GRINDING IT OUT: Princeton High football player Stephen Avis runs past an opponent in recent action. Last Friday, senior running back and tri-captain Avis rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries in a losing cause as PHS fell 47-0 to West Windsor-Plainsboro. The Tigers, now 0-6, host Hopewell Valley on October 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After playing on the offensive line for the Princeton High football team last year, Stephen Avis moved to running back this fall and has found a home in his new spot.

Last Friday night, senior Avis rumbled for 111 yards on 23 carries to provide a bright spot for PHS as it fell 47-0 at West Windsor-Plainsboro and dropped to 0-6.

Coming into the contest, Avis believed that the Tigers could move the ball on the ground against WW-P.

“We watched film all week and we felt like we could run the ball and get our run offense going,” said Avis.

“We built off of last week, we didn’t really change much in our offense. We just tried to practice what we had so we could perfect it.”

In the first half, Avis started to get into a rhythm, ripping off several runs of nearly 10 yards. PHS, though, didn’t take advantage of the hard running by Avis, trailing 40-0 at half.

“We went to the locker room, we knew we wanted to keep battling and keep it a fight,” said Avis.

“We wanted to build off what we had in the first half and keep moving the ball. We got close to scoring but we just couldn’t finish it.”

In the second half, Avis kept battling as he piled up yardage, getting the Tigers into the red zone late in the fourth quarter but the Tigers couldn’t cash in.

In reflecting on his hard-charging style, Avis said that playing for the PHS boys’ hockey team has helped make him aggressive on the football field.

“In hockey, I have been skating hard, so in football I just try to run hard,” said Avis.

As one of the team’s captains, Avis has worked hard to boost team morale.

“I am trying to change the culture and mentor the younger guys and try to build the program by commitment, and leadership,” said Avis.

PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher credits Avis with showing a lot of commitment to the program.

“Stephen has given us a tremendous amount over the entire season,” said Gallagher. “He is a standout player, he is the real deal. He is a hockey player, he is a tough kid.”

While PHS is enduring a tough fall, Gallagher sees hope for the future.

“It is a growth process, we are playing four seniors right now,” said Gallagher.

“We have a lot of juniors playing and we have a couple of sophomores playing. There are guys getting a lot of experience. We just got to say to ourselves that hey, these are building blocks. We have a great group of kids, this is one of the best groups of kids that I have had the pleasure of coaching. They are working hard, it is about building.”

As the Tigers head into the final games of this season, Gallagher is looking for his players to keep plugging away.

“You want to win games for the seniors and you don’t want to just forget about 2019,” said Gallagher, whose team hosts Hopewell Valley on October 26.

“It is very hard because you put so much energy into 2019. We are going to play all of these games out. We have got to get maximum effort and the kids are doing that. I am very happy with our turnout and our practices. I talked a little bit about peaks and valleys for our guys and the peaks are definitely practice Monday through Friday and the valleys are the games. We are struggling in the games.”

In the view of Avis, going through the struggles will ultimately yield dividends for PHS.

“I feel like everyone is keeping their heads up,” said Avis. “Every week is a new week and we just try to battle for the next game and do our best. It is just grinding and everyone doing their job and eventually things will start to work out.”