COMING THROUGH: Princeton High football player Andrew Foreman heads to the goal line on his way to an 11-yard touchdown run last Saturday as PHS defeated Robbinsville 14-0. Senior star running back/defensive back Forman rushed for 27 yards, had an interception, and made two tackles in the win for the Tigers, now 4-1. PHS hosts Holy Cross Prep (4-1) on October 3 for its annual Friday night lights homecoming game. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
As the Princeton High football team played at Robbinsville last Saturday, Andrew Foreman went airborne to help the Tigers fly past the Ravens.
In second quarter with the foes knotted in a 0-0 tie, senior star Foreman bolted 11 yards for a touchdown, diving from the five as he flew over the goal line.
“I found the gap and I wanted to get there as fast as I could,” said Foreman. “I got caught up a little bit but I didn’t go down. I was a few yards in so I just dove for it. I am just launching, forget about it.”
With PHS ahead 14-0 in the fourth quarter and Robbinsville driving deep into Tiger territory, Foreman soared up in the end zone to snag an interception and snuff out the scoring threat.
“We were in a cover two,” said Foreman. “Carmine [Carusone] tapped the ball and it was like the tip drill for DBs. I am just going to catch it and go for it.”
Foreman’s pick sealed the deal as Princeton prevailed 14-0 to earn its first shutout of the season and improve to 4-1.
“We had some good defense,” said Foreman, who ended up rushing for 27 yards and making two tackles in the win. “It feels great but there is going to be more to come. We want to come out and play football. That is what it is.”
Playing at running back and in the secondary, Foreman is shouldering more responsibility this fall.
“I feel like I evolved more into a leader as a senior,” said Foreman, who showed his leadership by shaking off a gimpy ankle in the fourth quarter to get back on the field and make his interception. “I had to take the leadership role; playing both sides, offense and defense, being ready and having enough stamina to do all of that.”
PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher liked the effort he got from his defense against the Ravens.
“The defense played really well, especially as Robbinsville got in close at the end several times,” said Gallagher. “We were able to come up big. We had nice defensive stops and interceptions.”
Gallagher acknowledged that the offense sputtered as the Tigers rushed for only 97 yards in 27 carries.
“Robbinsville did a great job on defense, they are blitzing us and I have to come up with a better answer for that,” said Gallagher, whose team’s other touchdown came on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Quinton deFaria to Ellinton Hinds late in the second quarter after PHS recovered a bad snap deep in Raven territory. “We have a young quarterback and we have to figure some of that stuff out. We have to help him out a little bit more. He played well, he scrambled for a couple of first downs.”
The play of Foreman on both sides of the ball was key for the Tigers.
“Andrew had a nice touchdown, he needed a little bit of a breakout game,” said Gallagher. “I don’t think he will think this is a breakout game because he thinks he can play better. He wants to rack up yards. A touchdown for him, an interception for him and tackles, I know he is pretty happy. He is well respected among his teammates which is really important. They like Andrew. He should know that and we told him that.”
The PHS players have been pushing each other to compete hard.
“They are doing a good job, there are two captains (Carusone and Hinds) but there are a lot of guys that are stepping up,” said Gallagher. “We have a lot of guys, we have to yell at a lot of people. The coaches can only yell so much. There are a lot of guys holding a lot of guys accountable.”
With PHS having earned its other three victories by a total of 16 points, including a 7-6 win over Allentown and a 16-14 win over Hamilton West, Gallagher believes that his team’s penchant for winning close games will pay dividends as the season unfolds.
“A win is a win; let’s face it we are not going to be blowing teams out most likely,” said Gallagher. “We have played games down to the wire and we have come out on top in them. Hopefully that will prove important at the end of the season when we are playing some better teams. We have a chance to get into the playoffs and when we are playing a team tight somewhere along the line, we are used to that. We have played that before.”
With PHS hosting Holy Cross Prep (4-1) on October 3 for its annual Friday night lights homecoming game, Gallagher is expecting another close game.
“I am happy it puts us in a good spot for a big homecoming game against another 4-1 team,” said Gallagher. “We are getting a lot of congratulations in the hallway. It is a good vibe with the team. They are feeling good. I don’t know how good we will feel after this one. We are going to be sore on Monday.”
Foreman, for his part, believes the Tiger are in a good place as they head into the game with Holy Cross Prep.
“I am hyped for it,” said Foreman. “I think our energy in practice is making a difference. It is taking accountability. Instead of pushing our guys down, we help them up and go on to the next play.”