The break-up of the 16-school Grand River Conference in the spring will have implications for the Princeton High School athletic program, particularly for the football and softball teams, starting in 2023. The Tiger football program had already announced a move to eight-man football before the conference’s break-up. As a result, they will now be playing on an 80-yard field against teams in the newly named “Grand River West” conference.
Princeton’s football season will begin with a home game at Eddie Allen Field against South Holt High School on Friday, August 25th. They will then travel to face the Platte Valley team on September 1st. Following these non-conference games, the Tigers will enter a run of seven conference contests in the GRW. They will have road trips to Pattonsburg and King City in September, which will give the team an early indication of their competitiveness in the conference.
The Tigers’ first official eight-man conference home game will be against the Stanberry Bulldogs at Eddie Allen Field on September 22nd. They will then alternate home and away games for the rest of the season, facing Albany and St. Joseph Christian on the road, and hosting North Andrew and Worth County, both considered strong teams in the state. District play will commence the following week.
Click here to view the 2023 Princeton Tiger football schedule
In softball, the Princeton team will participate in the Milan jamboree on August 18th before heading to the Bill Hill Memorial Tournament in Albany on August 26th for the regular-season opener. The Lady Tigers’ home opener will be against Schuyler County on August 28th, followed by the conference opener against King City at home the next day. They will have additional GRW home games against Worth County and North Harrison, with GRW road trips to Pattonsburg, Stanberry, Albany, and North Andrew. Other notable games include home matches against South Harrison, Mercer, Milan, Trenton, and Gallatin, with a late September road trip to Putnam County.
Click here to view the 2023 Princeton Tiger softball schedule
Overall, both the Princeton football and softball teams will face new opponents and adjusted schedules due to the conference realignment, and they will be looking to make their mark against new, yet familiar historical foes, in the Grand River West.
Photo credit – Princeton High School Athletics Department / Princeton, MO
