MULTI-TASKING: Princeton High running back Carmine Carusone turns the corner last Friday night against Lawrence High. Junior standout Carusone rushed for 44 yards and one touchdown, made three catches for 49 yards and a TD, kicked three extra points, and made a team-high 13 tackles but it wasn’t enough as PHS fell 29-21 to the Cardinals in the season opener for both teams. The Tigers host Allentown on September 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Carmine Carusone was not going to be denied.

With the Princeton High football team trailing Lawrence 9-0 in the second quarter last Friday night in the season opener for both teams, Tiger junior running back Carusone caught a pass near the Cardinal 20-yard line and raced down the sideline, breaking several tackles before he dove in for a touchdown.

“I caught the ball and I turned around, I saw a couple of blocks and then I saw a couple of red shirts and then I saw the end zone and I am like, ‘all right, I have got to get there,’” said Carusone. “I saw the finish line and I reached out. I hit one juke move and a couple of guys came on my legs and I just kept driving my legs and tried to get to the end zone.”

With PHS trailing 16-14 at halftime, the Tigers focused on having greater attention to detail after the break.

“We went into the locker room at halftime and we brought in all of the main guys, that ones that play offense and defense,” said Carusone. “We just talked about the little things that we needed to change, like being in the spots that we need to be because they kept running the ball on us. We tried to change our personnel a little bit and make some plays.”

Late in the third quarter, Carusone made another big play, bulling for a one-yard TD plunge as the Tigers trimmed the Lawrence lead to 23-21.

“That was a big touchdown,” said Carusone. “I saw the linebacker come down and I was like alright we are hitting each other but I am getting in the end zone. There is no stopping.”

PHS, though, never got closer as the Cardinals tacked on a TD late in the third and held on for a 29-21 victory.

“We definitely gave a lot of our energy,” said Carusone, reflecting on the setback. “We had a couple of guys knocked down but everyone that was in gave their best with 100 percent. That is what we are going to need this whole season.”

Carusone showed plenty of energy on defense, making a team-high 13 tackles and forcing a fumble by Lawrence running back James Lyons late in the fourth quarter.

“Usually I play corner and I told coach move me into linebacker because they kept running it,” said Carusone. “I see that gap and I could tell throughout the game which way the ball was going to run. I saw the gap and blitzed right through it. On the fumble, he (Lyons) didn’t get the ball completely yet. I was able to get in there and get him to fumble the ball. Big Rich [Jean-Pierre] got on the ball.”

Making his first start at running back, Carusone was excited to get the ball as he had nine carries in gaining 44 yards.

“It was great, it felt good to be on the offensive side of the things and try to put on a couple of moves and hit some kids,” said Carusone.

Making the move to football last year after having played soccer for years has turned out to be a great decision for Carusone.

“It was a big change; I really enjoyed soccer throughout my life but it just got to the point where I didn’t enjoy it enough,” said Carusone, who uses his soccer skills to handle the kicking duties for PHS and converted all three extra point attempts against Lawrence.

“I came to football and I was like holy cow, I missed out on this my whole life.”

With one football season under his belt, Carusone was determined to build on the progress he made in his debut campaign on the gridiron.

“I took in what I did last year and I said I need to improve,” said Carusone. “I worked hard in the offseason. I went to camps, I worked out. I did a lot of things in the offseason to prepare for this moment and the following moments coming up.”

PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher appreciates all of the things that Carusone is doing for the Tigers.

“Carmine is just one of a kind, he is at running back and corner,” said Gallagher. “Somewhere along the line he is at corner and then the next thing you know he is at linebacker. At the very end, I said why is he back at corner, he is our best linebacker. He is a fearless player. You know why he is a great guy, he will do anything for you. He is kicking and doing whatever else.”

Gallagher liked the way his team played without fear collectively against Lawrence.

“It was resilience, the kids battled adversity,” said Gallagher. “You are down, we score and they score. We are missing some guys, it is tough, guys like Truman Arshan and Andrew Foreman really stepped up. Julian Frevert and Brady Collier were in there at linebacker making plays.”

Senior quarterback Travis Petrone and junior running back Andrew Foreman made some big plays. Petrone completed 11-of-22 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown while Foreman rushed for 61 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.

“Travis did a great job of moving the ball around and getting the ball to different receivers,” said Gallagher. “We play him on defense too because he is our best option at corner. He made some really nice big hits. Andrew had a great game also, he had some really big runs.”

Having been hit by injuries in the preseason, the Tigers had to modify their offensive approach.

“We have to get a little more diverse in our play calling,” said Gallagher. “It was the first game. We were scrimmaging and playing a certain offense and the next thing you know some players were not going to be able to be there so we tweaked the offense a little bit. We got 21 on the board, which is a good start but unfortunately 21 didn’t get us the win.”

Gallagher credited Lawrence with outplaying PHS in the trenches as Lyons rushed for 291 yards and two TDs.

“They were a little bigger up front, Rob Radice does a good job coaching, “ said Gallagher. “They got us up the middle a little bit. That is what happens when you are getting linebackers in there, getting some of their first reps. We had a great offseason, we were in the weight room and did a phenomenal job. We got some bad breaks. With some good luck, we will get some players back and get some more points on the board. We will coach them up.”

While the result in the opener was disappointing, Gallagher believes his squad will keep battling as it returns to action by hosting Allentown on September 7.

“I just love the overall effort that the guys gave,” said Gallagher. “You don’t know what you have in the first game. You don’t know what is in store, you don’t know what they have. You are watching a couple of scrimmages, you don’t know who is playing. I think we have some of the best linebackers but guess what, they are not playing any more with injury. That was our strength, having said that, who knows what happens next week.”

Carusone, for his part, is confident that the Tigers will keep giving a strong effort.

“I think the energy that we had, knowing that we had guys down and we kept fighting was something that we need to keep,” said Carusone. “Even if we are down a touchdown, we just need to keep moving forward and keep going.”