Homecoming high
Red Devils intercept Tigers' final drive
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| Princeton’s Jared Peterson tries to wrap up Hall’s Cody Whightsil in Friday’s NCIC clash at Nesti Stadium in Spring Valley. The Red Devils held on for a 20-14 win. (BCR photo/Mike Vaughn) |
SPRING VALLEY — Jason Bland called it scary, pretty scary
The Hall Red Devil coach watched the Princeton Tigers drive 87 yards in less than three minutes to the Hall 8-yard line, knocking on the door for a game-winning score.
An illegal procedure pushed the Tigers back five yards and two plays later Michael Swingel intercepted a Brik Wedekind pass in the end zone and ran off into the night for Hall Homecoming victory over the archrival Tigers 20-14 Friday at Nesti Stadium.
“I knew they were going for the endzone because they didn’t have much time left. The ball was coming right to me so I just made sure I caught it,” Swingel said. “I was ecstatic, it was unbelievable.”
Bland said the Tigers were the best passing team they saw this summer in 7-on-7 and knew what they could do.
“They’re going the field, and you’re thinking at some point we got to get a sack here or make them throw two incomplete passes in a row,” said Bland, a 1992 Hall grad whose wife, Stacy (Robinson) is a 1991 Princeton grad. “It was pretty scary. I don’t know if it gets anymore scary than them getting down to our four.”
PHS captain Adam Fredenhagen said coming so close makes the loss tough to take.
“We were fighting really hard and things just didn’t go our way,” he said. “I wish we could have got that touchdown in the endzone and done a few other things different, but it turns out the way it turns out.”
The win keeps the Red Devils in the hunt for a playoff bid and conference title; the loss keeps the Tigers from becoming playoff eligible yet, holding on four wins.
The NCIC rivals battled to a 14-14 halftime tie with Wedekind twice hitting Drew Compton for 24-yard TD passes, the second with 4:14 left in the half to force the tie.
Hall cashed in two quick second quarter touchdowns, helped by the first of two muffed kickoff returns by the Tigers.
Cody Whightsil scored from 5 yards out with 11:18 on the clock, and after the Tigers fumbled away the kickoff, Nathan Tucker rambled 38 yards with 10:15 left in the first half to put Hall on top 14-7.
Bryce Quinn slipped through the hands of Tiger Dylan Olson like a greased pig for a 4-yard run to give the Red Devils a 20-14 lead with 4:10 left in the third quarter.
Another mishandled kickoff returned the ball back to the Red Devils, who controlled most of the third quarter, running 20 plays to the Tigers’ seven.
A Swingel punt pinned the Tigers back on their own 9, setting the Tigers up an improbable 91 yards away from the goal line with just 3:23 left to play.
Princeton first used the legs of Wedekind, who gained rushes of 8, 10 and 11 yards. Then they used his arm, with Wedekind passing for a 9-yard gainer to Dylan Olson and 23 yards to Drew Compton down to the Hall 4.
PHS wideout Brock Schmidt failed to line up on the line of scrimmage and the Tigers were pushed back five yards to the 9. On first down, Compton was met by Red Devils Swingel and Jon Stuckert for a one-yard gain to the 8.
On second down, Wedekind scrambled to his left and floated a pass into the open arms of Swingel.
Swingel, whose 40-yard keeper on a broken pass play set up the Red Devils first touchdown, said it was a big win because the Red Devils didn’t quit. At the same time, he said, he knew the Tigers wouldn’t either.
Moore didn’t pass any blame on Schmidt for the illegal procedure, because he had aligned in a different formation in the game, nor to Wedekind for the interception, because he was trying to make things happen and had made things happen.
“I told the kids in the huddle. They should have won the ballgame. There’s no doubt in my mind,” he said. “Your first and goal on the 3 .. Everything kind of spiraled. Ifs and ans and pots and pans, you can do a lot of things.”
Moore was proud to see the Tigers go down fighting.
“They hit real hard, we were pretty much the aggressor on defense. We made big plays on defense,” he said. “I thought Drew Compton played a whale of a ballgame. He made some big hits and had some nice runs, They gave a good team effort.
• Notes: Princeton totaled 285 yards, including Compton’s 94 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving. Wedekind threw for 120 yards overall. Hall talled 208, all but 200 on the ground, led by Quinm (12-86), Swingel (6-81) and Tucker (12-74). Friday’s win was the 50th for Hall in the all-time series with PHS winning 29 with one tie. ... Hall rolled to a 47-14 win in the sophomore game.
