Nine Seniors Honored; Brayden Stevens Returns in 86-16 Tiger Victory

Nine Tigers who were part of the girls golf team, the band, and the football team were honored at Senior Night Friday before the game between Worth County and Princeton. They were Bridgette Hightshoe (golf), Karson Briner (football), Carter Chapman (football), Landon Wilmes (football), Eva Engel (golf), Abbi Brown (golf), Anissa Russell (band), Eliza Corey (band), and Emma Spencer (band).

For the football team, Brayden Stevens returned after a long hiatus (knee) and was back at full strength. Worth County had to win to keep the pressure up on Albany in the GRC West, which was playing King City at home. Last year, in its first year in eight man, Princeton saw an influx of numbers and a return to respectability although they didn’t show it in a 94-6 loss to Worth County in the Pit. But Princeton’s school board axed their head coach, and they had a new coach this year and a decline in numbers. They had 20 players listed, 14 of whom were freshmen or sophomores. Of those, five were injured over the course of the year, and there were 15 players dressed out for Friday’s game. They had shown some potential this year, putting points on the board against Platte Valley and Albany and holding Pattonsburg down to 26 points.

Princeton received the ball for the opening kickoff and Lucas Frisch dropped Bowe Ussery for no gain at the 29. They dropped back to pass, but Bo Collins and Ethan Lininger flushed Clay Evans out of the pocket, and they were forced to punt after a botched screen. Landon Wilmes ran it back to the 40. Karson Briner dropped a sure touchdown pass, but then Jude Archer picked up eight to the 32 and then Landon Wilmes got loose on a sweep after blocks from Lucas Frisch, Bo Collins, and Carter Chapman to get to the house with 10:07 left in the first quarter. Karson Briner caught the extra point pass to make it 8-0.

The carry by Landon Wilmes put him over the 1,000 yard mark for the year. He had been at the 997 mark coming into Friday’s game.

Karson Briner and Sawyer Thurman dropped Judd Henke at the 27. Evans ran a run/pass option, pulled up, and tried to drop it off for a pass, but it was incomplete. A screen pass went for three yards after Tyler Coffman met Lucas Frisch. A short pass to Coffman got to the 35, but a false start set up fourth and seven and Princeton was forced to punt. Worth County started at their own 14 after one of several good kicks, but Brayden Stevens got his first touch, a six yard screen pass after getting a block from Carter Chapman, and Landon Wilmes picked up 17 more to the 37. Two false starts moved Worth County back to the 27, but that only made things more interesting as a long pass to Karson Briner was hauled in this time and he broke a tackle to get into the end zone with 6:48 left. 

Princeton started off at its own 35. Sawyer Thurman and Landon Wilmes dropped Mitchell Walker for a two yard loss, and two incomplete passes forced the Blue Tigers to punt. A pitch to Landon Wilmes netted 15 yards after he got blocks from Hayden Sanders and Carter Chapman. Brayden Stevens picked up ten more after getting a block from Bo Collins, and a 15-yard facemask penalty put the ball on the 23. Hayden Sanders aired it out to Lucas Frisch for the rest of the way. Landon Wilmes took an option pitch and laid out a Princeton defender to make it 22-0 with 5:12 left in the first.

Lucas Frisch rung Kolton Schurke’s bell at the 34. There was a mixup on the handoff and the ball rolled all the way back to the 22 before Princeton recovered it. An offsides penalty put it on the 28, and the Blue Tigers tried a draw, but Judd Henke dodged Carter Chapman only to be swarmed under by four other Tigers. Ethan Lininger hit Clay Evans as he was throwing, and Princeton was forced to punt, pinning Worth County at its 12. Landon Wilmes picked up four on the first carry. Princeton nearly picked off Sanders as Kash Holt came free on the pass rush and Hayden Sanders had trouble getting it over Holt’s tall frame. Princeton tried a corner blitz and Gavin Tatum shot through unblocked on the blind side, but Hayden Sanders got it off just in time and aired it out to Landon Wilmes, who got behind the defense for a score. Brayden Stevens was all alone for the extra point pass to make it 30-0. 

Brayden Stevens broke up a pass after Princeton started on its own 26. Lucas Frisch batted down the next pass. But a hook and ladder to Tyler Coffman set up fourth and inches at the 36. But Princeton tried to pass on fourth down and Carter Chapman batted it down to give Worth County the ball back on downs. A long run by Hayden Sanders for a score was called back by a block in the back to the 30, but it didn’t matter as Landon Wilmes got loose down the right side to score with 1:47 left in the first. Karson Briner caught the extra point pass to make it 38-0.

But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Tigers on the ensuing kickoff put the ball on the 40, and after a one yard gain by Coffman to the 39, Coach Jon Adwell continued to argue the call and got one of his own to put the ball on the Tiger 24. Worth County had Princeton faced with third and five at the 19, but then nobody covered Cooper Boxley, who was all alone for a touchdown pass with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. Clay Evans ran in the extra points and Princeton was on the board, down 38-8.

