HELENA — The Townsend Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start to this high school football season, but they played two of those games without a key defensive piece.
Senior linebacker Trenton Hoveland made his season debut Friday night in a 28-0 win over Big Timber. Hoveland fractured his left foot’s fifth metatarsal bone, located on the outside of the foot, during offseason workouts in June.
“Honestly, just pure happiness,” Hoveland said of his return to the field. “I couldn’t be more thankful. And to be able to be out here with the people I love the most and do what I do every day, it’s no better feeling.”
With Hoveland back on the field, Townsend head coach Joe Horne said the Bulldogs’ defense becomes a much different unit.
“It makes us a better football team having him back on the field,” said Horne. “I think he brings a lot of situational awareness. He’s really football smart. And I think Trenton really understands football, understands the aspect and the scheme of what we’re trying to do defensively. And so, he helps carry that information and push it through to the rest of the 10 guys that are out there on the field with him.”
And speaking of the guys playing with Hoveland, they’re a big part of the reason why he worked as hard as he did to rehab from his broken foot and get back out on the field for his senior season.
“I played with most all these guys, mostly juniors and seniors, all my life,” Hoveland said of his teammates. “So, having a strong relationship with them, I feel like, builds strong chemistry with them because we’re always doing stuff outside of football — whether it’s going to the lake, going hunting or doing something outdoors. And just being around them makes us better, I feel like.”
The Bulldogs’ season continues Friday at No. 5 Three Forks.
