Prep football: Princeton fixing the little things

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 12, 2013 1:47 PM

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Sometimes the devil is truly in the details for football coaches who spend most of fall practice trying to get players in game-ready condition while teaching the basic fundamental principals of offense and defense.

It's often the small aspects of the game that fall between the cracks.

Princeton's last two losses are a perfect example.

"We just have had one or two mistakes that have cost us a couple of wins," Princeton head coach Derrick Minor said. "Midway and Dixon are both big, physical teams and we played toe-to-toe with them and had a chance late to win each of those games."

The Bulldogs (1-2 overall) controlled the game against Midway, but failed to get in the ball in the end zone on four first-half possessions. The poor execution, along with penalties, resulted in a 14-7 defeat.

Last week, Princeton experienced a similar story against Dixon. Penalties and turnovers were too much to overcome in a 32-28 loss.

"We had a bad snap on special teams and a couple of interceptions," Minor said. "Those are missed chances. Late in the game we still had an opportunity to win. We just couldn't pull it out."

Minor is trying not to dwell on what could have been, but is more focused on what lies ahead for his team. A big game against county rival North Johnston on Friday will give the Bulldogs a chance to hopefully fix some of the small things on a big stage.

The Panthers are 0-3 this season.

"You can throw out the records in a rivalry game like ours," Minor said. "Besides, you can not really tell just how good North Johnston is by looking at their record. They have played three very good opponents over the first three weeks. I expect it to be a great game."

Johnny Frasier has emerged as the second-leading rusher in the News-Argus readership area with 485 yards and six touchdowns on 58 carries. Frasier is also second in the receiving statistics with 220 yards on 10 catches.

Quarterback Michael Wooten is the area's leading passer with 519 yards and six touchdowns through three games.