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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: |
PHS Football Runs Into WW/P-S Buzzsaw As Playoff Dreams End With 27-0 Defeat
By Bill Alden
The Princeton High football team brought a five-game winning streak and visions of clinching a state tournament berth into its game last Saturday against undefeated WW/P-S.
With a history of close battles against its archrival from across Route 1, PHS figured its high-powered offensive attack may have enough weapons to derail the powerful Pirates.
Instead, the Little Tigers were hit with a freight train as WW/P-S came into Harris Field and dominated the contest from the opening kickoff.
Controlling things in the trenches, the Pirates built a 13-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. With its ground attack in high gear, WW/P-S stretched that cushion to 20-0 at the half.
The Pirates tacked on a third quarter score to make the final margin 27-0 on an afternoon which saw them outgain PHS 373 yards to 129.
In reflecting on the setback, PHS head coach Steve Everette admitted his team had run into a buzzsaw.
"They did things to us that nobody else has," said Everette, whose star running back Alex Henriques was held to 60 yards rushing while quarterback John Mitko passed for 46 yards with two interceptions. "There were no surprises; they were just really good up front."
Everette didn't spare himself from a share of the blame for the disappointing loss which ended PHS' hopes for a state playoff spot. "I didn't do a good job of getting them mentally prepared," acknowledged Everette. "They weren't ready for the level of intensity that we faced."
In order to get to that level, PHS will have to go back to the drawing board. "We have to get into the weightroom and get bigger," said Everette. "I talked to a couple of the guys and they were still trying to figure things out. They really wanted to beat South."
With a state consolation game this Saturday at Monroe and the season finale against WW/P-N on November 19, PHS can figure out some things before heading into the offseason.
Everette, though, admits that it's going to be hard for his team to rebound from the whipping it suffered last Saturday. "Seven wins is a good goal; we'll see how they respond," said Everette. "It's tough. We fell short of our goals to make the states and win the division. That loss to Ewing [on opening day] really came back to bite us."
But the Little Tigers could continue their progress if they can bite back against their last two foes.
