Tigers at Hall: should be a blast

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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.

“We really need to get him out in the open,” said Bland, “We’ve got to find ways of doing that.

Moore said that he knows stopping Tucker will be a key to the Tigers’ success.

“They’re pretty much a power running game, they’re usually moving the ball on the ground, so we’re going to have to try to stop that,” said Moore.

The Princeton offense has been on a roll, so far this year, highlighting the running tandem of Drew Compton (567 yards, 7 TDS) and Dylan Olson 225 yards, 4 TDs).

The Tigers augment their rushing attack with QB Brik Wedekind who has thrown for 388 yards with six touchdowns and only one interception. Wedekind’s primary targets have been Olson and wideout Brock Schmidt, who has hauled in seven catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

“They still throw, but they’re getting a lot more out of their run game now, trying to use (Dylan) Olson and (Drew) Compton to their fullest,” said Bland. “They’re using them in a way that they compliment each other.”

Having a balanced offense will be one of the Tigers’ keys to victory.

“We definitely need to do both things well (rushing and passing),” Moore said. “You’ve got to be prepared to do both if you’re going to be successful.”

Bland said that Hall’s success is contingent coming out and playing smash-mouth football.

“If we can be that physical and intense (as they were last week against Mendota) the rest of the year, I think we’ll be in real good shape,” Bland said.

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