Shimkin ready to return

PDS football anxious to have standout back

By: Bob Nuse
   Mike Shimkin hadn’t missed many plays, let alone a whole game in his three years with the Princeton Day School football team.
   That was until an ankle injury in the Panthers’ game against Manville sidelined him for last week’s loss to Bound Brook.
   "Until he missed this game, I think Mike was off to his best start," said Panther coach Bruce Devlin, whose team will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak when they play at Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania on Saturday. "He’s generally a slow starter, but he was starting real well this year. Then he sprained his ankle in the Manville game and missed the Bound Brook game. That’s the first game he’s missed in three years."
   In the first three games of the season, Shimkin had rushed for 280 yards on 49 carries. He was limited in the Manville game due to injury and then missed the Bound Brook game. If he stays healthy for the final three games of the season, Shimkin will make a run at topping the 858 yards he rushed for a year ago.
   "That was the first game I’ve ever missed," said Shimkin, a New Hope, Pa. resident. "I hurt it against Manville, but kept on playing that game. I had it double taped and it was stiff the next day. I tried to work it out during practice and just didn’t feel like I should take the chance and hurt it worse. I didn’t want to re-injure it and make it even worse."
   Devlin and the rest of the Panthers hope Shimkin and some of the other injured players make it back for Saturday’s game. PDS was missing seven starters in the loss to Bound Brook. And not having Shimkin, who plays every play, is a loss they have trouble overcoming.
   "He plays either cornerback or safety, depending on the matchup, on defense," Devlin said. "He doesn’t come off the field. He’s a real iron man. He’s in on kickoffs and punt returns. He’s a kid that never complains. He just goes out there and does it.
   "He’s a tough kid who plays hurt. He’s shifty and fast and does it all. This year he has a young offensive line in front of him, which doesn’t help. But he creates a lot on his own. He wants to do well and play sports at the next level and he can do that."
   Right now, Shimkin’s biggest concern is seeing the Panthers get back on the winning track. They tied a school record with seven wins last year, and came into this season hoping to play even better.
   "At the beginning of the year this year our goal was to go undefeated. It hasn’t worked out that way, but we do have a chance to be .500. We’ve been building the program since I got here and we want to continue to improve.
   "Even though we’re 1-4, we have a chance to win these last three games and still finish .500. We’re all staying positive. We can finish .500 and that’s what we want to do."
   Whether they win the final three games or not, the Panthers just want to see progress. Shimkin has seen the team get better each year he’s been at PDS, and would like that progress to continue.’
   "We lost a lot of seniors," Shimkin said. "David Blitzer was a great player for us. And Alex Kowalski ran for more than 800 yards. We also lost most of our line to graduation. We lost four of our five starters on the line. So we’re playing a lot of younger guys who are getting a lot of experience this year.
   "Clint (O’Brien) and Andrew (Ojeda) and I all started as freshmen. And with all three of us being captains, we know what the freshmen are going through. I remember being overwhelmed, especially at the beginning of the year because you don’t know what to expect. The freshmen and the other younger guys we have are getting better and more comfortable with the other guys on the team, on and off the field."
   Last year, Shimkin had the comfort of sharing the backfield with Kowalski as the two combined for over 1,600 yards rushing. This year, he’s being counted on to carry more of the load.
   "He was a great player to play with," Shimkin said of Kowalski. "Not just because he was a talented running back, but he was a good fullback who would open up a lot of holes as a lead blocker. I’ve missed him this year. I definitely had a big adjustment to make. Last year we split the carries and both had around 850 yards.
   "This year is different. I’m getting more of the carries, so it has been an adjustment. I’m fine with it. I want to do whatever I can to help the team."
   Hopefully that means getting back on the field this weekend. The schedule gets a bit easier over the final three weeks. The Panthers are coming off a stretch where three of the last four teams they have played — Emerson, Manville and Bound Brook — were public schools with a combined 12-4 record.
   "We’ve played some talented teams this year," Shimkin said. "The last three teams we’ve lost to are all having real good years. But we know we’re a good team as well. We just need a little more experience."