The Princeton Tigers, in their first season under returning alum Nathan Powell as head football coach, had a very successful 2019 season, battling Gallatin and South Harrison to a three-way tie for the Grand River Conference championship, although a 10-7 loss in district play to Putnam County left the Tigers with a sour taste in their mouth heading into the offseason.
While PHS, like most all teams, lost important pieces to graduation, the goals for 2020 have been set very high, with a large senior class serving as the proverbial backbone to the season, ready to start on Friday, August 28th with a visit to Eddie Allen Field from state-ranked Mid-Buchanan.
With more continuity coming into the fall returning on the defensive side of the ball, Powell sounded most confident in that group as camp began on Monday night:
Along with battling for a GRC football title in 2019, the Tiger boys basketball team had one of the best seasons in program history as the school year moved into the winter months, finishing just one win shy of a trip to the state semifinals, with a quarterfinal loss to Platte Valley at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Coach Powell feels like the experience of achievement, even if it is a different sport, does have positive carry-over effects:
The elephant in the room for fall sports across Missouri and the country as a whole is how much COVID-19 cuts into participation rates, or even the potential of canceling or postponing the season. However, in towns like Trenton, where numbers are similar to last year, and Princeton, where football numbers look steady, there are early indications that student-athletes are going out for sports full steam ahead:
Princeton’s schedule features plenty of challenges, as after the visit from Mid-Buchanan in Week 1, the Tigers make a lengthy trip to Cleveland, Missouri and Cass-Midway High School in Week 2 to play the Vikings. The Trenton Bulldogs make the trek to Princeton to tangle with the Tigers in the Grand River Conference opener for Week 3.
