Worth
County turned back a resurgent Princeton squad Friday 30-20, not gaining any
separation until the final quarter.
With
the North Harrison kids joining the cooperative as well as everyone else coming
back, Princeton was a totally different team than the one which went 0-10 last
year and that Worth County hung 94 points on last year. Their first test was
against Mound City. The Panthers are built to run and to stop the run, and the
result was a defensive slugfest in which Mound City controlled the ball and the
time of possession, moved the ball all night long, but couldn’t score. Mound
City ran 61 plays in that game, 55 of which were running plays, while Princeton
ran 35 plays.
The
difference in Princeton’s 30-0 win over the Panthers was the combination of
Gage Fortner and Wyatt Maize, who picked right back up where they left off the
year before, when they played for Pattonsburg. Fortner completed 15 of 21
passes for 219 yards, and Wyatt Maize had 10 catches for 198 yards and three
scores, including a 61 yard strike.
On
the defensive side, Princeton was as different as night and day, getting six
tackles for losses and keeping Mound City out of the end zone. Kash Holt and
Gavin Tatum had 11 tackles each. Bowe Ussery had 10, Mitchell Walker had 7,
Ryker Fortner and Randy Wilson had 6, Devin Alton had 5, Wyatt Maize and Kolton
Schurke had 4, Dynten Hale and Max Walkup 3, and Michael Parsons and Gavin
Stockman 1 each. Gavin Stockman had a fumble recovery.
Against
Rock Port, Princeton went toe to toe with them for the whole first half,
trailing 34-27. But a botched kickoff at the start of the second half gave Rock
Port the ball deep in Princeton territory, and they took it in and scored. They
would pull away to a 64-41 lead before Wyatt Maize ran back a kickoff to cut it
to 64-47 late.
Rock
Port relied heavily on Brock Holmes again, giving him the ball 36 times for 192
yards. They diversified their passing game as Princeton held down Jack
Meyerkorth as well as anyone the last two years, holding him to three catches
for 59 yards. But Logan Ellis had 4 catches for 116 yards and Reid Ellis, who
burned Worth County three different times, had 3 catches for 73 yards.
For
Princeton, Gage Fortner had 18 completions in 27 attempts for 311 yards. Wyatt Maize
had 11 catches for 200 yards and other receivers started stepping up as well.
Judd Henke had 2 catches for 51 yards and Mitchell Walker had 3 catches for 44
yards, Bowe Ussery had 1 catch for 13 yards and Kolton Schurke had 1 catch for
3 yards.
Mitchell
Walker, who picked up a lot more muscle during the offseason, came alive for
Princeton. After he was bottled up by Mound City, he came alive with 11 carries
for 159 yards, including a 65-yard burst. Wyatt Maize had 2 carries for 68
yards. Gage Fortner had 6 carries for 38 yards. For his efforts, Wyatt Maize
got named the GRC Player of the Week.
Mitchell
Walker had 11 tackles for Princeton. Kash Holt had 9, Gavin Tatum, Ryker
Fortner, and Max Walkup 8, Randy Wilson 5, Wyatt Maize 4, Judd Henke, Kolton Schurke,
and Gavin Stockman 3, Reed Mitchell 2, and Michael Parsons and Dynten Hale 1.
Worth
County had every chance to put Princeton away early as they overcame a false
start, with Hayden Sanders getting a block from Bo Collins and getting the ball
to the Princeton 31. Then, Jude Archer accelerated his way past the Princeton
defenders and to the house with 9:02 left. Archer made a leaping catch in the
end zone to make it 8-0.
Then,
when Kash Holt dropped a sure six points and Bo Collins forced a fumble that Jordan
Dannar recovered, it looked like Worth County would put the game away early.
