O’Brien enthused after PDS victory

By: Bob Nuse
   Cranbury’s Clint O’Brien and the rest of the seniors on the Princeton Day School football team prefer to look at last year as an aberration.
   After going from four wins as freshman to seven wins as sophomore, the Panthers struggled and went just 1-7 a year ago. This year they were determined to reverse that trend.
   "Last year was a tough year for us," said O’Brien, the Panthers’ starting quarterback all four years. "We came out this year and didn’t know what to expect. We tried some new things this year."
   The new things the Panthers tried on Friday night seemed to work as they rallied for a season-opening 19-16 win over Morrisville in front of a large crowd in a game played under the lights at Jan Baker Field.
   "We went to a shotgun and spread the guys out to give the offensive line some more room to work with and less guys to block," said O’Brien, who finished with 108 yards passing and 60 yards rushing in the win. "And we got some new kids. David Janhofer is a first-year senior who was a soccer player and he did an incredible job today. Last year we couldn’t pass unless it was a rollout. Today I had time and it was better than I could have asked for."
   A year go, a young offensive line kept the Panthers from ever getting the offense going. But those players, plus a new addition or two, are a year more experienced and that showed in the opener.
   PDS built a 13-0 lead as it scored on its first two possessions. O’Brien scored on a 4-yard run for the first score, while Mike Shimkin later scored on a 1-yard run.
   "The line was a big problem last year," PDS coach Bruce Devlin said. "The six or seven of them did great. Boris (Shkuta) went in for Janhofer for a little bit when he got hurt. (Aiden) Epply-Schmidt, Evan Quinn, Patrick Murphy, Brian Fishbein and Jake Lipkin, they all did a great job. And the fullbacks with their lead blocking, Dennis Cannon and Nick Jabs, they did an outstanding job.
   "We said if we could get time, we have guys who can do things when you get the ball in their hands. Clint and Mike are a good one-two combo. And when they get help from Dennis and Nick, they do a great job."
   The Panthers led, 13-3, at halftime before Morrisville scored two touchdowns to grab a 16-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Justin Schectel came up with a key recovery of an inside kick to give PDS good field position. A key third-and-19 conversion on an O’Brien to Andrew Ojeda pass kept the ensuing drive alive and Shimkin scored to give the Panthers a 19-16 lead.
   Morrisville got the ball back, but fumbled and when Fishbein recovered the loose ball, the Panthers were on their way to a win.
   "I don’t think we’ve had a comeback win like that in my four years," O’Brien said. "We came out in the second half and lost our focus a little bit and they came back and took the lead. But we got a huge turnover after we scored and that was great. This was one of the wildest games I’ve ever played in in any sport.
   "The seniors, we’ve been playing for four years together and I don’t think we’ve ever had a bigger one than that."
   Devlin couldn’t help but be impressed with his team’s composure after Morrisville had rallied to take the lead.
   "That team had 14 seniors on it," Devlin said. "They had a lot of guys who my eight kids have played against since they were freshmen. It’s been terrific games. They made some plays and found some spots in our coverage. But after they took the lead our kids battled back and didn’t quit. That’s the sign of a good team with good leadership. The eight seniors we have want to end on a great note and this sets the tone for them.
   "We hung in there at the end. Recovering the onside kick was huge. And the big pass on third-and-19, getting 28 yards, that’s huge."
   And it helped the Panthers earn a hard-fought win that had the seniors thinking this year could be a lot more successful than last year.