Minor: Bulldogs' season ended prematurely in 2013

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on November 20, 2014 1:48 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- Princeton head varsity football coach Derrick Minor has waited 365 days for this second chance.

One year ago, the Bulldogs lost a second-round playoff game to eventual N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-AA state champion James Kenan.

Minor felt the season ended too early.

"I felt like we had a team that should have made a much deeper run," Minor said. "And the guys felt like that all got cut short."

Fourth-seeded Princeton gets another second-round shot Friday against fifth-seeded Camden County. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Harvey Brooks Field.

Admission is $7.

Minor describes the postseason as a "mystery."

When he viewed first-round opponent Northampton on film, he saw a lot of speed that could cause problems for his team. The Bulldogs, instead, scored a school-record 42 points in the first half and rolled to a 70-48 victory.

He doesn't plan on a slow pace against the Bears.

"We have to go out there and put up as many points as we can as quick as we can," Minor said.

The strategy for the Bulldogs has been simple all season.

And it won't change this week.

"We just got to find their weak spot," Bulldogs running back Johnny Frasier said.

Then what?

"Abuse it," he said.

Frasier and the Princeton offense have been abusing defenses all year to the tune of more than 40 points and more than 450 yards per contest. Frasier, who has sacrificed carries and shared the spotlight with his teammates, has still managed to rush for 2006 yards and 29 touchdowns -- on just over half as many carries as last year.

He's averaging 12 yards per carry.

"There's so many reasons for why I'm able to do this," Frasier said. "First you gotta look at those guys opening the holes for me. Then the coaches and trainers who are teaching me how to bounce off tackles and see the holes and get down hill.

"Then my teammates who are taking the pressure off me. We've got so many ways to beat you how are you going to stop it? Who do you pick to stop, you know?"

Some of those weapons include quarterback Mike Wooten, Adrian Whack and Cam Jackson. Wooten has passed for 1,793 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for nine touchdowns.

Whack and Jackson have been pleasant surprises to the coaching staff this year. Whack averages more yards per touch as Frasier, but hasn't had the volume of carries that Frasier has since plays both sides of the ball.

The 250-pound junior can run between the tackles and bounce outside. The strongest player on the team, Whack deadlifts 800 pounds. He successfully kicked all three extra points in a substitution role for place-kicker Vincente Mendez, who is recovering from a torn quad muscle.

Jackson didn't play for the Bulldogs last year after moving from another school, and has emerged as one of the team's top receivers with 506 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will have to stop a team that runs an offense similar to Lakewood. Camden focuses on running the ball, but can pass as well.

Minor is confident that the Bulldogs will be able to take away most of their passing attack, with the improving play of cornerback Robert Edwards.

"Robert has really developed in to kind of a shut down corner who can take away an entire side of the field," Minor said. "So that just makes the other 10 guys on the field better and allows them to try and make plays."

The Bulldogs seniors know this ride could be over in the blink of an eye. They're focused on making sure a repeat of last year doesn't happen again.

"We won't lose this game," Frasier assures himself. "We can't lose this one."