BREAKING THROUGH: Princeton High football player Rory ­Helstrom breaks away on a run last season. Last Saturday, junior star ­Helstrom came up big as PHS defeated Hamilton 28-7 for the program’s first win since November, 2012. Helstrom rushed for 131 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He also made a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter that put the Little Tigers ahead to stay. PHS hosts Ewing (0-1) on September 19. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Rory Helstrom and his teammates on the Princeton High football team viewed their season opener against Hamilton last Saturday as the chance to set a positive tone after going winless last fall.

“We knew the first game would really demonstrate how we are going to play the rest of the season,” said junior running back/linebacker Helstrom.

“If we came out hot and won the first game, we could keep doing well and that would give us momentum for the homecoming game.”

The 5’10, 165-pound Helstrom made sure that the Little Tigers started out with a bang, sprinting down the sideline for a 74-yard touchdown run on PHS’s first drive of the season to give it a 6-0 lead.

“I just saw a cutback and I took it,” said Helstrom. “Once I got outside one guy, there was no one left and I just took it down the sideline.”

As the first half unfolded, though, PHS squandered two possessions deep in Hamilton territory and went into halftime down 7-6.

“We had opportunities in the red zone but we just couldn’t convert them,” lamented Helstrom. “We had trouble with that.”

In the third quarter, Helstrom seized opportunity once again, producing a scintillating 91-yard punt return for a touchdown that put PHS ahead 12-7.

“I saw a lot of guys coming so I went left,” recalled Helstrom. “Then I just went right and there was no one left so I just took it.”

The Little Tigers took it from there, adding touchdowns on an 80-yard scoring strike from Dave Beamer to Joe Hawes and a nine-yard run by Sam Smallzman to pull away to a 28-7 win, the program’s first victory since topping New Brunswick 22-14 on November 16, 2012.

While the big plays on offense turned heads in the win, the foundation of the triumph was a stifling defensive effort.

“We knew if we got into their backfield we could beat them,” said Helstrom.

“Coach Goldsmith [defensive coordinator Scott Goldsmith] kept sending us on blitzes to rush the quarterback because he had trouble dealing with the pressure.”

PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher likes the way Helstrom puts opposing defense under pressure.

“He is a playmaker, everybody is going to have to do something to try to defend him which will hopefully open things up for other players as well,” said Gallagher of Helstrom, who rushed for 131 yards on the day.

“We are just excited that he is on our squad and we don’t have to defend against him. He’s a player on offense and he’s a player on defense. You can tell that he is just a talented football player.”

The Little Tigers boast another talented offensive weapon in junior quarterback Dave Beamer, who passed for 110 yards in the victory.

“Dave Beamer is a great quarterback, we are really high on him,” asserted Gallagher.

“He can be one of the best quarterbacks in this area, there is conversation about other QBs but we love Dave. He has a great arm.”

Gallagher loved the way his defense performed as it made four interceptions and held the Hornets to 207 yards total offense.

“Defensively we are doing a great job too,” said Gallagher, whose team had lost 34-0 to Hamilton last year. “We are swarming to the ball and making some plays.”

As preseason camp went on, Gallagher got the sense that his team was primed to do the job in the opener.

“We got better every scrimmage that we played this year,” noted Gallagher. “You want to peak for that first game, you want to be ready. Now we have to carry that peak through the season.”

For second-year head coach Gallagher, getting his first career win was a peak experience.

“I don’t know if it has sunk in yet, to be honest with you,” said a beaming Gallagher, who got the obligatory water bucket shower as part of a raucous post-game celebration which saw the Little Tigers jumping for joy with hugs all around.

“I am excited for the players and I am excited for myself, no doubt. It is good to be 1-0, we are not going to be looking at any division races yet or anything like that. We are going to take it one game at a time. We have a tough Ewing squad next week, I think they made the playoffs last year.”

Helstrom, for his part, hopes that the triumph sets the tone going forward as the Little Tigers host Ewing (0-1) on September 19 as part of the school’s homecoming festivities.

“It is the first win since two years ago,” said Helstrom. “We want to use this to keep rolling and win the rest of the season.”