The Trenton Bulldogs traveled to Polo High School on Friday night, while the Gallatin Bulldogs played the Milan Wildcats, with both unbeaten Grand River Conference teams serving as homecoming opponents for the sixth week of the regular season.
From Polo, in action heard on KTTN FM 92.3, the Panthers were a strong foe for the Bulldogs, able to move the football at a decent level against a Trenton side that has been consistently strong against the run. However, numerous Polo drives dissolved in or near the red zone, as Trenton’s forces stiffened in the shadow of the goal posts.
THS left town with a 24-6 victory, behind 18 carries and 127 yards for Sam Gibson and 13 carries for 114 yards for Gabe Novak, improving the Bulldogs to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the GRC.
A back-and-forth scoreless battle for the first nine minutes of the first quarter ended with 2:29 remaining in the opening quarter, as senior quarterback Coleman Griffin hit sophomore wideout Mason Rongey for a 14 yard touchdown strike. Tom Johnson had the play-by-play call:
Two offsides penalties on an attempted PAT by the Polo defense moved the football to the 1 yard line, as Trenton changed its mind, went for two, and had Sam Gibson go into the end zone for an 8-0 lead. In a tough-fought, low scoring second quarter, Gibson had the only points, with a 21 yard field goal at the halftime buzzer giving Trenton an 11-0 lead to the break.
Polo’s greatest momentum came on the opening kickoff of the third quarter, as a short kickoff hit a Trenton blocker in the ankle, with the loose ball recovered by the scrambling Panther special teams at the Bulldog 40. After two stops by the Bulldog defense, a 39-yard strike from sophomore quarterback Maverick Gentry to junior Aiden Baker cut Trenton’s lead to 11-6, with the two-point conversion pass knocked down in the end zone.
In the key moment of the game, Trenton answered the Polo score in only 77 seconds, with junior halfback Gabe Novak weaving through the Panthers secondary for a 32 yard score:
Polo was able to push the football inside the Trenton 20 late in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs defense strengthened and forced a 4th-down interception from Tucker Otto with 1:51 left in the quarter. The combination of a 2 yard scoring run by senior Ian Elbert, followed by a goal-line interception by Gabe Novak, coming midway through the final quarter, clinched the game for the Bulldogs.
The loss drops Polo’s record to 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the GRC.
Gallatin kept pace with Trenton on top of the conference standings, with a 41-10 victory at Milan. This week, Gallatin faces a strong test at home against Putnam County (7 PM Friday), with the Midgets one game behind Trenton and Gallatin in the standings. Trenton’s game at Maysville has been moved to a Saturday morning kickoff (11 AM), with coverage on Hot Country Z 101.7 (KGOZ on Tune-In Radio), moved from KTTN due to Missouri at Florida college football action hitting the air at 9 o’clock.
KTTN, on Friday night at 7 o’clock, will air the Milan Wildcats at the South Harrison Bulldogs, with both teams coming off of losses in Week #6. South Harrison gave up 270 yards rushing and six total touchdowns to Putnam County’s Blaine Perkins in falling to the Midgets in Unionville, 55-14. The Maysville Wolverines stayed tied with Putnam County for third place in the GRC, with a 28-12 win over Princeton.
Other high school football scores from Friday, September 30, 2022:
Penney 36, Lathrop 7
Mid-Buchanan 48, North Platte 28
East Buchanan 49, West Platte 14
Lawson 47, Plattsburg 6
Maryville 55, Benton 7
Chillicothe 42, Lafayette 7
Savannah 41, Cameron 6
St. Pius X 58, St. James Academy 6
Macon 53, Brookfield 20
Centralia 28, Clark County 18
South Shelby 52, Highland 12
Monroe City 50, Palmyra 0
Marceline 36, Salisbury 32
Westran 38, Scotland County 0
Fayette 40, Paris 9
Richmond 64, Carrollton 0
Lafayette County (Higginsville) 48, Holden 0
Knob Noster 41, Lexington 20
Pattonsburg 64, Rich Hill 24
Worth County 76, Knox County 25
Albany 64, St. Joseph Christian 0
North Andrew 54, Stanberry 6
King City 72, Rock Port 36
Nodaway Valley 70, DeKalb 34
Platte Valley 66, Southwest Livingston 20
South Holt 76, Stewartsville/Osborn 56
East Atchison 60, Mound City 6
Bishop LeBlond 68, KC East Christian 56
Braymer 84, Schuyler County 28
North Shelby 78, Keytesville 12
Norborne/Hardin-Central 52, College Heights Christian 46
St. Paul Lutheran 50, Santa Fe 6
Orrick 60, Sweet Springs 44
