Trenton can’t climb out of early hole in loss to RV
TRENTON >> If the Trenton High football team is going to qualify for the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season there needs to be a sense of urgency starting now.
The Tornadoes’ backs are up against the wall after Rancocas Valley came to Bill Harvin Field on Saturday and sprinted to a 49-31 victory that served as the third straight loss for the capital city’s team.
“We have to start rolling,” senior running back Thomeir Richardson said. “We have to start clicking on all figures. We got to come out early and fight hard. We got to put this game behind us and go on to the next game with a sense of urgency.”
The Red Devils (3-0) built a 28-0 lead before mistakeprone Trenton crossed midfield and at one point in the third quarter led by the necessary 35 points to begin the running clock.
The Tornadoes turned it over four times (two interceptions, two fumbles) and now have 12 in four games.
“I keep preaching to our kids that mistakes kill us,” coach Mohammad El-Sherbini said. “We had four turnovers and then they recovered an on-side kick. That’s five times they got the ball unchallenged and they made us pay for it.”
Credit Trenton’s resiliency that this one even finished as close as it did.
Touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter cut a 42-7 deficit to 4225.
Richardson scored all three times in a span of 5:10.
“In the second half, I found out what my team was,” Richardson said. “I didn’t know what was going to come out in the second half, but as a captain, I pushed them, I yelled at them, I did everything a captain is supposed to do to get us ready for the second half.”
Of course, the first half counts, too, and that belonged to RV.
Quarterback Bryce Mangene threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first 24 minutes, including one from a fake field that put the Red Devils up 35-7 with 3:06 to go until halftime.
Mangene completed 12 of his 23 attempts for 168 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
He connected on scoring passes of 49, 38 and 19 yards, respectively.
Robert Hawkins grabbed the first two TD throws, giving RV a 21-0 lead after running back Iverson Clement plowed in from a yard out on its opening possession.
Clement, a sophomore high on the Division I radar, carried 20 times for 96 yards and three touchdowns.
Needing a comeback, the Tornadoes went to the air behind quarterback Herbert Edwards.
The senior passed for 155 of his 219 yards in the second half. He ended up completing 13 of 20 with three touchdown and two interceptions.
Two of those scoring passes went to Richardson in the third quarter and Jy’aire Brown grabbed the third one with 8:30 left in the game.
Richardson racked up 129 yards from scrimmage (65 rushing, 74 receiving).
“We did something we normally don’t do, we passed the ball,” Richardson said. “It shows the kind of team that we are. We practiced it and we executed it.”
Now they just need to execute for four quarters.
“We eliminate those mistakes, and we’re capable of staying with a team just like that,” El-Sherbini said. “... That just shows what my team could be and we’ll start clicking as the season goes on.”