Princeton Comes To Life Late, Tops Maysville 27-18

When the Princeton Tigers fell behind 18-7 at the Cemetary Bowl in Maysville Friday night, it was hardly the first time this season that they had faced adversity. The Tigers had dug their own hole in this one, though. Five turnovers loomed large as Maysville’s third straight touchdown threatened Princeton’s undefeated Grand River Conference mark.
In search of a spark, Princeton got what it needed from Eli Henke.
Henke returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and the rest of the fourth quarter looked nothing like the three-plus quarters of football up to that point.
“We were all frustrated at our efforts,” Princeton Head Coach Nathan Powell said. “We had more turnovers in that game than we had on the season, we weren’t finishing blocks and our backs weren’t being patient. We weren’t executing efficiently at all.
“We returned the ensuing kickoff and you could just feel the energy pick up on the sideline. There was a spark that had been missing and it ignited our defense.”
Princeton scored twice following the kickoff return for a touchdown and the Tigers escaped Maysville with a 27-18 victory. At 5-0 in GRC play, the Tigers remain in a tie with South Harrison atop the standings.
Fueled by the momentum-changing kick return, Princeton’s defense chased the Wolverines off the field, forcing a punt. When Princeton was stopped on a fourth down attempt, the Tigers’ defense came up big again, stuffing a Maysville fourth-down attempt to get the ball back. Three plays later Austin Kelly found Zeb Schwartzkopf for a 58-yard touchdown pass. Despite a failed two-point conversion, Princeton had a one-point advantage.
Princeton’s kick coverage swarmed down the field, pinning Maysville deep. The Wolverines, suddenly down a point late in the game, were forced to attempt a fourth-down conversion and, once again, Princeton stopped them cold.
Taking over inside the Maysville 15-yard line, Princeton iced the game with a six-yard Eli Henke touchdown run. A 2-point conversion, which actually came after a bad snap broke down the point-after kick attempt, stretched the lead to 9 points and sealed Maysville’s fate.
“We played an incredibly sloppy game offensively with our turnovers but our kids found a way to come home with a victory,” Powell said. “There is absolutely no quit in these guys and they truly believe we will win each game. That’s not anything to do with Xs and Os – our guys believe in each other and in what we are doing. This is a team that doesn’t quit.”
Princeton managed just 176 total yards in the game and netted only six first downs all game long. Henke had 48 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and Justin Rhoades added 41 yards on just four carries thanks to a 30 yard run. Kelly completed 2-of-5 passes in the game, adding a 10 yard toss to Camden Hartley to his touchdown pass to Schwartzkopf.
Owen Schreffler and Riley Rhoades each fell on a fumble to help offset the Tigers’ turnover troubles a little and John Birge had a sack for the Tigers’ defense.
Princeton, now 6-1 overall, will be at home for the final two weeks of the regular season, hosting Gallatin in week 8 and South Harrison in week 9. Both contests at Eddie Allen Field are scheduled for 7 p.m. kickoffs.