ON THE RUN: Princeton High quarterback Vince Doran rolls out to fire a pass last Sunday against Pemberton in the season opener. Junior Doran hit on 19-of-35 passes for 149 yards in his debut as the starting QB but it wasn’t enough as PHS fell 33-6 to the Hornets. The Little Tigers will look to get in the win column when they play at Hightstown on September 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Between the 20-yard lines the Princeton High football team held its own as it hosted Pemberton last Sunday in the season opener for both teams.

“We did a pretty good job on their quarterback,” said PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher, reflecting on a contest that was postponed from Saturday due to the extreme heat and humidity in the area and rescheduled for a day later.

“Our offense showed spurts. We like what Vince Doran (19-of-35 passes for 149 yards) is doing at quarterback and what the line is doing. We like our running back situation. I think overall the receivers did a good job, Jakob Green did well (8 catches for 85 yards). There are a lot of things to like about this team.”

But Pemberton did a much better job when it came to striking quickly, producing three touchdowns of 79 yards, 81 yards, and 62 yards in jumping out to a 20-0 halftime lead on the way to a 33-6 win over the Little Tigers.

“They made big plays and we didn’t get the ball moving so we didn’t have an opportunity to make our own plays,” lamented Gallagher.

Showing some resolve, PHS did score in the last minute of the contest as back-up sophomore quarterback Ryan Benattar hit freshman Matt Perello for a 40-yard touchdown pass to the get the Little Tigers on the scoreboard.

“I kept hearing that Matt was super fast; it is one thing when you say the guys are fast but are they football fast,” said Gallagher, assessing the play which saw Perello catch the ball in the flat and then race away from a group of Pemberton pursuers down the sideline for the score. “He is football fast; that was good.”

PHS got some very good play in the trenches from senior Ethan Guerra, who excelled on both lines.

“Ethan is a beast out there; he really does a great job, offensively and defensively,” said Gallagher, who also cited the play of junior lineman Marqui McBride along with a pair of receivers, junior Will Smith (6 receptions for 47 yards) and sophomore Isaac Webb (4 catches for 20 yards) as bright spots.

“Ethan clogs up the middle, there are so many plays where he was involved when he didn’t make the tackle but he still influences the play. We are in good shape up there with Ethan in the front line.”

Gallagher is confident that the Little Tigers will shape up when they hit the field this Friday at Hightstown looking to get into the win column.

“There are definitely a lot of correctible things,” said Gallagher. “We have got to score points and we got to sharpen the offense. We are going to put this to bed quick and we are focusing on Hightstown. That is a big game and we are excited about Hightstown. We will straighten things out.”