Panthers top Sussex Tech, 20-2, with strong play from youngsters
By: Bob Nuse
With a roster dominated by sophomores and freshmen, Princeton Day School football coach Bill Martin knows nothing will come easy for his team.
When the second-year head coach sees three of his key players go down with injuries, all that means is the Panthers are going to have to work a little harder.
Saturday, those players who needed to rise to the occasion did just that as PDS picked up its first win of the season by beating Sussex Tech, 20-2. Now, a season that looked like it could be spiraling in the wrong direction after three straight losses is all of a sudden filled with optimism.
"We had a lot of young kids that had to step up and they did," said Martin, whose team improved to 1-3 and will play at McCorristin on Friday night. "But the big picture for us was that the upperclassmen came through when we had to call on them. At this juncture we have McCorristin coming up Friday and if we can get a win there, our next three are Prep B games.
"If we can get rolling, then a Prep B championship is within our grasp. To turn the corner at mid-season was key for us and we needed a win to do that."
Prior to Saturday’s win, talk of competing for a Prep B championship might have seemed far-fetched. After all, in their opening three losses the Panthers had been outscored, 99-7. But they managed to put together a good effort Saturday and now that talk doesn’t seem so crazy.
"We had to get that first win," said Martin, whose team played without starting offensive linemen Justin Revelle, Matt Kelsey and Mike Reed. "We were without three guys who contribute offensively and defensively. Those guys are key for us. The whole left side of our offensive line is now made up of freshmen.
"This is Jason DaVilla’s first time playing football. It’s Dave Pepperman’s first time playing football. Jason Kopolow is a sophomore I’m really depending on and he’s shown a lot of promise. So all is not lost. This has been a great experience for the younger guys."
The Panther offense was led by a pair of touchdown runs from Gunther Bright, while the other score came on a touchdown pass from Wilson Weed to Habib Masoud. And the defense did not allow Sussex Tech to score, as the only points against the Panthers came on a safety after a bad snap on a punt.
"Gunther Bright really showed up," Martin said. "He did a very good job. Not just running the football, but blocking as well. Zelos Hill didn’t score a touchdown, but he ran for 80 yards on seven carries and that was a big contribution for us."
As all of their wins will need to be this year, it was a team effort from the Panthers. And it was an effort that might just turn the season around.