ROARING BACK: Princeton High running back Rory Helstrom heads upfield in 2014 action. Last Friday at Ewing, senior star Helstrom rushed for 236 yards to help PHS rally from a 20-7 first half deficit and pull out a 34-27 victory. The Little Tigers, now 1-1, host Hightstown on September 25 under the lights at Harris Field. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

After losing to Hamilton in its season opener on September 12, the Princeton High football team felt a heightened sense of urgency as it got ready for its game at Ewing last Friday night.

“We had a good week of practice, we kind of threw it out there that our backs were against the wall and there is nowhere to go but up,” said PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher.

“We were not thinking about being 0-2, it was do whatever we can do to win a ball game.”

In the early stages of Friday’s contest, PHS appeared to be headed to the dreaded 0-2 start as it trailed 20-7 after the first quarter. But a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter by sophomore Jakob Green gave PHS a lift heading into intermission.

“We struggled in the beginning,” said Gallagher. “Thankfully we have a real solid kicker, he got us three before the half.”

Producing a solid second half, PHS rallied to pull out a 34-27 win over the Blue Devils.

In Gallagher’s view, a key turning point came on a third quarter safety by senior lineman Noah Ziegler.

“We had a drive when we were down 20-10 at the beginning of the half, we drove all the way down to the five and we had a fumble,” said Gallagher.

“It was a total letdown there, it took the wind out of our sails. We were about to make it a one score game but then Noah Ziegler had a great play. He made a safety. He made a tackle and swung him around a couple of times and he stepped on the end line and we got two points. On the next drive we scored a touchdown and we got the points we needed.”

The Little Tigers got what they needed from senior Rory Helstrom as he rushed for 236 yards on 33 carries and three touchdowns.

“Rory didn’t have as many touches as we would have liked last week, we wanted to get him heavily involved and I think he ended up with almost 35 carries,” said Gallagher.

“He ran 59 yards for a touchdown on our second play. He caught a couple of balls out of the backfield and returned kicks. He did the same Rory stuff he did last year. He has played just a little bit of defense for us right now, just trying to get him in playing shape. His main focus is carrying the ball for us, he is a workhorse.”

Gallagher also cited the team’s work in the trenches. “The offensive line did a real nice job, we rearranged our lineup a little bit, put some guys in different spots and it really paid off,” said Gallagher.

“Coach (Danny) Rodriguez our O-line coach did a real nice job with that, they opened some big holes.”

On the other side of the ball, the PHS defense plugged some holes after a shaky start.

“They had three scores and we were able to clamp down after that,” said Gallagher.

“I think they had five drives that ended with punts so we did a better job toward the middle of the game. They had a long touchdown in the fourth quarter but we shut them out in the second and third quarters.”

PHS responded to that late Ewing TD by putting together the game-winning drive, capped by a five-yard scoring run by Helstrom.

“It says something about the resilience of the team, I was really proud of the effort,” asserted Gallagher.

“We were a playoff team last year and obviously it is a new team. We still have a lot of good players and that is what good teams do. We won eight games last year and we had a lot of the players come back. They maintained their composure, which was great.”

In Gallagher’s view, the PHS rally gives the team something to build on going forward.

“I think the biggest thing is coming back from being down 20-7 on the road, that gives confidence to the whole program,” said Gallagher.

“Ewing  has a great atmosphere, they had a great crowd over there. It was loud. Making that comeback was huge.”

PHS is hoping to have a great crowd this Friday evening as it hosts Hightstown (1-1), highlighting Homecoming festivities with a night game for the second straight year.

“I think we had roughly 2,500-3,000 fans last year, it was a great atmosphere,” said Gallagher, referring to PHS’s 7-0 win over Ewing last September in the program’s first night game at Harris Field.

“I think they are looking to replicate it. We are going to have a great crowd. We had a great game against Hightstown last year (a 36-29 win for PHS). We have looked at the tape of them, they have a sophomore running back who is good. Their quarterback is coming back for the second year, he can throw the ball. They have a big tight end and he gave us fits last year.”