Carries by Cole Ruby got it down to the 17, and Hayden Sanders got blocks from
Jace Burns and Jude Archer to the 11. Jude Archer fumbled the ball on the 7,
but got back on top of it at the 7. Cole got to the five before being turned back
by Wyatt Maize and Mitchell Walker. But a halfback pass from Jude Archer fooled
nobody as he planted the turf, and Hayden Sanders missed Jude Archer open in
the end zone and was sacked. Another halfback pass likewise fooled nobody as Gavin
Tatum sacked Archer at the 18 to give Princeton the ball back on downs.
That
sequence gave Princeton hope, and they wasted no time responded as Judd Henke
made a spectacular catch with Bentin Roberts draped all over him at the Tiger
31 to flip the field. With Caleb New out, Princeton was going after Roberts,
his replacement, but Bentin was up to the challenge. He broke up a pass on the
next play. Princeton took too long to get the play in and Hayden Sanders
charged in and got a sack at the 32. But short passes to Holt and Maize gave
Princeton a first down at the Tiger 21.
Jude
Archer broke up a long pass as Ryder Smyser came in with a heavy rush. But Mitchell
Walker picked up where he left off last week and picked up ten to the Tiger 11.
On the next play, a mixup on coverage by Worth County left Ryker Fortner wide
open, and he grabbed the score with 2:40 left in the first. Jude Archer and Bo
Collins broke up the conversion pass to keep Worth County ahead 8-6.
But
the penalty bug that plagued the Tigers the first two weeks and that has wiped
out one long return after another reared its ugly head. Wyatt Scadden ran back
the kickoff for an apparent touchdown, only for it to be called back to the 31
by a holding penalty. Instead of a score, Worth County went three and out as
nobody could block Mitchell Walker on that series, and he was making a living
in the Tiger backfield.
Princeton
started at its own 15, and Gage Fortner scrambled to the 31. A bubble screen to
Walker netted ten yards to the 39. Princeton took too long to get the play in
and nearly got a Delay of Game penalty and barely got the snap off, but Fortner
aired it out to Wyatt Maize, who caught it on the two. Princeton got a Delay
penalty that put them on the seven, only for Gage Fortner to scramble to the
five and for Mitchell Walker to take a counter to the house as the tackling
broke down that play. Ryker Fortner was tackled inches short and the Princeton
lead stood at 12-8 with 10:58 left in the half.
Worth
County started on its own 16 and got 10 yards off a counter to the 26. Hayden
Sanders picked up five to the 31 and got a block from Bo Collins to get to the
38. Jude Archer got around the edge to the Princeton 36. Hayden Sanders was
dropped by Mitchell Walker at the 35, but broke two tackles and muscled his way
to the Princeton 2.
A
holding penalty brought the ball back to the 12, but two carries by Cole Ruby
got the ball into the end zone with 6:08 left. Hayden Sanders injured his hip
flexor on the series, and Brock Healy was pressed into service. Princeton was
flagged for Roughing the Passer, and Jude Archer ran it in to put the Tigers up
16-12.
A
bad snap pinned Princeton back at the 10 on the next series, and Jude Archer
ran back the punt to the Princeton 39. Hayden Sanders tried to come back, but couldn’t
do anything with it, and Worth County went three and out.
Bentin
Roberts gave Worth County another chance with a pick at the Princeton 39, but once
again, Worth County shot itself in the foot with a holding penalty that moved
them backwards and they were forced to punt. There was a heartstopping moment
for both sides as Worth County juggled the snap and Wyatt Scadden barely got it
away, and Wyatt Maize nearly muffed the punt before recovering it.
Cole
Ruby and Ethan Lininger flushed Fortner out of the pocket and he stepped out of
bounds on Princeston’s next series. Jude Archer broke up a pass, and Bo Collins
dropped Walker on a counter play to end their last threat of the half.
Worth
County was up 16-12 at the half and had a golden opportunity to take control
after Jude Archer got a block from Jordan Dannar and made it to the 37. With
Hayden Sanders out, Brock Healy guided the Tigers down to the Princeton 24. But
on third and one, a mixup on the snap was swarmed under by Princeton, and then
took over on the 27.
A
pair of catches by Judd Henke put Princeton into Worth County territory at the 34.
