quite the formidable foe the Bulldogs fell to in last season’s week 1 match-up, though. Quarterback Derek Leibhart, who had seven carries for 189 yards and four touchdowns against Trenton in 2020, has graduated. The same is true of fullback Trace Alexander, who had 11 carries for 109 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s meeting.
Just having those two players gone is a massive relief for Trenton, but the Bulldogs can’t let their guard down. Despite being a young, inexperienced squad, Brookfield does bring some athletes to the table, most notably quarterback Colton Parn and running back Jaden Abongo. Those two players have been thrust into big roles, replacing the one-two punch Brookfield operated with a year ago.
“There’s not a lot of experience back there, but they are pretty athletic dudes,” Hixson said. “They do some single-back, zone-read stuff. They don’t do a bad job. They get into some (three and two-receiver) formations and like to throw the ball a little bit. They still run the ball more than they throw it, but they will throw it, so we have to be ready for that.”
Brookfield has also undergone a coaching change in the offseason. Scott Stevens, a 2008 graduate of Trenton High School, has left coaching to take on the role of athletic director at Brookfield. He tabbed Cory Luke as his successor. This will be Luke’s first coaching job out of college. He was a standout player in the 8-man ranks for Stanberry.
With a young, inexperienced team under a first-year head coach, Trenton is certainly eyeing this game as one they can compete in, unlike the two schools’ meeting a year ago.
Trenton enters the game off a strong week of practice that impressed Hixson.
“Normally, during the first week of school, the guys are lethargic and you have to pull them through practice,” Hixson said. “This week they have had energy, they are excited and they are ready to play. They are ready to go out and hit somebody else besides ourselves. We have a bunch of guys with experience, kind of the opposite of last year. We will have to see, but hopefully we can get out there and stay after it for 48 minutes.”
Trenton and Brookfield get the season going with a 7 o’clock kickoff at Burlington Field tonight.