Princeton, on second chance, wins at Polo in district quarterfinals

On the final night of the regular season, a furious rally by Princeton, including 41 fourth quarter points, gave up seven points in a 80-73 loss to Grand River Conference rival Polo.  While the result was disappointing to the Tigers, the realization that they would get another shot at the Panthers, just one week later, filled Coach Thomas Hotmer’s team with confidence.

Knowing that a better start and stronger defensive performance could mean the difference between a win and a loss, Princeton played superbly in the district quarterfinals, claiming a 51-32 win at Bob Shearer Stadium that sends the Tigers to Maysville for a rematch with the Wolverines on Friday, October 28th.

The offense for Princeton, as it often has done in a surge to end the regular season, revolved around the athletic ability of quarterback Andrew Smith, running back Calvin Berwanger, and wide receiver Blaine Millburn.  Those three shone for Princeton in the road win, as Smith ran for 218 yards and threw for 176, Berwanger ran for 126 yards, and Millburn caught five balls for 89 yards.

The suddenly potent Tigers, and their dangerous high-octane offense, will travel to Maysville in the District 8 semifinal round, with coverage beginning at 6 o’clock on KTTN FM 92.3.  Princeton is now 3-7 on the season, while Polo ends the campaign with a mark of 3-7.

Elsewhere in Class 1, District 8, Putnam County swung an upset at Gallatin, winning 16-14, sending the Midgets to a semifinal meeting with #1 seed, #3 ranked Penney, a 75-0 shutout winner over South Harrison.  The Putnam County at Hamilton semifinal will be 7 o’clock on Friday night.

All four games played Friday night in Class 1, District 5 were blowouts, as #1 seed Mark Twain hammered Louisiana, 67-0, Scotland County defeated conference rival Knox County 49-18, Monroe City took a 58-14 win over Paris, and South Shelby rolled past Schuyler County 59-6.

In District 6, heavy district favorite Marceline beat Harrisburg for the second week in a row, 63-8.  Fayette took out Santa Fe 60-20, Westran upended Slater 48-6, and Sweet Springs upset Salisbury 21-14.

District 7 saw Wellington-Napoleon (#1 seed) trounce Concordia 46-0, Plattsburg take out West Platte 42-14, East Buchanan claim a 48-16 victory over North Platte, and Mid-Buchanan throttle Orrick 64-14.

In Class 3, District 8, the three high-powered, state ranked teams at the top of the bracket won easily, as #1 ranked, #1 seeded Maryville defeated Cameron 70-6, #2 seed and unbeaten Richmond took a 42-6 win over Central Academy, and now 9-1, #3 seed Chillicothe walloped Lincoln Park 63-7. In the 4 vs 5 seed matchup, St. Pius X claimed a 38-18 win over Pembroke Hill, sending the Warriors to Maryville for the semifinals, while Chillicothe travels to Richmond for a highly-anticipated game with the Spartans.

In Class 4, District 8, Kearney shutout Savannah 55-0, Lafayette went 2 overtimes to dethrone Excelsior Springs 63-62, Platte County was a 52-14 winner against Winnetonka, while Smithville shutout Benton 17-0.

There were seven first-round eight-man district games played over the weekend.  In the only “non-Friday” kick, Northwest of Hughesville outscored Chilhowee on Saturday afternoon 68-64, in District 4.  In District 1, on Friday night, Albany hammered East Atchison 66-8 while Stanberry rolled to a 70-12 win over North-West Nodaway.  In District 2, St. Joseph Christian cruised past Platte Valley 54-6 while Mound City took down DeKalb 66-22.  In District 3, North Shelby ended the season of the Pattonsburg Panthers, 58-22, while Stewartsville took a thrilling, back-and-forth game with visiting Braymer, winning 60-56.