The Trenton Middle School Bulldogs raced out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and withstood a Princeton surge in the third quarter for a 46-24 victory on Monday night at C.F. Russell Stadium.
A six-yard touchdown run by Ian Elbert and 40 yard run by Jack Habelitz (with the two-point conversion by Kaden Owen) gave the Bulldogs the 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Trenton dominated, extending the lead to 38-6, as Elbert added a 5 yard touchdown run, Tyler Siemer a 28-yard scoring run, and Coleman Griffin a one-yard dive. TMS converted all three two-point conversions, while Princeton scored on a 68 yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Tigers, down 38-6 at the half, made a significant push to get back into the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-0, with a 10 yard touchdown pass, a 64 yard “Pick 6”, and a 4 yard touchdown pass pulling the visitors back into the game. Trenton did stop all three two-point conversation attempts by the Tigers.
In the final quarter, the Bulldog defense picked up two points by way of a safety, and Tyler Siemer returned a kick 40 yards for a touchdown.
For the night, Siemer had 55 yards rushing and 70 return yards, with Habelitz adding 54 yards on the ground.
The junior varsity score that followed stayed with the high-scoring pace set by Princeton’s 52-32 varsity win on Friday night, and the 46-24 middle school final score, with the Tigers earning the 38-24 road win,. Sam Schilling had one touchdown, with Mark Trump scoring a pair for the Bulldogs.
