ON A ROLL: Princeton High quarterback Quinton de Faria rolls out in a game last season. Junior de Faria is looking to build on a superb sophomore campaign which saw him connect on 62 of 120 passes for 851 yards and eight touchdowns and rush for 266 yards and two TDs. The Tigers, who went 7-2 last fall, kick off their 2026 season by playing at Ocean City High on August 27. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Despite losing a dozen seniors who led the way as the Princeton High football team went 7-2 last season, Charlie Gallagher believes the program has the pieces in place to remain competitive this fall.
“The vibe is good, we have got 85 on the team,” said PHS head coach Gallagher, whose team kicks off its 2026 season by playing at Ocean City High on August 27. “You have your quarterback (Quinton de Faria) back which is huge. He had a great sophomore season. We have two All-Division players from last year on the line (Ajay Coulianidis, Rio Giamarese) coming back this year which is great.”
Junior QB de Faria, who broke his elbow late last season after connecting on 62-of-120 passes for 851 yards and eight touchdowns and rushing for 266 yards and two TDs in eight games, is back at full strength.
“Quinton is spinning the ball well, he is providing solid leadership for us even though he is a young guy,” said Gallagher, noting that sophomore Cooper Casto is the backup QB after starring for the Tiger JV team last year. “We do have a good number of seniors on the team that we are really happy about. He is taking command of the huddle, he is doing all of the right things that a quarterback should be doing. He is all-in, he does lot of quarterback stuff.”
At running back, the Tigers will feature sophomore Chase Gallagher, the coach’s son, and junior Bryan Sarpong at halfback with seniors Ben Kahn and Evan Walker playing fullback.
“Chase is just a savvy football player, he has the ability to put a foot in the ground and go,” said Gallagher. “He is going to work on some speed and things like that. He knows when to make a cut and when to stiff arm and spin. He has just been playing a lot of football. Bryan is just strong, he is deceptively fast. It is good one-two punch, we are just trying to balance those guys out. We have two fullbacks, one will be Ben and then the other one will be Evan.”
The PHS receiving corps will be led by senior Langsdon Hinds (1 reception for 26 yards, 1 TD in 2025), senior Liam Cooley (6 receptions for 91 yards), and junior Vincent Min (3 receptions for 28 yards, 1 TD).
“We are happy that Langsdon is healthy — he got hurt in the first game last season when he broke his hand,” said Gallagher, noting that Zach Nelson (3 receptions for 41 yards) will be starting at tight end. “He looks awesome. We have Liam also at the Z spot. Then we will have a third wide receiver Vincent, we like him a lot too. Those three guys will see a lot of time.”
The All-Division returners, seniors Giamarese and Coulianidis, will anchor the offensive line along with senior Eddie Del Cid, senior Joe Murray, and junior Conrad Lipphardt.
“Rio and Ajay are both guards,” said Gallagher. “We have our center, Eddie, coming back. He looks good, we are happy he is in the mix. Joe is coming back, he was one of our tackles last year and then the other tackle right now is Conrad. He is a big fella, kind of lanky, like 6’4. You are always leaning on your veterans; they are on the line and we just lean on them.”
On the defensive line, PHS will lean on senior Xavier Felton and junior Kenny Chmiel along with Giamarese, and Coulianidis.
“We are real happy with Xavier,” said Gallagher. “Kenny looks real good. Rio and Ajay will be there.”
The trio of senior Nathan Christopher, senior Aiden Barnett, and Kahn is looking good at linebacker.
“Ben is probably going to be a linebacker, he will play defense,” said Gallagher. “We have Nathan who played a lot of us last year. We also have Aiden there.”
In the secondary, senior Andrew Spies, senior Koby Smith, senior Ty’Shawn James, Chase Gallagher, and Hinds will be seeing a lot of time.
“We are playing five DBs,” said Gallagher. “One will be Langsdon and one will be Andrew,” said Gallagher. “The two corners are Koby and Ty’Shawn. The free safety will be Chase.”
With some new faces stepping up into starting roles, there will be a learning curve for the Tigers in the early going this fall.
“It is how the young guys adjust and if they adjust quickly,” said Gallagher, reflecting on his team’s prospects. “We have a tall order in front of us with Ocean City and then we play Allentown. We won by one point (7-6) against them last year. We have a more challenging schedule. We have Hopewell in the mix. Ewing is back, they won their division last year. We play Northern Burlington who we haven’t played in many years. They always have a big team. Like anything, there is going to be an adjustment period.”