Trenton eyeing playoff triumph after turnaround
LAWRENCE » When Greg Hyslop was hired as Trenton Central’s next head football coach in June, few casual observers could have known what to expect. The 33-yearold Bayville native wasn’t an established commodity in Mercer County after serving as an assistant at Donovan Catholic in Toms Rivers.
Hyslop has not only managed to guide a talented Tornadoes roster back to the NJSIAA state playoffs for the third time in the last four years. He has been a refreshing presence and connected with his players, and Trenton has rallied around its rookie sheriff.
“He’s done a great job of interacting with the players. He understands what they need to progress as individuals,” said senior Malcolm Milton. “The communication is a big part, because a lot of kids, if you get down on them it’s hard for them to get back up. It’s a good balance of being on you but also teaching you valuable lessons.”
That chemistry has led to sacrifice from a number of Trenton players this season including Milton and Naze Washington, whom were both honored by the 12th Man TD Club on Tuesday night as recent Players of the Week.
Those two seniors, after primarily playing defense and some running back early in the season, voluntarily started playing offensive line during the team’s bye week at the end of September.
Coming off a loss to Rancocas Valley, the Tornadoes were 1-3. They needed a late-season run to have a chance at making the playoffs. Hyslop pondered changes, but his senior leaders’ willingness to adapt made it possible.
“We had two weeks to hash stuff out. I really sat down and thought about what we had and what we needed,” Hyslop recalled. “Malcolm is just a different breed. I had a talk with the seniors and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t want to come off the field.’ And I said, ‘Well, you know what that means.’ And he said, ‘I know.’ He was all for it. Same with Naze.
“We needed better help on the line. The guys we had in there were bigger, but they weren’t as physical and as strong as these two seniors. And they were willing to do it to help the team. They’re the reason we’re in the playoffs.”
Since Milton started playing center and Washington started playing left guard, Trenton has won five in a row, averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game.
On Oct. 28, Trenton earned a 26-6 statement win over defending Central Jersey Group IV champion Allentown, which gave the Tornadoes an important 25 power points in their last state qualifying game.
“It was like the third week straight we were chosen to lose to a team that was in a smaller group than us,” Milton said. “So it meant a lot for us to beat a state championship team.”
Trenton is now 6-3 and surging with confidence into the Central Jersey Group V playoffs. The Tornadoes begin playoff action Friday night at Old Bridge as the bracket’s sixth seed.
Hyslop says the Tornadoes now have a mindset that they can beat anybody by playing mistake-free football with the right preparation during the week. His players have fully bought into the culture.
“Once he came in here, we saw how good a person he was and he told us his backstory and stuff like that,” Washington said. “We could just see he was a good coach. And we’ve really bonded with him throughout the season. We went through a lot of stuff with him, and we just bonded and got better.”