Up by a score of 13-7 midway through the third quarter of Friday night’s game with Putnam County at C.F. Russell Stadium, the Trenton Bulldogs had the confidence of better overall play, but also the uneasiness of missed opportunities, with turnovers continuing to hurt the Bulldogs in their attempts to grow the advantage.
An 80 yard punt return by Putnam County’s Jorge Lopez only seemed to grow the uneasiness on the Bulldog sideline, with the Midgets earning a 1st-and-goal opportunity from the Bulldog 4 yard line. A gain of two yards pushed the ball to the 2, with the Trenton defense holding stern on second-down, stopping the Midgets for no gain. The 3rd-and-goal play would serve as the back-breaker for Putnam County’s hopes of a road win, and, by far, Trenton’s biggest play in the 2018 campaign. Tom Johnson had the call on Hot Country Z 101.7:
Instead of the Unionville side tying the game, Carson Radcliff’s 98 yard fumble return grew Trenton’s lead to 19-7, with a two-point conversion pass from Sam Schilling to Jadan Whitney surging the advantage to 21-7. Just over three minutes later, a patented “tunnel screen” gave Trenton another touchdown:
Radcliff, already with a pair of touchdown runs on the night, went on another log jaunt with 4:10 remaining in the final quarter:
Trenton started the game slowly, with poor tackling and a spirited Putnam County effort giving the Midgets a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game, with quarterback Fowler scoring on a 1 yard run. A Midget fumble on an option pitch midway through the opening quarter shifted momentum to THS, as Trump ended the ensuing drive with a 1 yard run with 4:36 left in the opening quarter. A 31-yard scoring run by Radcliff with 10:38 remaining in the first half gave the Bulldogs at 13-7 halftime lead.
Radcliff finished with 13 carries for 161 yards, with Mark Trump contributing 22 carries and 103 yards for Trenton, a 35-14 winner in the annual Homecoming game at C.F. Russell Stadium. The win improves Trenton to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the Grand River Conference, while Putnam County drops to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in GRC play.
The football scoreboard for Friday, September 14, 2018:
Milan 28, Princeton 12 (on KTTN FM 92.3)
Gallatin 42, Maysville 0
South Harrison 52, Polo 14
Lathrop 78, Penney 6
East Buchanan 48, West Platte 20
Lawson 55, Plattsburg 14
Mid-Buchanan 49, North Platte 0
Lexington 38, Brookfield 20
Centralia 56, Highland 6
Macon 26, Monroe City 12
Palmyra 46, South Shelby 8
Clark County 32, Kirksville 16
St. Joseph Central 41, Truman 13
Fayette 14, Marceline 9
Scotland County 52, Schuyler County 14
Westran 48, Harrisburg 8
Carrollton 40, Salisbury 0
Knox County 36, Paris 0
Chillicothe 34, Cameron 8
Maryvill 56, St. Pius X 0
Benton 39, Bishop LeBlond 14
Savannah 65, Lafayette 28
Pattonsburg 76, King City 30
North Shelby 60, Braymer 6
Worth County 50, Albany 0
Stanberry 58, St. Joseph Christian 8
North Andrew 70, Osceola 24
Rock Port 56, Northwest Nodaway 6
Orrick 74, Stewartsville 26
East Atchison 50, DeKalb 22
South Holt / Nodaway-Holt 60, Platte Valley 12
Mound City Panthers 64, Southwest Livingston 14
Slater 68, Norborne 28
