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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Confident PHS Football Aims To Build on Recent Progress
By Bill Alden
If you focus solely on the 2-8 record posted by the Princeton High football team last fall, it would be easy to conclude that it was a dismal season.
Many around the program, however, view the 2003 season as a major step in the right direction. The Little Tigers won two of their last four games, thereby doubling their win total from the year before.
Moreover, PHS narrowly lost four games in which a swing of 20 points or so could have brought them four more wins. The team's defense developed into one of the most rugged units in the Colonial Valley Conference by the second half of the season.
In the wake of that progress, Little Tiger head coach Steve Everette has noticed a new attitude in his players as they have gone through gruelling two-a-day practices this summer.
"We're definitely more confident," said the upbeat Everette, who is in his third year heading the PHS program. "If we had made a few less mistakes here or there last fall, we could have won five games and have been in the states. The kids know that they have the ability to put things together and do something special."
Everette believes that his passing game is going to be something special this fall. "One of our strengths is Vinny Giacalone at quarterback," said Everette, referring to his senior signal caller who excelled this summer in guiding the team at the Rutgers 7-on-7 passing league. "Vinny is making better reads and has gotten better in getting the ball to the receivers. The passing game is going to be more polished."
Giacalone has good targets on the outside in senior wide receiver Vance Slocum and junior wideout Ben Guervil and over the middle in senior tight end Cory Curtis and junior tight end Frank Giacalone.
PHS should have a productive one-two punch in its running game in powerful senior Mike Vieten and fleet sophomore Alex Henriques. "Mike will get the majority of carries, he's powerful," said Everette. "Alex will get some carries as well. He's real quick."
The foundation of the team's offense will be its battle-tested offensive line which features such stalwarts as a trio of tough seniors in T.R. Johnson, Will Borchert, and Henry Powell together with juniors Huegens Jean and J.P. Henrichsen.
"This is the biggest offensive line we've had since I've been here," maintained Everette. "They are experienced and really meshing as a unit."
Everette believes his defense is meshing nicely as well. "Defending the rubber is our motto," said Everette, referring to his team's goal of shutting down visiting foes on the field turf surface at Harris Field. "We hung our hats on defense last year and we have a whole lot of returners and talent on defense."
In the trenches, senior D.J. Boyer, Frank Giacalone, and Johnson should see a lot of action. Newcomer Adam Brunner, a junior defensive end and the son of former NFL quarterback Scott Brunner, should emerge as a factor up front for PHS.
The linebacking corps will feature the hard-hitting Vieten. In the secondary, Slocum and Guervil will be counted on to lead a group that could include several sophomores. Senior Marcus Brown could also help in the defensive backfield.
The Little Tigers will get a chance to show that their new confidence is justified in their season opener when they host Allentown on September 11 looking to avenge one of last year's most frustrating setbacks.
"That game was a heartbreaker," said Everette, referring to the Allentown's 26-23 win over Princeton last September.
"We came all the way back from a big deficit and then lost on a 40-yard field goal at the gun. We remember that. We like our chances at home."
If PHS
can build on last year's progress, it may break the hearts of
many of its foes this fall.