A screen pass to Mitchell Walker put the ball on the 20, and the tackling broke
down for Worth County as Wyatt Maize took a shovel pass 20 yards to the house
with 8:15 left in the third to put them ahead. Judd Henke caught the extra
point pass to make it 20-16.
Princeton
went for the kill with an onsides kick, but it was shanked and Worth County had
a golden opportunity to go back in front. But for the fifth time, Worth County
failed to convert a drive that began in Princeton territory as three false
start penalties and a sack on a halfback pass play that fooled nobody derailed
the drive. At that point, Worth County was up to eight penalties.
Wyatt
Maize ran back the ball to the 33, but Princeton got the penalty bug as a holding
penalty killed the drive.
For
the sixth time, Worth County got the ball into Princeton territory, only to come
up short. They started at their own 27, and Brock Healy picked up six to the
33. Jude Archer met a swarm led by Devin Alton and three others at the 35. But
Cole Ruby picked up the first down to the 40. Walker dropped Jude Archer at the
39 for a loss, only for Brock Healy to connect with Jude Archer at the
Princeton 20. Brock scrambled to the 14. Jude Archer was stopped at the 15, but
a short pass to Cole Ruby set up fourth and one at the 11. But a bad snap
killed the drive, and Archer was swarmed under at the 12.
With
a golden opportunity to run out the clock, Princeton started marching down the
field, with Mitchell Walker getting three carries for 13 yards to the 25. Ryder
Smyser dropped him for no gain, but Wyatt Maize caught an eight yard pass to
the 33 and Walker caught one for 21 to the Tiger 26. But then Wyatt Maize met a
brick wall at the 26, and Mitchell Walker met Bo Collins at the 25. A bubble
screen went nowhere, and a fourth down pass was broken up by Jude Archer, and Worth
County had the ball at their own 27. A false start put them back to the 22, but
Bo Collins’ catch and run put the ball on the 35, where it was third and two.
Jude Archer caught a short pass for a first down at the 40, and Jude Archer made
a juggling catch at the Princeton 28. Bo Collins caught a short pass to the 21,
and then Cole Ruby accelerated, got a block from Jude Archer, dove for the
pylon, and hit it for the score to put Worth County back in front 22-20 with
4:55 left in the game.
Princeton
has one of the most dangerous return men in the area in Wyatt Maize, but Dylan
Smith ran him out of bounds at the 27. A holding penalty put the ball on the
17. Princeton tried its counter play to Mitchell Walker, but Ethan Lininger
dropped him at the 13 and Ryder Smyser cleaned up. On the next pass play, Bo
Collins tipped it in the air, had it zeroed in for a pick-six, only for Gage
Fortner to come out of nowhere from his quarterback slot and knock it out
before he could gather it in. A delay of game put Princeton on the 8, and Wyatt
Maize caught a short pass at the 15. On fourth and 22, Princeton elected to go
for it with 3:11 left, but Jordan Dannar broke it up to give Worth County the
ball on downs.
Cole
Ruby picked up six to the nine and then met Kash Holt and Gavin Tatum at the 8.
Cole Ruby’s cutback picked up three and a first down at the five. Jude Archer was
met for no gain. Instead of going down at the one like Rock Port did during the
first week, Brock Healy ran it in with 1:03 left to make it 28-20. The play
could have been a blessing in disguise for Princeton, who could have taken it
in and scored and tied with an extra point conversion. But Wyatt Scadden caught
the extra point pass to put the game out of reach at 30-20.
Worth
County held its breath on the ensuing kickoff as Wyatt Maize caught the return,
but Bentin Roberts, Brock Healy, and Hudson Cameron met him at the 39. Bo
Collins and Ethan Lininger hurried Fortner, and his deep throw to an open Bowe
Ussery was behind him. They aired it out to Wyatt Maize, but Wyatt Scadden
played perfect safety help and the ball was too far. Another home run ball was
too far for Ryker Fortner and Worth County knelt out the clock.
