PRINCETON — Last week’s down-to-the-wire 33-32 loss to South Charleston in the regular season finale was a difficult pill for defending WVSSAC Class AAA state football champion Princeton to swallow.
The No. 7 Tigers’ playoff opening round match up with No. 10 John Marshall went down a lot easier.
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A couple of early scoring receptions by Alex Cox shifted the tone of what might have otherwise been a more suspenseful opening quarter and Princeton (7-4) went on to depose the Monarchs (7-4) in a lopsided 51-7 victory at Hunnicutt Stadium.
“I’m proud of our kids and proud of our staff. Something we preached to our kids all week that this is a new year … a new season. Take everything that we’ve experienced so far and let it fuel [the fire in] our bellies for what we’re about to embark on,” said Princeton’s enigmatic rock star head coach Nate Tanner in a radio interview after the game.
“I feel like our guys are really prepared. They had a sense of urgency. They were relentless , they were violent and they dominated more moments than John Marshall did and the score took care of itself,” he said.
Tigers quarterback Jake Belcher had a strong outing, completing 16 of 20 pass attempts for 233 yards, including a pair of scoring strikes. He also rushed for 93 yards on eight carries, including a 46-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
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“I was really pleased with Jake. I’ve been coaching for 16 years and every single year is different and every quarterback is different and Jake is a unique cat in this regard.
“I have a lot of trust in him and I think we’re on the same page. We put some stuff in this week where we gave him the autonomy to make some other reads and checks … and I think that helped get him into a rhythm,” said Tanner.
“He capitalized on his opportunities. Also I think whenever Jake gets going on the ground, it just kind of seems to spark everything. He had a heck of a night,” he said.
Belcher’s touchdown throws of 5 and 53 yards to Cox in the first quarter lit the fuse for the Princeton offense, which was eager to show John Marshall what other tricks the Tigers had up their sleeves.
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“It’s always a plan to get Alex the ball, to be honest with you. We saw some thing throughout the week where I thought we could have won on a shot. We were able to dial one up early on a go-ball up the seam. He won his route. Jake put it up for him and he made a great finish,” Tanner said.
“Alex ran the ball really well and did a lot well tonight. It was nice to see him have that contested catch on that slant in the end zone. That was awesome. That showed some growth on his part,” he said.
Aaron Hood rushed eight times for 39 yards, including touchdown runs of 3, 6 and 2 yards. RJ Coatney rushed for 34 yards on five carries, including a 13-yard TD run.
Placekicker Jacob Flanigan was also putting some gloss on his post-season form, going 7-for-7 on point-after touchdown kicks. He had a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter that could have cleared the crossbar from considerable farther back.
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“He crushed it. It was up toward the top of the uprights,” said Tanner.
“Jacob is a special talent … he’s got leg talent. When he first started kicking touchbacks [on kickoffs] I asked if he thought about kicking in college. He should, because he’s unique. A lot of high school kids can’t kick like him.”
Defensively, the Tigers held the Monarchs to 121 yards total offense and only four first downs.
“We did a few different things personnel-wise and a few different things schematically and I think it paid off. Our kids really played hard and executed. Our kids were really prepared for what they were about to face … our kids were really dialed in on their keys and the were disciplined and did really well,” Tanner said.
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Fullback Robbie Sforza broke the drought for John Marshall in the final quarter, scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run.
The Tigers will advanced to the quarterfinal round, facing the winner of Saturday’s 1 p.m. game between No. 15 Capital and No. 2 South Charleston.
If South Charleston prevails, the Tigers will be on the road next week. If Capital pulls the upset, Princeton will play at Hunnicutt Stadium.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
