COACHABLE MOMENT: Princeton High football head coach Charlie Gallagher exhorts his players during a game earlier this season. PHS, which fell 48-13 to WW/P-South last Friday to drop to 0-6, hosts Northern Burlington this Friday night to highlight Homecoming Weekend. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Stephen Hennessy was a member of the supporting cast for the Princeton High football team last fall.

Moving up to the varsity in 2016 as a sophomore, Hennessy saw action as a back-up defensive back before making a couple starts late in the campaign.

This fall, Hennessy has assumed a leading role, emerging as a star receiver and a key member of the secondary.

“It has been a big leap for me this year, starting on both sides of the ball and special teams,” said Hennessy.

“I have stepped up. Last year, I didn’t play much offense, but this year I have excelled. I scored my first touchdown two weeks ago. I like playing defensive back too. It is fun to go down there and make some plays, make some tackles, and getting to defend on the pass. It is really just about getting better.”

Last Friday evening, Hennessy excelled in a losing cause, making a game-high six catches for 36 yards as PHS fell 48-13 to the WW/P-South Pirates in dropping to 0-6.

“The offensive effort was good tonight; I think we really worked hard,” said Hennessy.

“We matriculated the ball down the field. Obviously we couldn’t finish a lot of times. We have got to work more on controlling the ball and keeping possession. I think we can work towards it, they are fixable mistakes.”

Even though the Little Tigers haven’t tasted victory year this fall, the players haven’t stopped working hard.

“We are showing good effort, people are playing hard and playing to the whistle,” said Hennessy.

“People are doing a good job, not hanging their heads. We just can’t wait to get back out there.”

PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher credits Hennessy for doing a very good job this fall.

“Stephen is a ballplayer for us; he wants to compete,” said Gallagher. “He does a great job in practice. He works real hard in the weight room; he had a great offseason. He does all the things that you need a football player to do.”

Gallagher acknowledged that PHS didn’t do the things it needed to do to get a win against the Pirates last Friday.

“We are making a lot of mental errors, going six games into the season,” said Gallagher. “We have a lot of little issues.”

The Little Tigers went with a quarterback rotation in the WW/P-South game as freshman Jake Renda hit 8-of-12 passes for 71 yards for a touchdown in the first half while junior Ryan while Benattar completed 4-of-11 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown as he guided the offense in the second half.

“We have a freshman quarterback, who is a great kid,” said Gallagher. “He is going to be our future, we are throwing him out there to the wolves. Ryan is a junior and we are hoping for a little veteran leadership. They have been competing in practice and it has been a close one.”

Junior receiver Isaac Webb showed some competitive fire against the Pirates, making four catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. “Isaac is giving everything that he has got,” said Gallagher.

“He is a competitor, he is a good player, and he is a motivator. I want to see him step up; he has these flashes of brilliance. We are going to need to get the ball to him more; he doesn’t get the ball enough. We want the ball in his hands.”

In Gallagher’s view, his players have continued to compete despite the steady diet of losing.

“I will tell you this, things have been good though; we have had great weeks of practice,” said Gallagher.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We haven’t got to the end of the tunnel yet but we are going to get there. It might next week, it might be the week after. We are going to get there. We have a good group of kids.”

PHS is looking for a good effort this Friday evening when it hosts Northern Burlington.

“We’ll be OK. We have got a big homecoming game against Northern Burlington,” said Gallagher.

“We competed well against those guys last year, so it is another night game at the high school. We are excited for that.”

Hennessy, for his part, shares that excitement. “We can’t wait for that game; the whole school comes out,” said Hennessy.

“It is going to be a big one. We are really going to giving as much effort as possible and lay it all on the line for that game.”