Tigers silence Hornets to win District 6 1A title

By John M. Ayers

The Trenton Tigers silenced the visiting Hawthorne Hornets Friday night as they took the District 6 1A football title in a commanding 42-16 victory. From the opening kickoff when Trenton senior Brandon Stone returned the kick 85 yards for the touchdown, this set the tone for the Tigers’ play in this game. This was a great Trenton Tiger team effort.
The Tigers’ defense went to work as they shut the Hornets down on 3 and out. In this task the Hornets lost 8 yards on 2 plays, as the hungry Tigers were on a mission to keep the momentum in this game. The Tigers cranked up that offense as Stone, Cedric Stokes, Hunter Parrish and Stephen Smith followed a Tiger front that continued to make things happen. With 6:20 left in the first period as the Tigers were on the 9-yard line, Stokes slipped into the end zone standing up for the score. He also completed the 8 point effort as he ran into the end zone for the 2-point conversion to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead. The Tigers’ defense continued to take their toll on the Hornets’ wide open spread offense through the first quarter.

Cedric Stokes No. 4 dashes for a Tigers’ first down
as a Hawthorne defender holds on for the tackle.

Trenton had driven down inside the Hornets’ red zone and reached the 4-yard line and faced a fourth and goal. When the ball was snapped, the Hornets looked for Stokes or Stone up the middle for the score, but no, Smith quickly looked to the end zone and found Hunter Parrish crossing the front line of the end zone in the shadow of the front corner marker in front of a standing room only crowd. As the referee was standing right on top of the play, the junior receiver came down just inside of the end zone with the football. As the official signaled a touchdown, the fans on the fence and in the stands went wild. Stokes added the extra point as the Tigers widened their lead to 21-0 with 2:29 left in the first half.
Hawthorne was making a drive as the clock went down inside :50 seconds left in the first half. The Hornets were throwing every attempt they had, long and deep with hopes of a completion and a score. On third down Munnerlyn threw deep and the Tigers’ cornerback Hamp Cheevers picked off the pass to again stall another Hornets drive. The Tigers held on to a 21-0 edge at intermission.
In the third quarter the Tigers kicked off short to Hawthorne. The Hornets’ Munnerlyn picked up the loose ball and took it 48 yards for the score. Jackson added the extra point kick to give the Hornets a 21-7 mark. The third period turned into a fight of the fittest as the Tigers were able to move into the Hornets’ Red Zone before Stokes got the touchdown on a 1 yard run and he added the kick for the Tigers 28-7 lead. The Tigers’ defense had shut down the Hornets running game forcing the struggling offense to the air. Munnerlyn connected with Singleton on a 21-yard flea flicker type pass for a touchdown. Jackson added the PAT kick as the Hornets drew to within two scores of the Tigers 28-14.
The Tiger fans were on the edge of their seats as this game was on the verge of getting out of hand. The Hornets were struggling to cut the Tigers’ lead to a single score, but the Tigers’ defense had the Hornets’ offense intact.
With 6:11 remaining in the game, Stone slashed through the Hornets on a 40-yard touchdown run. Stokes added the kick as Trenton began to seal the fate of the Hornets. The Tigers went right back on offense as the kickoff special team recovered an onside kick. With 5:14 remaining in the fourth period, Stone dashed 26 yards for another touchdown to give the Tigers a 42-14 lead.
This game had turned to the survival of the strongest as the Tigers were not going to be denied this victory. Hawthorne on offense was working to establish a scoring drive. Coach Andrew Thomas and his staff had begun to give the younger Tigers a taste of this District title contest. The Tigers on defense were taking their hits as Hawthorne was still working to cut the host’s lead. The Hornets had moved into the Tigers’ Red Zone when a jarring Tiger hit forced a Hornet fumble. Kade Rogers, #21 for the Tigers defense, came out of the pile with the ball as Trenton took over on their 10-yard line. As the game elapsed to inside a minute, Smith stepped back into the end zone to give up a safety with :51 left in the game. The Tigers would take a 42-16 victory and a District 6-1A title.
The Tigers’ defense set the tone in this game as Sampson McNeela, Brandon Lovelace and Hunter Parrish each recorded a sack of the Hornets’ quarterback. Parrish recorded 13 total tackles, Breon Sims had 12 tackles, and Jonathan Smith recorded 7 solo tackles, respectively. The Tigers’ offense ran away with this contest as Stone rushed for 144 yards on 19 carries.
The Tigers (9-0) will close out their regular season Friday night as they host Chiefland. This game has become a rivalry for the two rural school communities. The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. The District Title winner, Trenton Tigers will host the first round of the state playoffs on Friday, November 18, as Lafayette County, the runner-up in District 5 1A, will meet the Tigers. These two teams played in a kickoff classic, earlier in the 2011 season and the Tigers escaped with a last minute victory. This game will be another rural school state playoff classic.