Tigers at Hall: should be a blast

Any time that Hall and Princeton get together on the gridiron you can expect fireworks.

Factor into the mix that the Tigers are 4-1 and control their own destiny in NCIC Lincoln Title picture, and that it is Hall’s homecoming — and the atmosphere may be electric as the Fourth of July when the Red Devils and Tigers square off at Nesti Stadium Friday night.

“It’s a big rivalry,” said Hall coach Jason Bland. “Hall and Princeton playing a game has been a big deal for a long time.”

“It’s definitely going to be like a playoff atmosphere, there’s no doubt about it,” said Princeton coach Dave Moore. “It’s a great rivalry and those things are kind of fun.”

Princeton (4-1, 2-0) shutout Kewanee 23-0 last week, limiting the Boilermakers to only 42 yards of total offense as the Tigers picked up their fourth-straight win after opening the season with a loss to Rockridge.

While the Tigers rolled, head coach Dave Moore and his coaching staff were upset with the penalties their squad gave up, as the Tigers were whistled 10 times for 100 yards.

“Coming into a game with Hall, you just can’t have those types of penalties,” Moore said. “Either team would be in trouble.”

Hall (2-3, 1-1) hosted Mendota last Friday, and came away with a 17-0 loss to a tough Trojan squad in a hard-fought physical contest. While Bland has said that he doesn’t believe in ‘moral’ victories, the Red Devils were able to slow down a potent Mendota offense, limiting the Trojan’s standout running back Kurtis Knapp to only 58 yards on 18 carries.

“We talked about the positives after the game, we were physical, and the effort was there throughout the game, probably more than it was all year,” Bland said.

The Hall offense sputtered a bit last week, as they were not able to finish off any of their drives and put points on the board. Senior running back Nathan Tucker, who the bulk of the Red Devil offense runs through, was held to 22 yards on 15 carries.

Tucker, who has rushed 89 times for 514 yards and five touchdowns on the season is the key to Hall’s offense. When he has big games, like his 266 yard 2 TD performance against Rockridge, or his 4 TD 111 yard game against Kewanee, Hall has won. When he has been held to under 100 yards, Hall has lost.