SIDELINED: Princeton High football head coach Charlie Gallagher, kneeling, surveys the action during a game earlier this season. Over the last week, PHS suffered some tough setbacks on and off the field. On Friday, the Tigers fell 27-14 at Trenton High as they moved to 6-2. Earlier in the week, PHS was informed by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) that it was banned from the upcoming state playoffs due to the NJSIAA 3-team disqualification rule. The Tigers will wrap up their season by facing the WWP Football Co-op on October 24 at WW/P-South. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Over the last week, the Princeton High football team suffered some tough setbacks on and off the field.
Playing at Trenton last Friday night, PHS lost 27-14. The Tigers dug a 14-0 first half hole as they struggled in the wake of losing starting quarterback Quinton deFaria to a dislocated elbow early in the contest. While PHS showed some fight in the second half as they outscored the Tornadoes 14-13, it wasn’t nearly enough as the Tigers moved to 6-2 with the defeat.
Off the field, the program got hit with some bad news as it was informed by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) that it was banned from the upcoming state playoffs due to the NJSIAA three-team disqualification rule.
Under that rule, “any varsity team accumulating three or more player or coach disqualifications prior to the team’s participation in the state tournament will not be permitted to participate in the state tournament.”
The Tigers had one player ejected in a season-opening 20-7 win at Lawrence on August 29 and two more in a 20-7 win over Nottingham on October 11.
In reflecting on the loss to Trenton, PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher acknowledged that the Tornadoes wore down the Tigers with their ground game.
“They had a really talented running back (Jonel Lince) who ran for a lot of yards on us, more than 200 (206 on 27 carries),” said Gallagher. “We knew about him, he is a good player. He gave us some of the most difficulty last year. He was good and they were big up front. We just couldn’t handle that.”
Senior backup quarterback Ezra Lerman and senior star receiver Ellington Hinds helped keep PHS in the game. Coming off the bench, Lerman connected on 11-of-18 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown while Hinds made five catches for 130 yards and one TD.
“Ezra did a nice job,” said Gallagher. “Ellinton really stepped up too. He did a great job, we threw a couple of screen passes to him and he went the distance on a couple of them. I am really happy for him, this might have been his best game.”
Gallagher was happy with the way his team battled as it rallied from a 21-0 third quarter deficit.
“Everybody could have been feeling sorry for themselves but it was really not the case,” said Gallagher. “The kids responded really nicely, we put 14 up in a row and got it to 21-14.”
That effort was particularly impressive in light of the news the program received earlier in the week. Gallagher informed his players of the NJSIAA decision in a team meeting before its Wednesday practice.
“I told them Wednesday, they were stunned,” said Gallagher. “There wasn’t a soul who said a word. It was the quietest team meeting we have ever had.
Noting that PHS had only one other DQ in his 12 years at the helm, Gallagher said the ejections this fall didn’t reflect the character of his squad.
“I think our culture is great,” asserted Gallagher. “We have some great kids and have had some great leadership over the past couple of years. If our culture wasn’t good, we wouldn’t be winning.”
In the view of Gallagher, his players will learn a great, if painful, lesson from this situation.
“You remember these things, I will remember this more than anyone,” said Gallagher. “I think everybody is going to learn something this week. We will, as a staff, evaluate ourselves over the offseason and will come up with some things in play. We have to have them seeing it early on, even before the season starts. It will be talking to them about the rules and giving them scenarios where this stuff might happen. Like what if this happens, how do we handle it. It is an unfortunate learning experience but it is a necessary one. That is what football is all about — teaching lessons. It is a physical game, it is an emotional game, and it is a mental game.”
With PHS wrapping up its season by facing the WWP Football Co-op (0-8) on October 24 at WW/P-South, Gallagher believes his squad will be determined to end the fall on a high note.
“Being our last game, we would be happy to score more than 20,” said Gallagher, noting that the Tigers have scored 20 points in three games this fall but no more. “It is an exciting opportunity. We are going to have a great game. They will be hungry. I am sure it will be a great turnout. That would be the expectation.”