GREEN DAY: Princeton High football player Jakob Green punts the ball during a preseason scrimmage. Sophomore receiver/defensive back Green made a solid debut last Saturday as PHS fell 10-7 at Hamilton in the season opener for both teams. Green had four catches for 66 yards and capably handled the kicking duties for the Little Tigers. PHS will look to get on the winning track when it plays at Ewing (1-0) on September 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

As it rolled to an 8-2 campaign last fall, the Princeton High football team was held to seven points just once.

Being held to its lowest output of 2014, though, didn’t keep the Little Tigers from winning as they edged visiting Ewing 7-0 in that contest last September, delighting a throng on hand for the program’s first night game at home.

Starting the 2015 season last Saturday afternoon at Hamilton, PHS was limited to seven points but once again looked like it might pull out a win as it led the Hornets 7-3 midway through the fourth quarter.

But with Hamilton putting together an 83-yard scoring march that lasted nearly six minutes and culminated with a 17-yard touchdown gallop by Dayzjohn Dunston with 5:09 remaining in regulation, the Little Tigers came up short this time, falling 10-7.

In reflecting on the setback, PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher acknowledged that some critical miscues doomed his squad.

“I give a lot of credit to Hamilton, we are playing on the road and we can’t afford to commit the turnovers and that is what we did,” said Gallagher.

“I think we had three turnovers; we give the ball away on a punt return and we had a couple of bad picks. We did get a fumble recovery late in the game and we can’t turn it into anything of a decent drive so that hurts us.”

PHS squandered a valiant defensive effort that saw the Little Tigers stifle the Hamilton passing game and yield just three points over the first 43 minutes of the contest.

“Defense played a great game,” asserted Gallagher. “The defense plays hard, the positive is the defense right now.”

The PHS offense had its moments as senior quarterback Dave Beamer completed 10-of-17 passes for 133 yards while classmate Rory Helstrom rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries, highlighted by a six-yard touchdown dash in the second quarter as the Little Tigers took a 7-0 lead.

“I liked the play of our interior line guys, especially early in the game,” said Gallagher.

“Noah Ziegler, Matt Toplin and Ethan Guerra did a great job. Rory is out there for the first time, he missed all three scrimmages but he played a hell of a game.”

The Little Tigers worked some younger players into the game, getting a particularly good effort from sophomore Jakob Green, who made four catches for 66 yards and capably handled the kicking duties for the Little Tigers.

“We have got some young guys out there,” said Gallagher. “Jakob Green is a nice player for us. He has got a big leg, he did a nice job as a wideout. He is a solid tackler at the free safety spot so we are happy with him. He is a sophomore, there is a lot of promise with him.”

With PHS playing at Ewing (1-0) on September 18, Gallagher is looking for a more solid performance from his squad.

“We need a better effort next week against Ewing because we are on the road again,” said Gallagher.

“We just can’t commit the turnovers like we did today. We have to move the ball. We are going to the drawing board. We will look at the film, correct our mistakes and get back for next week.”