BROOKE COUNTY — Bolstered by busloads of students and fans that made the 300-mile trek to Brooke County, the Princeton Tigers fought valiantly against the Bruins. For much of the game, the Tigers gave Brooke all they could handle.

Princeton jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, and the Tigers held a 17-13 advantage at the half.

In the second half, the Bruins dominated. They demonstrated why they are the top-rated AAA team in the state and why quarterback Cotey Wallace is a leading candidate for Kennedy Award honors.

The Bruins tallied three second-half touchdowns, while holding the Tigers scoreless in the last two quarters.

For the game, Wallace accounted for all of the Bruins’ touchdowns, throwing for two scores and rushing for three touchdowns. Also, he added a two-point conversion run.

There was no scoring in the first quarter, but the Tigers initiated a drive late in the quarter that culminated in a touchdown early in the second period. O.B. Pannell gave the Tigers excellent field position with a pass interception. The Tigers proceeded to march 55 yards in 13 plays to record the score. Cameron Mallory hit pay dirt with a two-yard plunge. Travis Tabor connected on the extra point. With 11:58 remaining in the half, the Tigers had a 7-0 advantage.

On their next possession, Princeton drove 81 yards in five plays to score. Tevin “Slash and Bash” Allen started the march with a 14-yard burst followed by an eight-yard keeper by Jerrell “Quicksilver” Powell. Allen hit the line for a three-yard gain, and Dalton Christian rambled 45 yards on a reverse. (This play was the largest gain in the game for the Tigers.). Tre Hopkins ripped into the end zone on an 11-yard run. Tabor tacked on the extra point and the Tigers advanced their advantage to 14-0 with 8:51 left in the second quarter.

Brooke responded with a scoring march of 68 yards in five plays. Wallace connected with swift Tim Morris on a 55-yard pass play for a touchdown. Morris grabbed the ball at the Tiger 20-yard line and scored untouched. Rusty Kocher added the extra point. With 6:30 left in the half, Princeton held a 14-7 lead.

The Tigers fought back. They drove from their 26-yard stripe to the Bruins’ 13-yard marker sparked by a 19-yard Allen blast. At the Brooke 13-yard line, the Tigers had third down and four yards to go, but Princeton fumbled losing three yards to the 16-yard line. Tabor nailed a 33-yard field goal. It was his longest field goal of the season. The Tigers’ score came with 2:23 left in the half.

From this point, Brooke held Princeton scoreless, while they tallied 26 consecutive points.

The Bruins quickly countered the Tigers’ score, moving 87 yards in seven plays for their second touchdown. With the ball on Brooke’s 13-yard line, it looked as if the Bruins’ running back, Tim Faulkner, would be dumped for a loss. He broke several tackles, however, and raced for a 26-yard gain. Two plays later, it appeared as if a short Brooke pass would net only nominal yardage. The receiver, however, bounced off multiple tacklers and picked up 39 yards on the play. Four plays later Wallace scored from the one-yard line. The extra point attempt failed. The scoreboard showed the Tigers’ holding a 17-13 advantage with 1:01 left in the half.

The Tigers’ quickly marched 35 yards to Brooke’s 30-yard line. With time running out, a 47-yard field goal attempt was short.

In the first half, Princeton generated an impressive 250 yards of total offense against the number one ranked team in the state. In the second half, Princeton’s offense struggled producing less than 50 yards of total offense.

Princeton bobbled the second half kickoff and took possession of the ball on their nine-yard stripe. Two rushes netted a first down, but on the next play, the Tigers lost the ball at their 20-yard line.

Wallace wasted little time in putting the Bruins in the lead. He dashed to the Tiger 10-yard line and then scored on a run from the 10-yard line. The extra point attempt failed. Barely two minutes had elapsed in the third quarter.

Later in the third period, Brooke drove down the field 83 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown. The Bruins capped off their drive with a three-yard pass from Wallace to Shane Paesano. Wallace ran for a two-point conversion extending Brooke’s lead to 27-17 with 3:26 left in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Brooke advanced the ball 55 yards to score in eight plays. Wallace scrambled 15 yards for the touchdown. The extra-point boot failed. The score was Brooke—33, Princeton—17. Only 2:05 remained in the game.

The Tigers crossed midfield for the first time in the second half on an 18-yard pass from Powell to Tanner Grose. An incomplete pass and two quarterback sacks killed the drive.

Princeton’s defensive standouts included defensive back O.B. Pannell (pass interception), linebacker John Barnett (two sacks), and defensive end Corey Quick with several key tackles including a sack.

Despite the final score, the Tigers gave a very credible performance. They led at halftime, produced more first downs than their opponent (19 to 15), and had almost as many yards of total offense as the Bruins (293 yards versus 297 yards.).

This game marked the end of a remarkable season for Princeton. After losing their first four games, they bounced back to capture the next six games. To accomplish this turnaround, required considerable determination, focus, and courage. The players and coaches should be very proud of their efforts in making this season memorable.



At Brooke November 13, 2009



Brooke......0 13 14 6 — 33

Princeton..0 17 0 0 — 17



Second Quarter

Princeton—Cameron Mallory 2 run (Travis Tabor kick) 11:58

Princeton—Tre Hopkins 11 run (Tabor kick) 8:51

Brooke—Tim Morris 55 pass from Cotey Wallace (Rusty Kocher) 6:30

Princeton—Tabor 33 field goal 2:23

Brooke—Wallace 1 run (kick failed) 1:01

Third Quarter

Brooke—Wallace 10 run (kick failed) 9:59

Brooke—Shane Paesano 3 pass from Wallace (Wallace run) 3:26

Fourth Quarter

Brooke—Wallace 15 run (kick failed) 2:05