November 14, 2024
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IHSA Playoffs: A closer look at Princeton’s quarterfinals history

Tigers stand 3-3 in quarterfinal play

By Kevin Hieronymus
The late Princeton coach Randy Swinford is all smiles with Tiger Jay Alter celebrating their 1989 quarterfinal victory over Rock Island Alleman at Bryant Field.

The late Princeton coach Randy Swinford is all smiles with Tiger Jay Alter celebrating their 1989 quarterfinal victory over Rock Island Alleman at Bryant Field. The win helped propel the Tigers to the state finals two weeks later. (Photo provided by Jay Alter)

Princeton has some history when it comes to IHSA quarterfinal playoffs games.

The Tigers (10-1) will make their seventh quarterfinal appearance when they host Lombard Montini Catholic (8-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bryant Field.

In their past six quarterfinals, the Tigers are dead even at 3-3.

Princeton’s first quarterfinal was played in 1989 at Bryant Field where “Tiger Style” ran wild for a 27-14 victory over Alleman, a nemesis that had knocked the Tigers out 23-22 the year before in the first round at home.

Tigers fullback Sean Schickel famously said, “It used to be, ‘Oh my God it’s Alleman.’ Now it’s ‘Oh ny God, it’s Princeton.’”

Princeton bulled through Rock Island Alleman 27-14 in front of a overflow crowd in a 1989 quarterfinal game at Bryant Field. The 1989 Tigers win in the Bureau County Mythical quarterfinals.

Jimmy "Hoops" Robbins and Princeton bulled through Rock Island Alleman 27-14 in front of a overflow crowd in a 1989 quarterfinal game at Bryant Field.

That win propelled the Tigers to a 35-7 semifinal win over Marmion Academy on a brutally cold day in Aurora before a loss to Belleville Althoff in the state finals.

Surprisingly, Althoff is now a 1A school, when it had been playing a predominantly 5A-6A schedule in the old six-class format.

In 2002, the Tigers beat Rochester at home 48-21, going on to fall 23-3 in semifinal play at Addison Driscoll, which has since closed its doors. Eight years later, Rochester went on to win the first of eight state championships from 2010 to 2019.

Another 13 years passed before the Tigers reached the quarterfinals in 2015, this time falling to IC Catholic 37-12, their first loss of the season. It was a loss that would prove to be a familiar theme.

The Tigers were 38-12 winners over Paxton-Buckley-Loda in their next quarterfinal appearance in 2019, also at home.

Princeton fell to IC Catholic 31-7 in Elmhurst in 2021 and 27-20 in overtime at home in 2022. Only one more slipped tackle by Teegan Davis on a long interception return kept the Tigers from advancing a year ago.

So, in their six quarterfinal appearances, the Tigers are 3-3, going 3-2 at home with one loss on the road.

Montini Catholic has some history when it comes to quarterfinal play in Bureau County.

It beat Hall 48-34 in the 1993 quarterfinals in Spring Valley.

It was the first of four playoff meetings between Hall and Montini when the Broncos previously played in Class 3A. The Red Devils won a first-round meeting in 1997 and a second-round game in 1998. The Broncos won a playoff opener in 2000.