HINDS PLAZA: Princeton High football player Ellington Hinds heads upfield against Nottingham last Saturday. Junior star receiver/defensive back Hinds made four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown and had an interception in the game but it wasn’t enough as PHS lost 28-14 to the Northstars. The Tigers, now 3-4, host Trenton Central (4-3) this Friday evening in their annual Homecoming contest under the lights. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As the Princeton High football team played at Nottingham last Saturday afternoon, Ellington Hinds spent much of the second half lying prone on the sideline stretching out a sore back and ended the day with cotton stuffed in his left nostril to staunch a bloody nose.

But when junior star receiver/defensive back Hinds was on the field he hurt Nottingham, making a key interception at the end of the first half and racing to the end zone on a 39-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter as PHS battled to overcome an early 14-0 deficit.

In the end, Hinds’ heroics weren’t enough as the Tigers, who drew to within 21-14 on Hinds’ TD, fell 28-14 to the Northstars in dropping to 3-4.

Hinds was proud of how the Tigers clawed back after digging the early hole.

“I believe this team showed incredible heart to fight back,” said Hinds.

A second quarter interception by junior defensive lineman Zyair Mackey-Wright, followed by a 74-yard scoring march that culminated on a one-yard quarterback plunge by Travis Petrone as the Tigers drew to within 14-6 with 1:06 left in the half, changed the tone of the contest.

“That was the momentum that we needed to come back,” said Hinds. “I felt like we were back in the game. We missed an extra point and that stalled the momentum.”

In the waning seconds of the quarter, Hinds made a leaping interception to stymie the Northstars.

“I think that changed the mood going into halftime because we were kind of defeated,” said Hinds, who hit the ground hard on the pick, getting the wind knocked out of him and tweaking his back in the process. “When we got into halftime, we talked it over. We came out strong after halftime.”

After Nottingham pushed its lead to 21-6 in the third quarter, Hinds changed the mood again, snagging a Travis Petrone pass on a slant pattern and sprinting untouched into the end zone.

“That was a great pass from our quarterback Travis,” said Hinds. “I led the cornerback a little downfield, I knew he was the backup corner. I caught it and there was nobody there and I scored.”

In the fourth quarter, PHS got into Nottingham territory but the drive stalled and Nottingham responded with a long touchdown run to go up 28-14 and close the deal.

While the loss stung, Hinds feels that PHS, which brought a two-game winning streak into the contest, can be competitive down the homestretch.

“I feel like we could beat anyone in the conference,” said Hinds. “We just have to tighten up. We had some offsides, we had some drops. If we tighten all of that up, it is a totally different game. We had a drop at the 30-yard line before halftime, we had some offsides and we let them down the field on their first drive. When we clean up everything, I think we will be unstoppable.”

Hinds has been unstoppable at times this year, making 23 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns and scoring TDs on interception and fumble returns. For Hinds, his all-round excellence this fall has been a product of enjoying the game.

“Last year I really struggled with putting everything on me, trying to be a superstar,” said Hinds, who attended football camps at the University of Massachusetts and Syracuse over the summer to hone his skills. “This year I am just literally playing and having fun. I am letting the game come to me, I am not trying to force anything.”

Hinds is having fun playing with younger brother, sophomore receiver/defensive back Langston.

“Obviously that is an amazing experience, who doesn’t want to play with their little brother,” said Hinds. “He got an interception today. I try to help him as much as possible.”

PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher liked the way his players rallied against Nottingham but he acknowledged that they need to play sharper football.

“The idea of resilience is embedded in our football program which is excellent,” said Gallagher. “The guys are giving great effort even in the face of sometimes tremendous adversity. We just need to clean up some things execution-wise. I can’t fault anybody here for not giving everything that they have got but what I said to them was we need both. You need amazing effort and you need amazing execution. We need to be better that way.”

The Tigers did get an amazing play from Mackey-Wright as he snared his interception.

“It was a phenomenal play, it is good because he needs to get some accolades,” said Gallagher. “He is doing a great job, putting great pressure on. I nominate him every week for our chapter awards. He doesn’t have the stats. He is not on the radar yet and he deserves to be on the radar.”

The multi-talented Hinds is certainly on the radar. “We know he is one of our better players, he comes to play every week,” said Gallagher. “He was a little under the weather this week, he was sick. He said don’t worry I will be ready and he was ready. They started doubling him up a little which is what you would want to do with a player like that. He did a good job. He is one of our go-to guys. He is a talented player. We are leaning on him, which is great.”

The Tigers have started to lean on some other players as well.

“We need some other guys to step up and they have started to,” said Gallagher. “Guys like Andrew Foreman, Carmine Carusone, Zach Nelson, and Langston, these are all kids who are young guys who are getting invaluable experience. We are excited for those guys.”

With PHS hosting Trenton (4-3) this Friday evening in its annual Homecoming contest under the lights, Gallagher is excited for the matchup.

“Homecoming is great for the fans; for us, it is an opportunity to get another step closer to trying to win a division or at least tie for a division,” said Gallagher, whose team is 2-1 in West Jersey Football League (WJFL) Valley Division play.

“We are still in the race for the division. The coach over there, [Chris] Franco is a buddy of mine, we used to coach together. I know he is an excellent coach. They have had some nice wins so that will be a good game. I know they will be ready for us. It is a great environment. Our administration really does a great job of putting on something really special.”

Hinds, for his part, is primed for a special night against the Tornadoes.

“It is Homecoming, it will be energized,” said Hinds. “Everybody is going to be hyped, it is going to be a good game. We want to come out on top.”