Worth County started on its own 29 and Brayden Stevens picked up 12 to the Princeton 39 behind blocking from Karson Briner, Landon Wilmes, and Hayden Sanders. A holding penalty put it back on the 31, but that only made things more interesting as Brayden lined up in the Wildcat formation, got a block from Bo Collins, and that was all he needed to take it to the house with 26 seconds left in the first. Hayden Sanders ran in the extra points to make it 46-8.

Princeton started at its own 30 and Brayden Stevens dropped Coffman for a loss of two. Princeton tried to air it out, but the pass was incomplete. On third and 12, one of the Tiger defensive lineman batted the ball in the air and Lucas Frisch caught it and took it to the house as time expired in the first quarter. A fake handoff to Brayden Stevens on the extra point try fooled everyone and Landon Wilmes took it in to make it 54-8.

The Blue Tigers nearly fumbled away the resulting squib kick before falling on it at the 22. A sack lost yardage to the 14, but a five yard facemask put it back on the 19. On the ensuing play, Evans threw a strike to Lucas Frisch, who took it to the house with 11:43 left in the second quarter to make it 62-8.

Bowe Ussery tried to take a running play, but Landon Wilmes dropped him for a loss of three. A scramble went nowhere as Bo Collins tackled Clay Evans after a one yard gain. Evans tried a sweep, but Jude Archer kept the edge and Princeton was forced to punt and Worth County got it back on their own 31. Brayden Stevens got into the clear and down the left sideline for 39 yards to the ten. Away from the play, one of Worth County’s players was drive blocking one of the Princeton players 20 yards down the field when the Princeton player shoved him after the play was over, drawing a late hit to the five. On the ensuing pass play, Landon Wilmes was all alone in the end zone to make it another score with 9:39 left in the half. Hayden Sanders ran in the extra points to make it 70-8.

Princeton finally used some trickery to move down the field after they started at their own 32. A pass to Judd Henke picked up 13 to the 35. A running play to Henke went nowhere as Carter Chapman dropped him at the 38 for a loss. A pair of incompletions set up fourth and 13, but a halfback pass from Henke to Kolton Schurke picked up 25 yards to the 13. On the next play, Princeton used a reverse pass to get the ball to Mitchell Walker for a score with 7:43 left in the half. Clay Evans ran it in to make it 70-16.

The junior varsity took over at that point after the Tigers took over at the 20. Wyatt Hill picked up three yards, but a holding penalty moved it back to the 13 and then Franklynn Taute planted the turf at the 9. But that only made things more interesting as Jude Archer lined up in the Wildcat formation along with the JV offense and turned on the afterburners for a 71 yard score with six minutes left in the first half. Ryder Smyser caught the extra point pass from Wyatt Hill to make it 78-16.

Princeton took the ball at their own 26. The Blue Tigers tried to call a timeout that they didn’t have and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as a result, moving it back to the 13. Brayden Murphy dropped Gavin Tatum for no gain and an attempted option play resulted in a fumble which rolled forward to the 22, where Princeton recovered. But they were forced to punt and Worth County took over at its 32. Dylan Smith tried to reverse his field, but planted the turf at the 29. But then Wyatt Hill gashed the Princeton defense. He got a block from Dylan Smith and picked up 18 to the Princeton 33, got another block from Smith and picked up another 16 to the 17, and then got blocks from Reyen Hansen and Franklynn Taute for six more to the 11. Wyatt Hill then ran through multiple defenders like they weren’t even there for the final score. 

Franklynn Taute recovered a fumble and returned it to the Princeton 5, allowing Worth County to kneel out the first half clock. The game was called at the half.

The only tense moment was whether King City could beat Albany and hand Worth County a share of the title. Albany was playing without Elliot Mercer again (ankle), but was still a formidable opponent with the three headed monster of Chase Cline, Keagan Schaefer, and Kyle Emerson and a huge 250 pound line to create space. 

King City gave Albany everything they wanted and led them through much of the first half. But after Albany tied it at 22, King City could not score from the one yard line late in the first half. Nonetheless, Ryder Sample was carrying the Wildkats on his shoulders and the King City squad played Albany to a 42-42 tie in the fourth quarter.

But then everything that could have gone wrong for King City did go wrong. First, Sample left the game with an injury and did not return, sucking all the energy out of the King City sideline. Then, Kyle Emerson scored on a long reverse that put the Warriors in front 48-42 with 8:19 left in the game. Then, Albany pulled off a blitz and sacked Carlson at the 12 to force a punt and Chase Cline converted a fourth and two to the King City 34. On the next play, Albany went back to the reverse and Emerson outran everyone to the house and Chase Cline added the extra points to make it 56-42 with just under five minutes left. 

King City got the ball back at their own 21 and tried a reverse, but there was a mixup and it was fumbled, pounced on by Zane Rippy at the six. King City was able to keep Albany out of the end zone, but then an intentional grounding penalty that the referees said was in the end zone was called even though there was a King City receiver in the area, resulting in a safety to put Albany in front 58-42. 

The ensuing onsides kick was unsuccessful and Albany was able to run out the clock and claim its first football conference title since 1996, when Charlie Jones blocked a Gallatin field goal to preserve a Warrior win while they were still playing 11-man.