FOOTBALL: Gibson, Bulldogs run past James Kenan

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 24, 2016 11:31 PM

• Print
• Email

PRINCETON -- As the old saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth.

Princeton dispelled that notion Friday evening, rushing as a team for 354 yards and four touchdowns to turn back Carolina 1-A Conference foe James Kenan, 30-22, in front of an electric crowd at Harvey Brooks Field.

But make no mistake -- the recipe was a signature dish by Earl Gibson, Jr.

The senior established the game's tone on Princeton's opening drive, using quick bursts and shifty, one-cut elusiveness to spike a 16-play, 67-yard march that ended with a touchdown at the quarter's 4:57 mark.

But that was just the appetizer.

Running behind a polished offensive line, fellow Bulldogs Matt Stallworth, Trace James and Lamar Wilkins also found their way on the menu, helping their team stockpile 166 total hash marks in the opening stanza.

"I believe we have the best line in the state," Gibson, Jr. said of his mates. "When we stay focused, we can do something like this every Friday."

The quartet's work also made possessions rare for James Kenan, which entered the game minus starting quarterback Ken Avent III and electrifying all-purpose performer Taquwan Henry -- both of whom have been sidelined indefinitely by injury.

Consistently hampered by costly penalties, the Tigers could only muster a safety in the opening half, which occurred on a mishandled Princeton snap deep in its own territory.

At the break, the Bulldogs led 8-2.

James Kenan punched back to open the third period, courtesy of a 53-yard sideline scamper by Kashawn Hamilton. The burst was one of just two carries on the night for the talented junior, who finished with the contest with 60 rushing yards.

From there, matters morphed into videogame mode.

Stallworth, injured on the game's opening drive, returned to rush eight yards for a score with 6:21 remaining in the third quarter. When he deftly maneuvered off tackle for the two-point conversion, Princeton led 16-9.

James Kenan responded, however, with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jabril Johnson to Jalen Faison, tying the affair at 16 and prompting some moments of nervous energy amongst the Bulldog faithful.

Until No. 5 went back to work.

Gibson, Jr. capped a frenetic 15-minute stretch with two scores -- the first coming on a nimble, 5-yard run at the end of the the third quarter. The second, his third of the contest, occurred with 9:21 remaining and gave the Bulldogs a commanding 30-16 advantage.

Refusing to go quietly, the Tigers struck again on an 8-yard keeper by Johnson to make the score 30-22.

Any notion of a miracle rally, however, was nixed when their two-point conversion attempt disappeared in a litany of blue-and-gold jerseys at the goal line.

"That was huge," Gaster said. "We pinched everybody down, used the weight room... just buried everything in there and wouldn't let them get an inch. "

From there, Gibson, Jr. and Princeton signal caller Adam Crocker buttoned the affair, chewing time on the ground and baiting James Kenan into devastating offsides penalties -- the last of which occurred with 1:04 remaining and the Bulldogs facing a critical third-and-five.

Ball game.

Princeton 30, James Kenan 22.

The victory, a year removed from the Bulldogs' 53-0 road loss to the Tigers, culminated with some 200 members of the extended Princeton family joining the team's postgame huddle -- a fitting end to a night few will forget for some time.

"We weren't scared to talk about it," Gaster said of last year's setback. "We're a completely different team than we were a year ago... and I wanted them to have the opportunity to show it whether we came out on top or not."

But they did, together, and with five-star style.

Game notes:

AREA MANTLE

*Courtesy of his three touchdown, 238-yard performance, Princeton's Earl Gibson, Jr. assumed the Goldsboro News-Argus area rushing lead. He now has 961 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. He also contributed defensively, picking off a Jabril Johnson pass in the end zone to end a second quarter James Kenan drive.

FLAGS, FLAGS, FLAGS

* The two teams combined for 22 penalties Friday evening, the bulk of which were committed at the line of scrimmage by James Kenan (eight offsides handkerchiefs).

HIGH PRAISE

* Bulldog head coach Travis Gaster on the play of James Kenan's Nick King, a 5-foot-8 defensive linemen that figured prominently in the Bulldogs' film study and gameplan. "He'll crab one play, he'll jet one play, stick his nose inside," Gaster said. "When you look at production, that dude is special."

WHO'S GOT NEXT?

* Princeton (2-4 overall, 1-0 CC) will use its bye week to prepare for an Oct. 7 meeting at Hobbton. Kenan (1-4) entertains Rosewood next Friday at Bill Taylor Field in Warsaw.