Photo Courtesy Of Terri Wilson Kelly
Justin Rhoades turns upfield during the Princeton Tigers 42-12 victory of the Polo Panthers on Friday at home. Rhoades had 83 yards rushing on four carries in the game.
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Princeton dismantled Polo 42-12 to open Grand River Conference play on the right foot on Friday night.
From the game’s onset Princeton rushed effectively, using a combination of backs to keep Polo off balance. Princeton would finish the game with 393 rushing yards, getting four different players to 79 yards or more on the ground.
Ben Berwanger and Eli Henke led the charge, rushing for 95 yards each. Justin Rhoades added 83 yards and Andrew Rhoades finished with 79.
“In our style of offense the running backs are going to be getting the majority of the touches and all those hits they take add up in a hurry,” Princeton Head Coach Nathan Powell said. “We have six kids who have been more than capable of making plays for us and that is going to be huge moving forward. The best part of all that shared success is that there has never been a single complaint about not getting the ball. There is complete buy in to the total team effort and everyone doing their job, one through 11.”
Princeton scored all of its 42 points before Polo ever got on the board. It was Henke who scored first, rushing into the end zone on a two-yard run. Austin Kelly then connected with Zeb Swartzkopf for an 82-yard touchdown pass.
The passing touchdown was one of just five passes thrown by Kelly on the night but, as was the case last week, the Tigers’ signalcaller was very efficient with his opportunities. He completed four of the five throws for 127 yards and the touchdown.
Henke and Ethan Glenn added short touchdown runs in the second quarter and Berwanger scored on a 14-yard run in the third. Blaze Siemer wrapped up Princeton’s output with a fumble return for a defensive touchdown.
“Our system isn’t complicated and it all rests on executing our handful of plays against whatever the defense throws at us,” Powell said. “When you have an understanding of what’s going on around you, you play faster and and sharper each week. Trying to do too many things just waters down your reps in practice. Knowing what you’re doing and being able to execute your job sure makes the game a lot more fun.”
With the score 42-0, Polo finally scored late in the third quarter on a long run as Princeton’s defense broke down for the first time all night. Polo added one more touchdown in the fourth to stop the running clock down the stretch, but that would be it for the Panthers as Princeton cruised.
With the win, Princeton improved to 2-1 overall on the season and 1-0 in GRC play. The Tigers will get a big test this week as they play host to defending conference champion Milan. Kickoff at Eddie Allen Field is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday.
STATISTICS
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
First Quarter
PN – Eli Henke 2-yard run (kick failed).
PN – Austin Kelly 82-yard pass to Zeb Swartzkopf (Ben Berwanger run).
Second Quarter
PN – Brinley Vandiver 3-yard Henke 1-yard run (kick good).
PN – Ethan Glenn 5-yard run (kick failed).
Third Quarter
PN – Berwanger 14-yard run (Berwanger run).
PN – Blaze Siemer fumble return (kick good).
PO – 64-yard run (conversion failed).
Fourth Quarter
PO – 7-yard run (conversion failed).
TEAM STATISTICS
PRNC POLO
Rushes-Yards 37-393 56-340
Passing Yards 127 0
Comp-Att-Int 4-5-0 0-3-0
Total Yards 520 340
First Downs 17 15
Penalties-Yds 5-30 6-40
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2
Third Down 1-4 3-9
Fourth Down 1-2 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Princeton, Ben Berwanger, 7-95; Eli Henke, 8-95; Justin Rhoades, 4-83; Andrew Rhoades, 3-79; Ethan Glenn, 5-37; Riley Rhoades, 2-17; Austin Kelly, 3-6; Logan Smith, 3-(-12); Team, 2-(-7).
PASSING – Princeton, Kelly, 4-5-0, 127 yards, 1 TD.
RECEIVING – Princeton, Zeb Swartzkopf, 1-82; Berwanger, 1-22; Cam Hartley, 1-13; Henke, 1-10.