FOOTBALL: Princeton turns in school-record rushing effort

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on November 6, 2016 1:45 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

In a way, Princeton's offense is quite predictable.

The wing-T -- a misdirection running scheme -- requires an unwavering commitment to the ground game.

So when the Bulldogs entered Branch Pope Field to play Rosewood on Friday evening, the Eagles' defense knew the 'what' part of the equation. They were just missing the who, where, when and why.

Behind the strength of four different running backs, Princeton rushed for a school-record 754 yards and sprinted to a 74-52 victory over Rosewood. The 754 rushing yards -- unofficially -- ranks second all-time in N.C. High School Athletic Association history.

Princeton's entire offense came on the ground.

Earl Gibson Jr. led the Bulldogs with 295 yards, followed by Matt Stallworth's 259 yards. Lamarr Wilkins racked up 110 and Nathan Ramby added 98. The quartet combined for 10 touchdowns -- four from Stallworth, three from Gibson, two from Ramby and one from Wilkins.

"No coach with my background wants to see that many points on the board," said Princeton head coach Travis Gaster. "I'm glad that we are able to score that many, but I don't want to have to depend on scoring that many."

Princeton jumped to a 16-0 first-quarter lead after TD runs of 55 yards and 44 yards by Stallworth and Gibson Jr., respectively.

The Eagles responded with three consecutive TD drives of their own to take a 21-16 lead.

The Bulldogs barked back even louder. Princeton went on to score TDs on eight of its next nine drives of the game.

"That was huge for us," Gaster said. "A week ago, we didn't respond. Lakewood had a run a week ago, and our response had to change. The kids being coachable, they did change it."

Princeton scored TDs on its first two plays of the second half. The first possession was a 70-yard TD run by Gibson Jr. The second was a 67-yard TD run - again by Gibson Jr.

The Eagles pulled within 14 toward the end of the third quarter, but that's as close as they'd get. Every Rosewood score was topped by Princeton's rushing attack.

Eagles' head coach Robert Britt said the Bulldogs did a good job of getting 'a body on a body', and the running backs excelled at finding holes.

Princeton's defense did just enough to create a window of separation.

"They did a pretty good job in the second quarter of slowing us up," Britt said. "And it took a little while for us to figure out what we needed to do to move the ball again, and that's what kept us behind."

Rosewood quarterback Cam Helt led the Eagles with 414 yards of total offense -- 183 rushing, 231 passing -- and five touchdowns.

With the win, Princeton moved to 4-1 in the Carolina 1-A Conference. A win against Spring Creek next week would guarantee the Bulldogs a share of the conference title.

"We need to take care of business," Gaster said. "There's still a game left and unfinished business to do for us and our conference. The next game is always the most important. It's no different now. We have to get over this win in a hurry and start getting ready for Spring Creek on Monday."

NO SCOREBOARD

* Hurricane Matthew destroyed Rosewood's scoreboard. The referees kept the time and score on the field.

RECORD BOOK

* Among games that ended in regulation, the 126 points scored by Rosewood and Princeton is the eighth-highest total in N.C. High School Athletic Association history. The teams combined to score 77 points in the second half.

DYNAMIC DUO

* Stallworth now has 1,574 yards and 20 TDs on the season while Gibson Jr. has 1,751 yards and 24 TDs. No other team in the coverage area has two 1,000-yard rushers, let alone over 1,500.