Offensive line set to lead Little Tigers
If the Little Tigers of Princeton are going to roar in football this season, you’ll likely see the offensive line play a pivotal role.
Fifth-year head coach Charlie Gallagher says the unit is “without a doubt” the strength of the team. Princeton essentially returns four starters: left tackle Finn Kaiser, left guard Marqui McBride, center Jaylen Johnson and right tackle Adam Musa.
Throw in right guard Joe Feldman, a junior who had one of the better offseasons in the program, and fans should see a stingy front that Gallagher hopes can grind out some wins this season.
“We’re going to be as good as our offensive line,” he said. “If you talk to any football coach, I think they’re always talking about the offensive line. It all starts downs in the trenches, right? That’s what they all say. I think our trenches as far as our offensive line are pretty set.”
In the backfield the Little Tigers have quality running backs in senior Moses Mahiri and junior Evan Angelucci. They also hope to have senior Henry Garcia-Guzman, who suffered an injury in the team’s first scrimmage, back in the mix within a few weeks.
Coming off a 1-9 season with a particularly young team, Princeton returns 26 total seniors and juniors who gained vital two-way playing experience.
“We took our lumps last year, and now I’m hoping that experience will pay off,” Gallagher said. “I’m excited about this year, actually. There’s a lot of good veteran leadership.”
Senior quarterback Vince Doran is entering his second season as the starter after passing for 1,834 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016.
The dual-threat signal caller’s top targets include junior Isaac Webb, junior Steve Hennessy and senior Will Smith. Webb exploded onto the scene as a sophomore with 592 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, including a four-touchdown performance against Hightstown.
“Vince is having a great preseason,” Gallagher said. “He’s lefty, and anybody that’s seen him knows he throws a really great ball. You only expect guys that have that year or two under the belt when they come in as veterans to really shine. We’re excited for Vince.”
Defensively, Princeton has a fresh look up front with new defensive linemen in juniors Connor Coffee and Tommy Tenzlinger along with senior Takahi Carter, who Gallagher said is doing a nice job at nose tackle so far. Gallagher is overseeing the unit following the departure of former defensive coordinator Steve DiGregorio, who took a head coaching job at his alma mater Nutley.
“We’re just trying to figure some things out right now,” Gallagher said. “I don’t know how good we’re going to be this year, but we’re trying to put the pieces together to have a real successful defensive run this year.”
Princeton opens its season at home Saturday versus reigning South Jersey Group III semifinalist Hamilton West. The Little Tigers will play at Pemberton the following week, then take on a bevy of local teams. Lawrence and Ewing were both state playoff teams last year, and Allentown was the only local school to win a sectional title.
“It’s definitely an equitable schedule,” Gallagher said. “Hamilton West is a real great opponent for us. We’ve kind of gone back and forth over the past three years. They had a really good ball squad last year ... and then at the end of the schedule we’ve got the Group IV Central champs (Allentown). We’ve got a lot of playoff winners in there. It’s definitely a tough schedule, there’s no doubt. But I hope with the experience that we got both as a junior class and senior class, we’ll play some better football this year for Princeton.”