Gallery by Greg Barnett
Coal City – Quick-strike scoring has become the identity of Princeton.
Most of Coal City found that out Friday evening.
The Tigers returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, periodically exploding on offense in a 48-10 victory at Independence.
It marks the first home loss for Class AA No. 4 Independence (5-3) since October. 2, 2020 and keeps the Tigers, rated No. 2 in Class AAA unbeaten (8-0).
While Independence largely succeeded in keeping Princeton’s offense at bay for stretches, the explosive plays the Tigers have routinely generated over the last two seasons ultimately did the Patriots in. All seven of Princeton’s touchdowns came from at least 29 yards out as it scored in every phase.
The quick jolts helped the visitors shake a slow start and score twice in the final 3:02 of the first half to take a 21-3 advantage into the break.
It was the antithesis of Indy’s offense which successfully strung together drives of 15 and 14 plays in the first half but came away with just three points in a pair of red zone trips.
“I think the story of the game is we didn’t capitalize off of the opportunities when we got in a red zone,” Independence head coach John H. Lilly said. “We had a chance to get a touchdown in the first half, then we had another goal line opportunity that we didn’t get it in. We showed our youth a little bit in that situation. They’ve got pretty good size across that front, and two good linebackers and we’re young across that line. I think the story of the game, for me was, not taking the opportunities when we had the opportunities. We had three chances to score inside the, what, the 10 or something like that? And we just didn’t get them. When you play against a good team, you got to capitalize on all that. We get those three scores, it’s a whole different ball game because they got two. We’re trying to throw the ball a little bit there at the end, so it got away from us. But I’m really proud. I’m really proud of our kids. I thought we had a good game plan. I thought they executed a good game plan.”
Princeton, which gained just six yards on its first two drives, was stagnant on offense after Marquel Lowe’s 74-yard kick-return score but found a rhythm late in the first half. Despite finishing with one net yard rushing (12 when adjusted for sacks) the Tigers found success through the air in the first half. Their third drive of the game consumed nine plays, spanning 90 yards and ending with a seam throw to an open Wyatt Cline for a 47-yard score.
The second three-and-out of the night for the Indy offense set the Tigers up with another opportunity and they capitalized, hitting on passing plays of 25 and 30 yards to Brad Mossor and Lowe, respectively, with the 30-yard scoring strike to Mossor in the final 11 seconds establishing a 21-3 lead.
It capped a half where the Tigers threw for 141 yards to offset their rushing woes.
Those were remedied in the second half as Princeton didn’t pick up a single yard through the air after the break, gaining 189 on the ground on just 11 carries.
“First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as always,” Princeton head coach Keith Taylor said. “I think we were just shooting ourselves in the foot. We had big-time rushes in the first half but they got called back. So you start getting behind the chains a little bit. You don’t want to run the ball when it’s second-and-22 or 15 or first-and-20. We told them at halftime that we were going to try to pound the rock, we were going to put Daniel (Jennings) in. We get to halftime, guys are tired a little bit that we’re playing, so we want to put Daniel back there, because he’s more of a downhill runner.
“He hasn’t had as many carries in the first half so we try to keep both those guys fresh because both (Lowe and Jennings) are incredible running backs. We’re trying to figure out how to get both of them the ball at the same time. But it really worked out. Coach (Chris) Belcher did a great job putting them both back there so you didn’t know who was getting the ball. We were bringing people back in motion so I thought that was really what changed the game. You had people getting out of the box, and we were still able to hammer it in there. Hats off to the offensive line. Those guys in the second half of the last two football games have dominated the line of scrimmage. And that’s the difference.”
Jennings, who rushed for 181 yards in the second half of last week’s victory against Beckley, picked up where he left off Friday, turning his four second-half carries into 112 yards and scoring jaunts of 58 and 44 yards. Mossor added a 29 yard rushing score and Lowe retuned an interception 35 yards to cap the score for the Tigers.
Independence’s offense competed but struggled to finish drives. The game plan to move the pocket and get the ball out of QB Brock Green’s hands quickly worked effectively as Princeton failed to register a sack. Moving the chains kept the Princeton offense at bay as well, but the fruitless red zone trips hurt the cause.
A trick-play receiver pass on fourth-and-2 at the Princeton 10 fell incomplete when the game was 7-3 in favor of the visitors. Princeton scored on its following drive. The next swing came in the third quarter when Independence, down 21-3 at that point, marched to the Princeton 1 but was ruled down prior to breaking the goal line on a fourth-down QB sneak attempt.
“What we do on defense is incredible,” Taylor said. “Coach McClanahan has got those guys believing in what we’re doing, you know? And those guys know that it doesn’t matter until you get across the goal line. So we’ve had two goal line stops the last two weeks. I don’t know any other defense that does that. So I’m thankful that our guys believe in that, and that’s just a sign of a good football team. When you can keep those guys out of the end zone, that’s all that matters. And you know, yards are yards but if they don’t, if they don’t go into points, it doesn’t matter. So I’m proud of those guys for not giving up, because it’s really easy to get the ball down there at the 5 or 10 and then all of a sudden you just give up and give a touchdown, especially after we’ve had 15 or 20 penalties to bring the ball back. So I was really proud of that, especially in the second half and the way they we had that goal line stand.”
Independence’s lone touchdown came on its following drive, a 9-yard strike from Green to Dalton Adkins, making it a 21-10 game before the monster trio broke loose.
“They made an adjustment at the end of the half that got us,” Lilly said. “But the game plan was we were not going to give them the same look on back-to-back plays. In the first half we never gave them the same look. We would be in nickel. We’d be in base. We would be in another package that we have. So what we wanted to do was just mix it up as much as we can, to try to confuse the blocking a little bit, and it worked. It worked up until the last what, quarter of the game? I thought it was a good game plan. I thought we executed a good game plan. They have two good players.”
Princeton QB Chance Barker finished with 141 yards passing and two touchdowns while Jennings finished with 112 yards rushing. Lowe and Mossor, returning from one-game suspensions, each found the end zone twice.
Tyler Linksweiler led Independence and all receivers with six receptions for 103.
Princeton will travel to Greenbrier East next week while Independence will be on a bye ahead of its regular season finale against Summers County.
Scoring Plays
Q1
