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. Â 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. Â 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. Â
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. Â In Week 2, the Tigers welcome North Platte to Eddie Allen Field for the PHS home opener. Â Grand River Conference play begins the following week (September 1st) against the Milan Wildcats.
