WUFT | News and public media for north central Florida
Trenton Tigers boys basketball makes history, despite defeat
By Samuel Gold
February 27, 2026 at 10:30 PM EST
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Trenton Tigers, the boys basketball team from Gilchrist County that made an improbable run, ended its season in heartbreak as they lost to the Williston Red Devils 60-52 in the FHSAA Rural class state semifinal.
The final score does not tell the full story of the Tigers.
Tigers head coach Eric Bullis was not disappointed in the team. He told players after the game to hold their heads high and be proud of themselves.
The Tigers (25-5) made the state semifinal for the first time in program history. Bullis said the team set program records in metrics such as points per game, wins and strength of schedule.
“These guys, since we got together in late April for summer ball, have been a focused, resilient, together group,” Bullis said.
The Tigers went toe to toe with a Red Devils team (21-7) that has won two of the past three state championships.
The run to the final four did not happen by getting lucky. It was a culmination of unseen effort by every player throughout the season.
The team’s success began in its practices.
“Practice is the No. 1 important thing. Practice for us has been a lot harder than some of our games,” senior captain Nate Ridgell said.
Drills modeled game situations such as finishing through contact or helping on defense. The players cheered for each other after every good drill performance as Bullis told them to “bring their own energy.”
Junior Marc Minale said he loved every practice and in particular the atmosphere of practice.
The practices turned into wins during the season.
The Tigers took down larger schools Columbia and Buchholz that are in the 5A class and 6A class respectively, and the Tigers won high stakes, close games in the district championship and region final.
They beat The Rock Lions twice, the 17th ranked team in Florida, according to MaxPreps.
The Tigers had an average margin of victory of 25.6 points, and they had the sixth-hardest strength of schedule in the entire rural classification.
Bullis said the team’s motto is “keep doing what we’re doing.” Through every game, the Tigers played their brand of basketball and remained competitive even in their losses.
In the state semifinal loss, the Tigers faced a 16 point deficit in the third quarter, and they rattled back with a 12-2 run instead of backing down.
In an era of highlight reels and college recruiting, this team was not built around stars and national rankings. Instead, the team centered around trust in each other and a desire to win.
“We love to be around each other and we love to compete,” Ridgell said.
With the success the Tigers’ love of the game brought them, the city of Trenton gave their love to the team.
Local businesses’ donations helped pay for the Tigers’ trip to the final four. Fans and former Tigers players packed the gym to near capacity to watch the region final and gave the team a deafening standing ovation as the clock ticked down.
Junior Trenton High School student Brant Bivens said the student body was pumped up.
Trenton resident and grandfather of junior Lukys Benson Mike Burnett said after the success of other Trenton sports programs, the boys basketball team finally got the support they deserved.
Although the season is over, the foundation has been laid for success in the future.
“We’ve got a lot of production returning. I think we’ve got to get in the weight room and get a little bit stronger so that in a physical game like this the physicality doesn’t bother us quite as much, and we can pull through and win a game like that,” Bullis said.
Bullis said the team is excited for what the next season will bring.
The Tigers return top two scoring leaders Tyler Bullis and Mason VunCannon as well as leading rebounder Noah Owens and leader in field goal percentage Minale next year.
Reserve contributors Benson, Zaiden Bon and Anthony Rivera will also be back.
They know what it felt like to win a region final in front of a packed, energetic home crowd, and they know what it felt like to be just shy of playing for a state championship.
They know what it takes to make it to the finish line.
The final score does not tell the full story of the Tigers.
Tigers head coach Eric Bullis was not disappointed in the team. He told players after the game to hold their heads high and be proud of themselves.
The Tigers (25-5) made the state semifinal for the first time in program history. Bullis said the team set program records in metrics such as points per game, wins and strength of schedule.
“These guys, since we got together in late April for summer ball, have been a focused, resilient, together group,” Bullis said.
The Tigers went toe to toe with a Red Devils team (21-7) that has won two of the past three state championships.
The run to the final four did not happen by getting lucky. It was a culmination of unseen effort by every player throughout the season.
The team’s success began in its practices.
“Practice is the No. 1 important thing. Practice for us has been a lot harder than some of our games,” senior captain Nate Ridgell said.
Drills modeled game situations such as finishing through contact or helping on defense. The players cheered for each other after every good drill performance as Bullis told them to “bring their own energy.”
Junior Marc Minale said he loved every practice and in particular the atmosphere of practice.
The practices turned into wins during the season.
The Tigers took down larger schools Columbia and Buchholz that are in the 5A class and 6A class respectively, and the Tigers won high stakes, close games in the district championship and region final.
They beat The Rock Lions twice, the 17th ranked team in Florida, according to MaxPreps.
The Tigers had an average margin of victory of 25.6 points, and they had the sixth-hardest strength of schedule in the entire rural classification.
Bullis said the team’s motto is “keep doing what we’re doing.” Through every game, the Tigers played their brand of basketball and remained competitive even in their losses.
In the state semifinal loss, the Tigers faced a 16 point deficit in the third quarter, and they rattled back with a 12-2 run instead of backing down.
In an era of highlight reels and college recruiting, this team was not built around stars and national rankings. Instead, the team centered around trust in each other and a desire to win.
“We love to be around each other and we love to compete,” Ridgell said.
With the success the Tigers’ love of the game brought them, the city of Trenton gave their love to the team.
Local businesses’ donations helped pay for the Tigers’ trip to the final four. Fans and former Tigers players packed the gym to near capacity to watch the region final and gave the team a deafening standing ovation as the clock ticked down.
Junior Trenton High School student Brant Bivens said the student body was pumped up.
Trenton resident and grandfather of junior Lukys Benson Mike Burnett said after the success of other Trenton sports programs, the boys basketball team finally got the support they deserved.
Although the season is over, the foundation has been laid for success in the future.
“We’ve got a lot of production returning. I think we’ve got to get in the weight room and get a little bit stronger so that in a physical game like this the physicality doesn’t bother us quite as much, and we can pull through and win a game like that,” Bullis said.
Bullis said the team is excited for what the next season will bring.
The Tigers return top two scoring leaders Tyler Bullis and Mason VunCannon as well as leading rebounder Noah Owens and leader in field goal percentage Minale next year.
Reserve contributors Benson, Zaiden Bon and Anthony Rivera will also be back.
They know what it felt like to win a region final in front of a packed, energetic home crowd, and they know what it felt like to be just shy of playing for a state championship.
They know what it takes to make it to the finish line.