By JONATHAN GREENE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD —
For the Bluefield Beavers, it will be from one rivalry to the next as they take on Princeton Friday night at Mitchell Stadium.
Bluefield head coach Fred Simon is not worried about playing another rival. All he wants is for his team to just play ball.
“I think if you try to build things up, it doesn’t work,” Simon said. “You get better yourself as a team and don’t worry who you are playing.”
Simon was pleased with his Beavers’ effort in their 48-0 victory over rival Graham in the season-opener last Friday.
“Defensively I though we played good,” Simon said. “Special teams still needs to improve coverage, but, overall, I was pleased with the performance.”
Last week, his Beaver squad rumbled for 430 yards while limiting Graham to 115. This week, they play a talented Princeton squad, which is coming off a 28-19 loss to Spring Valley.
“They are more skilled than Graham,” Simon said of Princeton. “They have more skill kids which concerns us. If you fall asleep at any time, it can be six points quickly.”
Speed and defense will be the determining factor according to Simon.
“Tevin Allen’s fast and he can score any time,” Simon said. “(Tre’) Hopkins can do the same thing as can (O.B.) Pannell. (Corey) Quick is very heady, even in pressure, he can make it happen.”
Quick found Pannell for a 29-yard touchdown against Spring Valley thanks to his scrambling ability. Quick and Pannell each added a touchdown running.
“We have to tackle in the open field,” Simon said of how to defend the Tigers. “If we don’t tackle, it could be a big night for them.”
As for the Beaver offense, they will look to take advantage of a Tigers defense which allowed 273 yards rushing in their last game.
Simon will rely on an experienced offensive line which opened holes for Brad Fox, Byron Steptoe, Trey Williams and Levi Beckett.
“The starters have been with us for three years,” according to Simon. “They’re pretty confident in their assignments. Running, throwing behind the line is big for us.”
With no injuries from the Graham game, the Bluefield Beavers will be in full force Friday night against Princeton. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Mitchell Stadium.
Bluefield will play on Thursday the following week at Greenbrier East. The game was moved from Friday because of the West Virginia and Marshall game being play on that night.
— Contact Jonathan Greene
at jgreene@bdtonline.com
