By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
ALMOND - The Almond-Bancroft High School football team hoped to start its season off by lighting up the scoreboard with a victory over Princeton.
Instead, two first half miscues may have cost the Eagles the game in the first night home game in school history, as Princeton scored with 8:27 left for a 14-8 win.
The Tigers grabbed an 8-0 advantage in the second quarter when running back Mitch Napralla burst through the line and raced to a 57-yard score. He then rushed for the two-point conversion.
A-B came right back on the ensuing drive, though, and a 30-yard Nick Sanchez run brought the Eagles to the six yard line. After A-B lost yards on a fumble and a Sanchez flea flicker, the Eagles faced fourth down-and-goal at the five yard line.
The home team elected to go for the touchdown, and Sanchez was stopped by Princeton at the two yard line.
"We had just a few letdowns," A-B coach Rodney Wedig said. "We had a miscommunication on the play on the fourth down and a miscommunication on their long run. That's a 16 point swing there."
Princeton held onto its 8-0 lead until late in the third quarter, when quarterback David Danforth found Pat Hotchkiss on a slant pattern. Hotchkiss then ran untouched to the end zone for a 47-yard catch and his first career touchdown.
"That was one where Danforth read it well," Wedig said. "We loaded up (the left) side and he saw the free safety cheating over. That was his third option on the play."
The Eagles had two chances in the late minutes of the fourth quarter, but both possessions ended in turnovers.
After recovering a Princeton fumble, A-B was 49 yards from tying the game. But after a five yard gain and a pair of incompletions, Danforth fumbled and the Tigers recovered.
The Eagles then forced Princeton to turn the ball over on downs with 54 second remaining, giving A-B one more opportunity. But on the first play, the pass was tipped by an A-B and Princeton player before Shane Standifer picked it off to seal the win.
Wedig, who hopes his team can advance to the playoffs, thought his players held up well in the Friday night heat and humidity.
"We're in pretty good shape," Wedig said. "We have some guys that play both ways. We had certain kids rest on defense."
One player who may have suffered a bit from the humid conditions, according to Wedig, was Sanchez.
"Nick did a good job with the ball tonight," Wedig said. "I think the heat wore him down a bit. We didn't do a good job of spreading the ball around."
The Eagles are also awaiting the return of starting quarterback Chris Leary, who is out with an injury. In the meantime, Danforth, a junior, will continue to fill in.
"I think he did a good job," Wedig said of Danforth. "He may have tried to force it a bit at the end."