Bulldogs' offense, defense look strong

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on August 12, 2014 1:48 PM

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PRINCETON -- On a drizzly Monday evening, Princeton football coach Derrick Minor wanted to see how his team could fling the ball around the field during the inaugural Bulldawg Jamboree.

His quarterback Michael Wooten didn't let him down.

Wooten and the Princeton varsity offense connected for five passing touchdowns combined against county opponents South Johnston and Smithfield-Selma. Union High School also took part in the jamboree.

Wooten didn't make a bad throw all night and connected on a variety of routes. No ball was thrown better than the 35-yard go route that Adrian Whack caught in the back of the end zone.

His other touchdowns were on two other deep go routes -- a slant across the middle and a swing pass out of the backfield that went for a score.

"Very, very happy with my quarterback and my receivers catching the ball," Minor said. "We wanted to take the pressure of Johnny, but also show we're a true dual-threat team."

Wooten also converted on a nicely-timed flag route toward the sideline with Jamie Pearce for a gain of 20 yards.

Opportunistic defense

The Bulldogs' defense surrendered a touchdown to SSS on its first drive. After that it forced four turnovers and hardly allowed either team to enter scoring territory.

Princeton defenders intercepted two passes that would have went for touchdowns in a real game scenario, but referees blew the play dead.

"I was fired up about our defense," Minor said. "When they're scoring just as many touchdowns as our offense we're in great shape."

Whack, a middle linebacker, flew all over the field. He clogged running lanes and easily tackled opposing running backs. The Bulldogs' secondary used stiff coverage to break up three more passes.

New playing weight

Princeton running back Johnny Frasier gained 15 pounds in the offseason and is now up to 220.

He hasn't lost a step with the additional weight.

Frasier wasn't featured much in the offense. Minor wanted his offense to spread the ball around and attack through the air. But Frasier did cap the first drive with a 30-yard run in which he outran SSS defenders down the sideline.

He later scored on a bruising run up the middle from about seven yards out.

"It felt normal," Frasier said of playing at his heavier weight.

"You saw it, he didn't miss a beat," running backs coach James Jenkins said. "He's a beast."

Rainy day in Princeton

The rain persisted throughout the evening, leaving most fans under umbrellas throughout the scrimmage. However, it wasn't wet enough to cause issues with players' footing on the field.

Coaches didn't seem worried about the rain causing injuries for the teams. Minor played his first-team defense and first-team offense for the majority of the varsity scrimmages.

"Once you get in game mode all of that kind of goes out," Minor said. "We were concerned but felt like we going to be OK."

Neither team appeared to suffer any injuries.

Looking out for the JV

Minor wasn't quick to compliment or criticize his team's on-field performance after the game until he was able to watch film. He was, however, thrilled to compliment his varsity players for their mental approach to the scrimmage.

The Bulldogs approached the jamboree as a real game and took the competition seriously, feeling like they had something to prove to the two 3-A schools.

They didn't take many plays off mentally, including the times when the junior varsity team was on the field.

"We told them post-game we were happy with how everyone was encouraging each other, everyone was paying attention, those are intangibles that are going to help you," Minor said.

The junior varsity jogged off the field to rousing applause from the upperclassmen on each occasion. Quinton Rhue led them in "breaking it down" in the huddle.