CHASING VICTORY: Princeton High football player Chase Gallagher carries the ball last Friday as PHS played at Allentown High. Sophomore Gallagher starred on both sides of the ball for the Tigers as they pulled out a 17-16 win. He rushed for 73 yards and grabbed an interception and made 10 tackles. The Tigers, now 1-1, play at Robbinsville on September 10. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Chase Gallagher was drenched in sweat and there were scrapes on his arms but he was all smiles after helping the Princeton High football team pull out a dramatic 17-16 win over Allentown last Friday evening.
Sophomore running back/defensive back Gallagher starred on both sides of the ball in the victory, rushing for 73 yards on 13 carries and grabbing an interception and making 10 tackles.
“I am tired, everything hurts,” said Gallagher afterward, standing near the end zone at the Allentown stadium.
The drama in what turned out to be a grueling affair started when Allentown jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Gallagher helped PHS answer back as he snared an interception that gave the Tigers the ball deep in Redbird territory.
“I saw on the film, when they do that and throw the ball there, I just knew it,” said Gallagher, reflecting on his pick.
After the change of possession, Gallagher gained 11 yards on three carries to get PHS to the four-yard line and quarterback Quentin de Faria capped the drive by running three yards for a touchdown. Junior Caleb Mildenberg converted the PAT to make it 7-7.
“We just kept our motivation, we had one good play after one good play,” said Gallagher in assessing the scoring march.
After neither team scored in the third quarter, Allentown took a 10-7 lead on a field goal early in the fourth quarter.
PHS responded by putting together an eight-play, 59-yard scoring march. Gallagher played a key role, rushing for 19 yards on four carries and making a seven-yard reception as the Tigers got to the Allentown 21. QB de Faria then connected with Langsdon Hinds for a 21-yard TD pass to help the Tigers go ahead 14-10.
“It was keep it moving, I just couldn’t stop,” said Gallagher, reflecting on the drive.
Later in the quarter, Allentown stopped PHS on a fourth and one and then two plays later scored on a 39-yard TD pass to go up 16-14. The PAT was no good but with 1:33 left in regulation, things looked bleak for PHS.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kyle Carr gave the Tigers a jolt with a dazzling return 50-yard kickoff return that saw him change direction and sprint down the sideline to the Allentown 30-yard line.
“I saw five guys came at him,” said Gallagher. “I thought he was going to get tackled and then I see him get around the side and there was no one there and he just goes all the way down the field.”
After a 21-yard pass from de Faria to Sam Carter that got the ball to the nine, PHS lined up for a 25-yard field goal attempt by Mildenberg with six seconds left.
As the ball was snapped, Gallagher was appealing to a higher authority. “I was just praying to God that he made it,” said Gallagher.
That prayer was answered as Mildenberg’s boot sailed through the middle of the goalposts, giving PHS the lead as he got mobbed by his teammates celebrating the FG.
With one second left, Mildenberg kicked off to Allentown and the Tigers stopped the Redbird return to seal the deal.
With PHS coming off a 39-0 loss to Ocean City High in its season opener, the win over Allentown was a major confidence builder for the Tigers.
“It is massive,” said Gallagher. “After that big loss we were a little low, this comeback was big for us.”
Having moved to running back from receiver this season, Gallagher has surprised himself as he has adjusted to his new position.
“Last year, I didn’t know I was a running back; I am so tall and slow,” said Gallagher, the son of PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher.
“I thought I would be really, really bad at running back. It turns out I am not bad. I play a lot of sports so I am a little shifty. I have got some moves.”
The Tigers were well-versed for a lot of Allentown’s moves as they did some extensive video work leading up to the game.
“We watched a lot of film, we didn’t know much about Ocean City,” said Gallagher. “We watched film for hours in practice. We knew what they were going to do. We were very prepared.”
PHS head coach Charlie Gallagher had his team prepared for a battle as the Tigers had edged Allentown in a one-point nail-biter in 2025.
“Last year it was 7-6,” said coach Gallagher, noting that that was the first win for PHS against the Redbirds since 2005. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. They came off a hard loss like we did. All we keep preaching about is being 1-0 and whoever is in our way we just have to finish the game and end the week 1-0. We were blessed to get that 1-0 this week.”
The Tigers utilized the ground game to help get their way on Friday, led by the offensive line of Rio Giamarese, Ajay Coulianidis, Joe Murray, Eddie Del Cid, and Conrad Lipphardt.
“They paved the way,” said coach Gallagher, referring to the OL who help the Tigers total 143 yards rushing on the night. “We talked about that at half. One of the things that was going well was that we were running the ball well. That was the thought process going into the second half. Let’s feed the ball. Let’s get the line doing what they are really good at which is blocking a couple of good plays for us.”
On the fourth quarter TD march, Chase Gallagher made some big plays as he carried the rushing load.
“I told Chase listen just tell me when you need to come out because we are just
going to ride you down the field,” said coach Gallagher. “Chase did a great job.”
While QB de Faria wasn’t at his best against Allentown, he came through when it counted.
“It was definitely an up and down game for Quinton but he did make some big plays,” said Gallagher of de Faria who hit 9 of 14 passes for 136 yards and one TD and also gained 42 yards on the ground. “He is a playmaker as a quarterback, whether he runs or he throws. He is all in on football which we just love. Of all the positions who do you need to be all in and it’s a quarterback. Quinton has demonstrated that from day one.”
One of the biggest plays of the day came from junior Carr on his kickoff return.
“We know he is a speed demon; I saw him get caught up,” said Gallagher, noting that Carr stars at track. “I thought he was going to be down at the 25-yard line and then he bounced off a guy and started sprinting. I thought he was gone. They had a guy who had an angle when he rounded the corner.”
First-year kicker Mildenberg proved to be a key guy on Friday.
“He looked good on extra points, he was driving the ball nice,” said Gallagher. “The biggest thing there is just getting that snap and getting it down. Those are the key, the operations of it. Sometimes we are OK with the kicking, it is the other pieces that can get in the way.”
The PHS defense held the fort for most of the night as it dealt with some tough field positions.
“Coach [Brandon] Williams calls a great defense, he has been doing it for the past couple of years,” said Gallagher. “He is very consistent in what he does, and the players respond to him. Nathan Christoper did a good job and so did Rio. We got after the quarterback, coach dials up some nice blitzes.”
In pulling out the win, the Tigers showed resilience as they relied on their veterans.
“We have got 16 or 17 seniors and they are all great kids,” said Gallagher. “It is good leadership. We have got a lot of pieces together, we are still trying to figure out the plays.”
With PHS (1-1) playing at Robbinsville High (0-2) on September 10, Gallagher has some things to figure out.
“They have got a great quarterback (Gavin Yablonowitz), we did not see him last year,” said Gallagher. “He is a difference maker, he can really rip the ball. Coach [Andrew] Patterson is a great coach. He has got a system over there and it is a good system so we have to be prepared. We are going to have to practice on Labor Day because that is just the way it is.”
The younger Gallagher, for his part, believes the Tigers will be prepared to build on the win over Allentown.
“We learned that film matters a lot and just making one bad play doesn’t mean that we are going to play bad for the rest of the game,” said Gallagher. “We just have to move on.”