After an 0-9 finish in 2022, the Trenton Tigers have found rejuvenation in 2023.
Despite trailing 12-6 in the first quarter of Friday night’s matchup against St. Francis Catholic, the Tigers bounced back and rolled their way to a 65-20 win. They scored 59 straight points until St. Francis Catholic found the endzone on the game’s final play.
“This is kind of where we expect to be,” said Trenton head coach Cameron Porch. “A lot of stuff to clean up. We still, I don’t think, have played a good clean game. We’re still working towards getting better, and tougher opponents are coming in, so we’re going to need it.”
St. Francis threw the first punch on the game’s third play. Facing a 3rd-and-24, quarterback Cooper Lieffers hit Nash Lantinen for a 76-yard touchdown. From there, a 51-yarder to Pedro Vianato to give the Wolves their last lead of the night with 4:06 left in the first quarter.
“We were a little bit undisciplined at times,” Porch said. “They play a style of football that’s kind of run around and whoever’s open, and we came out of coverage a couple of times, and it was a little bit of undisciplined football. Once we settled in and understood what we were doing wrong, what happened was what was supposed to happen.”
After St. Francis Catholic’s second touchdown, the Tigers would go on to intercept three passes, including two from Landon Gibbs inside Trenton’s 5-yard line.
Jon Furst would strike first for Trenton with a 28-yard scamper, and a 51-yard touchdown from running back Tavin Brown tied the game 12-12. Chase Bryan’s PAT gave the Tigers their first lead of the night, and they wouldn’t look back.
“He’s a madman,” Porch said of Furst. “He has a motor unlike any kid I’ve ever coached. The sky’s the limit.”
A 30-yard rush from quarterback Jackson Gentry, a 10-yard run from Furst, an 8-yard run from Gibbs and a 74-yard catch from J’Dyen Manneh gave the Tigers a 43-12 lead heading into halftime
On only their second play of the second half, Trenton would seal a running clock with a 36-run from Manneh, and he scored again with a 74-yard run later in the quarter.
A touchdown rush from Wyatt Vanlanding would end the scoring for Trenton, who has now outscored opponents 93-20 to start the year.
Lieffers would end the scoring drought on the game’s final play with a touchdown pass to Lantinen, and a successful two-point try would finalize all scoring.
Friday, Sept. 8
Buchholz 35, Eastside 0
Hawthorne 46, Terry Parker (Jacksonville) 6
Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 49, GHS 7
Oak Hall 70, Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 14
P.K. Yonge 22, Mount Dora Christian Academy 20
Newberry 41, West Port (Ocala) 13
Palatka 48, Santa Fe (Alachua) 10
Trenton 65, St. Francis Catholic Academy 20
Bradford (Starke) 32, Middleburg 7
DeLand 35, Columbia (Lake City) 21
Dixie County (Cross City) 48, Bronson 0
Fort White 49, Keystone Heights 26
Williston 43, Land O’ Lakes 7
Suwannee (Live Oak) 33, Chiefland 18
Walton (DeFuniak Springs) 31, Union County (Lake Butler) 28 (2 OT)
Saturday, Sept. 9
Bell at Branford, 7:30 p.m.