Hopes are high for a return to the upper echelon of the Grand River Conference football standings in 2017 at Princeton High School, where over 90 percent of the roster returns from a 2016 group that struggled during the regular season, but caught fire in district play, with road wins over Polo and Maysville giving the young Tigers a strong boost of off-season confidence.
With the regular season opener at Mid-Buchanan High School (Faucett, MO) just one week away, the Tigers head to Milan tonight (August 18th at 7 PM) for a four-team jamboree that will include the host Wildcats, the Salisbury Panthers, and Putnam County Midgets.
Among the factors leading to optimism within the Tigers players and fan-base is the knowledge gained a season ago by then-rookie Head Coach Thomas Hotmer, ready for his second season on the Princeton sideline:
The interest in the program has skyrocketed over the past two years, going quickly from a young team struggling to get wins, and dealing with low numbers. Now, the Tigers look like a completely different group:
Important tasks for the Tigers in 2017 will be improving a running game that will look to provide balance for an offense led by returning quarterback Andrew Smith. Adding physicality to both sides of the football would likely place Princeton as a significant threat to the likes of Trenton and Maysville, co-champions of the Grand River Conference in 2016.
The added numbers in the Princeton program has many benefits to Coach Hotmer and the Tigers:
Princeton’s season opener at Mid-Buchanan will be carried live on KTTN FM 92.3. In Week 2, the Tigers welcome North Platte to Eddie Allen Field for the PHS home opener. Grand River Conference play begins the following week (September 1st) against the Milan Wildcats.
