Comeback shows off Tigers' talent

BLUEFIELD — Anyone — Princeton Tiger football fan or not — checking on the Bluefield-Princeton game midway through the second quarter Friday night probably thought the Princeton boys had their work cut out for them.

Heading into half-time, it was obvious the team wearing Tiger blue needed inspiration, and first-year Coach Randy Peek did his best to build momentum in the locker room.

Somehow and some way, both Peek and his Tiger football team pulled together and mounted a silent, yet epic, comeback in the second half at Mitchell Stadium, but they came up just short in the end and fell by the final score of 52-44.

The 96-point combined scoring total was the most points ever put up in competition between the two teams. The previous mark was 87, recorded back in 1961 when the Beavers scorched the Tigers, 80-7.

While the first half may have looked like impending doom for the Tigers, the second half showcased a young team with substantial potential banding together to face adversity.

•••

Tigers started to falling with injuries midway through the opening stanza — including leading rusher Tahj Johnson, lineman/punter Justice Shafer, as well a couple slightly banged up receivers — and Bluefield kept pounding the ball into red-zone territory on what seemed like every possession they had, Peek wasn’t worried one bit about the preparedness of his reserves, or the composure of his leaders.

In fact, he believes this was the second consecutive week that his team should have been on the winning side of the scoreboard. Peek thinks that his team should have beaten both Woodrow Wilson and Bluefield.

“They got us on an onside kick, then they crammed the football down our throat on a consistent basis and jumped on us,” Peeks said. “They onside kicked every time and got possession of two of them. We had a touchdown called back on us there early, and that kind of took the wind out of our sail. But, after the injuries, we had some younger kids step up and do a good job for us.”

And the emergence of young leaders is exactly what the Tigers needed at that point.

“Brett Carroll ran hard, and Devin Allen ran hard,” Peeks said.

“We also think Jay (Palmer) does a good job for us,” said Peek. “To be just a sophomore, he comes out and is very composed.”

•••

After the first quarter saw a 28-point Beaver scoring explosion, the Tigers stepped it up defensively, limiting the Beavers to only one score in the second period and gladly took to the locker room, trailing 14-35.

Despite the Beavers striking blood twice early in the third quarter, (punctuated with 37-yard field goal by the Beavers Justin Mariotti at the 10:07 mark), the Tigers outscored their opponent 30-17 in the second half.

It was the field goal, ironically, that ignited something within the Tigers that obviously Peek had emphasized to them during half-time.

Using Carroll (15 carries for 72 yards and 3 TDs) and sophomore QB Jay Palmer (23 carries for 72 yards), the Tigers went to work and pecked away at the Beaver lead (the Beavers held a 14-45 advantage at that point).

Palmer also showcased his arm in throwing 16 times and completing six for 126 yards and two scores.

One was a 21-yard loft placed with pinpoint accuracy to a streaking Chad Wyrick with 8:20 remaining in the contest.

Peek noted that the Tigers were able to move the ball “at-will” all night long.

After Carrol had scored his third touchdown and conversion runs of the night to close out the Tigers’ scoring with 1:56 remaining, there was one last chance to at least tie the game.

The Tigers attempted an onside kick of their own, but failed, as the Beavers recovered and sent out their offensive unit.

The excitement all but ended a few plays later when Beaver receiver Johnny David hauled in a 34-yard pass from signal caller R.J. Bourne, setting the Beavers up to run out the clock.

The Beavers’ Montel Leggett had a big night, rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns, on 20 carries.

Princeton has been back at the grindstone over the past week, and the Tigers host their first home game of the 2012 season this Friday, at 7:30 p.m.

The objective this week is to beat the Oak Hill Red Devils, another team with lightning quick speed. The Devils are especially quick after consolidating with Class A Mt. Hope High School over the summer.

“Oak Hill is another team with a lot of speed,” Peek said. “They have a good quarterback and he does a nice job for them. They have an experienced line and Coach Eddie Souk always has his team ready to play.”

Souk’s squad, (1-1), is coming off of a 61-18 scoring explosion of its own, in walloping visiting Webster County last Friday.

But Peek will no doubt have his team ready for their home-opener.

“We’re going to attack more on defense and really work on getting the ball carriers to cut it up the field on us,” said Peek. “We look for it to be a good game.”

P..............14 0 14 16 — 44

B..............28 7 10 7 — 52

First Quarter

B— D.J. Stewart 30 run (kick fail) 11:35

B— Johnny David 6 run (Justin Mariotti kick) 6:50

P— Lamont Lee 59 pass from Jay Palmer (Austin Smith kick) 6:04

B— Montel Leggett 14 run (Mariotti kick) 5:12

P— Corey Mann 1 run (Smith kick) 2:42

B— D.J. Edwards 8 run (Mariotti kick) 1:03

Second Quarter

B— Leggett 4 run (Mariotti kick) 11:07

Third Quarter

B— Leggett 42 run (Mariotti kick) 11:36

B— Mariotti 37 field goal 10:07

P— Brett Carroll 1 run (Carroll run) 6:12

P— Carroll 1 run (run fail) 2:04

Fourth Quarter

B— Edwards 7 run (Mariotti kick) 11:15

P— Chad Wyrick 21 pass from Palmer (Carroll run) 8:20

P— Carroll 2 run (Carroll run) 1:56

Team Statistics

First downs: P- 19, B- 18. Rush yards: P- 55-197, B- 48-390.

Pass yards: P- 126, B- 47. Fumbles lost: P- 2-1, B- 3-2. Penalty yards:

P- 8-62, B- 7-59.

Individual Statistics

Rushing: P- Carroll 15-72, Palmer 23-70, Johnson 8-35, Allen 3-19, Corey Mann 1-1; B- Leggett 20-200,

David 7-72, D.J. Edwards 8-55, D.J. Stewart 6-55, Brandon Tabor 4-22, R.J. Bourne 1 (-10).

Passing: P- Palmer 6-16-126-0-2; B- Bourne 2-8-47-0-0.

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Comeback shows off Tigers' talent

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