(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith)
HIGH SPEED: Princeton High senior running back Josh Gordon races past the Hightstown defense last Friday night for an 82-yard touchdown run. Gordon gained 168 yards rushing on 17 carries on the evening as PHS won 30-6. The Little Tigers, now 6-1, will host undefeated Notre Dame (7-0) on October 31 in what is shaping up as the game of the year in the CVC. |
Josh Gordon and his teammates on the Princeton High football team had a score to settle with Hightstown as the squads met last Friday.
In 2008, PHS dropped a 19-13 heartbreaker to underdog Hightstown, a defeat that helped keep the Little Tigers from qualifying for the state playoffs.
As Gordon hit the field at Hightstown last Friday evening, the wind and rain greeting the players wasnt about to dampen his competitive fire.
I cant remember the last time we beat them and last year they ruined our chance at the playoffs but this year is a new year, said senior running back Gordon.
We are different; we are all seniors. We were going to come out and we werent going to let them ruin our season. This is personal.
An early PHS turnover only served to rev up the Little Tigers intensity.
The fact that they came out and tried to take it away again just gave us more energy and more motivation to play hard, added Gordon.
The Little Tigers built a 10-0 lead by early in the second quarter and then Gordon gave PHS a bolt of energy which helped break the game open. Squirting through the middle of the line, the 58, 185-pound speedster outran the Ram defense and went all the way for an 82-yard touchdown run as PHS went up 16-0.
Minutes later, senior defensive back Taariq Parker blocked a punt and scooped up the ball in the end zone for another touchdown as the Little Tigers built a 23-0 halftime advantage.
PHS never looked back, cruising to a 30-6 victory and improving to 6-1 on the season.
In reflecting on his touchdown run, Gordon spread the credit around.
Our offensive line did a great job; they blocked perfectly, recalled Gordon, who ended the night with 168 yards rushing on 17 carries. I read the hole and it was just a foot race from there.
After running for 991 yards last fall as a junior, Gordon has fine-tuned his approach mentally and physically in order to become even better.
I am smarter now; I make cuts and I read the defense before I get to the line, explained Gordon, who has 737 yards rushing so far this season.
I know what I can and cant do; thats just made me a better back. In the off-season, I did everything I could. I conditioned well; I was in the weight room a lot. My diet was pretty good, they made me eat more.
PHS has utilized a steady diet of the one-two punch of 250-pound Trevor Barsamian and Gordon to wear down opposing defenses.
Nobody really wants to tackle Trevor and if they do tackle him, it hurts, said Gordon.
After he gets the ball about 10 times, thats when you put me in and I just go around them. They are timid after having to keep tackling Trevor.
Unlike Gordon, PHS head coach Steve Everette didnt want things to get too personal last Friday.
We didnt want to come out here and have it be emotional; they have some great athletes and it could go one of two ways, said Everette, who acknowledged that Parkers special teams touchdown was emotional as the senior had changed his jersey number to 28 for the game to honor the birthday of his late cousin Mario Israel.
If they want to be emotional and make plays and we had to ride that wave or we could come out and do what we do and make sure that it never got emotional. We had a great start even though we turned the ball over. The defense played outstanding, especially in the first half. We didnt let it be an emotional game. For us, it was about business.
Everette likes the way Gordon is taking care of his business this fall.
Josh has done a great job but he would be the first to tell you that his offensive line is doing it, said Everette.
Hes doing what he is supposed to be doing; hes a real good athlete. He makes great reads when he is running the ball and our guys up front are fighting hard and clawing and getting better every week. They gave him some seams to run in and he hit them today.
Gordons running mate, Barsamian, rumbled through some seams as he gained 95 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
It was a 1-2 punch kind of day, added Everette. On a cold day like this it is tough to tackle a 250-pound guy and Trevor had a great game today. He had one called back and he kept plugging away.
PHS will have to plug away pretty hard next Saturday as it hosts undefeated Notre Dame (7-0) in what is shaping up as the CVC game of the year.
We have had some really good games with Notre Dame; right now they are the No. 1 team in the area, said Everette.
We get them at home and it is Halloween and we are playing with house money. If we find a way to win that game, we are probably looking at a home seed in the playoffs and thats important. But more importantly, it is Notre Dame and we want to beat Notre Dame. It is a great measuring stick game to let us know if we are a playoff caliber team.
If PHS can keep playing like it did in the win over Hightstown, it could go a long way in the playoffs.
I think tonight was an outstanding night; we did it offensively, defensively, and on special teams, said Everette.
Thats the coaches coaching and the kids playing their tails off. If we want to go far in the playoffs, we have to be firing on every aspect of the game. We are going to need special teams plays; we are going to need Josh to break one. We are going to need to pound it. If we want to make a playoff run, we are going to need everybody doing their job.
Gordon and his fellow seniors are ready to do their job as they look to make their final campaign one to remember.
We have been together since freshman year, said Gordon. For some people it was their first year of football and we have just grown as a group. It definitely helps out there that we are close- knit. We are just all friends. If you go into the cafeteria at lunch, you will see us together.
The Little Tigers will have to stick together if they are going to overcome the challenge posed by Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is always a tough team, added Gordon. I have never beaten them. It would be great to get a win and get a top seed in the playoffs and bring it back home. That is our goal; it hasnt happened in a while.
And if Gordon keeps outrunning the opposition, PHS could do some things the program hasnt done in a while.
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