The Illini West Chargers came into last Friday's game against the Trenton Bulldogs with a high-powered offense, a 5-1 record, and sitting one win short of a guaranteed spot in the Illinois high school football playoffs. The Chargers looked as sharp as their resume indicates, shutting out the visiting Bulldogs 48-0, in a game heard on Hot Country Z 101.7 and www.kgozfm.com.

The Chargers scored six touchdowns over the course of the game, and were a perfect six-for-six on two point conversions, improving to 6-1 on the season.

The rushing yards told the story of the game, as the boys from Carthage dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage, gaining over 300 yards on the ground while holding the Bulldogs to double-digits.

The Chargers combination of a double wing-set, and the traditional wishbone, gave the Trenton defense trouble, with Bryton Smith scoring a pair of touchdowns on the ground, including a 35-yard jaunt to open the scoring on the first drive of the night. Alex Appel added two touchdowns for the Chargers.

Trenton, on its final drive before the half, moved the ball to the Illini West 1 yard line, but a 5 yard procedure penalty short-circuited the Bulldogs scoring chance, and the visitors failed to dent the scoreboard, going into the locker room trailing 32-0.

One of Trenton's more durable rushers was lost to a leg injury early in the first quarter, with Dillon Triplet suffering "knee and shin" pain after a hard hit from the Illini West linebacking corps. His status for the final two games of the season is unknown, but in his absence, sophomore running back Mason Mounce played well, with 40 yards rushing for the now 3-4 Bulldogs.

Trenton's "Senior Night" comes up this Friday night, with the Bulldogs hosting the Kirksville Tigers at C.F. Russell Stadium. The game will kick at 7 o'clock, with "Football Frenzy" at 5:30 on Hot Country Z 101.7 and www.kgozfm.com. The Bulldogs will need back-to-back wins, against Kirksville, and next week at Concordia, to enter district play with an above .500 record. Even at 5-4, Trenton may struggle, at this point, to gain home-field advantage for the quarterfinal round on October 26th, with Lawson, LeBlond, Brookfield, and Lathrop all sitting in strong position for home games in Week number 10.

Here is the rest of the WEEK SEVEN high school football scoreboard:

Milan 34, Schuyler County 6 (ON KTTN)
Gallatin 49, Maysville 21
South Harrison 78, Albany 0
Princeton 27, King City 12
Polo 68, Braymer 0
LeBlond 19, Benton 18
Lafayette 41, Cameron 14
Maryville 34, Smithville 7
Savannah 41, Chillicothe 0
Brookfield 31, Palmyra 14
Marceline 36, Fayette 6
Putnam County 22, North Shelby 20
Lexington 20, Carrollton 12
East Buchanan 22, North Platte 20
West Platte 34, Mid-Buchanan 0
Lathrop 56, Plattsburg 7
Hamilton 14, Lawson 9

SW Livingston 73, Stewartsville 0
Worth County 52, South Holt 6