Princeton-Spring Creek open Carolina 1-A play

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 4, 2007 2:53 PM

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PRINCETON -- Princeton's futility against Spring Creek might be locker room fodder, but it hardly causes any concern with head football coach Russell Williamson.

So what if the Gators lead the all-time series 6-0?

"I've heard a lot of talk about it, but we really don't look at it that way," said Williamson. "We worry about us getting better and trying to do things right, not who've beaten or not beaten along the way.

"They're hungry and going to be ready to go. We'd certainly like to build on what we did last week."

Princeton (1-5 overall) snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 35-0 rout of Mattamuskeet. The Bulldawg defense limited the Lakers to just 25 yards of total offense.

Spring Creek (0-6) extended its losing streak to 11 contests after a 59-9 setback against Union. The Gators picked up some yardage, but couldn't match the Spartans' athleticism and size.

It might be different this week.

"We both match up pretty well size-wise, speed-wise and I think it's going to come down to who executes the best and probably who has the least amount of turnovers," said Spring Creek coach Roy Whitfield. "I really think it's going to be a good game regardless of what we've done in the last five or six ballgames."

The Gator defense will need to contain the Bulldawgs' backfield tandem of Kevin Foy and Kwame Corprew. Foy piled up a season-high 174 yards rushing in just his third game back and scored two touchdowns. Corprew added two touchdowns and 60 yards.

"Kevin had a real good night and we blocked a whole lot better," said Williamson. "We have to hold onto the ball, run the clock and get some yards. We need to play a possession-style game.

"We've got such a young offensive line and we feel like they're finally coming along a little bit."

Whitfield and his staff have spent the week walking through their offensive and defensive plans in preparation for Princeton. He doesn't expect Williamson to add anything significant to his team's offensive package.

"We've really slowed it down some and tried to show our guys exactly what Princeton is going to do," said Whitfield. "Hopefully, they can react when the ball is snapped. That's our biggest concern right now, especially how our guys defensively will react to what they do offensively."

Williamson shares Whitfield's viewpoint about execution.

Turnovers have haunted the Dawgs in their five losses and they've always seemed to occur deep in their own territory. Getting into a field position battle and forcing the Gators into third-and-long situations could prove beneficial.

Princeton will have to concentrate on containing Spring Creek running back Alex Dunmire. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior is the area's ninth-leading rusher with 69 yards per game. He scored the Gators' lone touchdown against Union.

"The two teams are evenly matched," said Williamson. "Roy is a good friend. I respect him so much and he works hard at what he does. It will probably come down to a couple of big plays or turnovers.

"It's one of those games that can go either way."