BCR Playoffs Notebook: Ryan Pearson to the Princeton Tigers, ‘We’ve got the Broncos’

Ryan Pearson broke the Princeton postgame huddle on the field after the Tigers defeated Chicago King 34-16 in Chicago on Saturday and told the Tigers what they’ve been waiting to hear for a year, “We’ve got the Broncos.”

The Montini Broncos are indeed coming and the Tigers can’t wait.

Montini defeated the Tigers 27-9 in the 2023 quarterfinals, and the Tigers have wanted a rematch ever since.

They’ll get that shot at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bryant Field.

The Tigers welcome the second chance.

“It’s exciting getting another shot at these guys,” PHS senior linebacker Arthur Burden said. “This is the moment we’ve been hoping and working to get all year.”

“It’s nice to be able to see a talented team like them again. They are the team we work toward seeing and beating all season,” Tiger running back Casey Etheridge said. “They are a solid team all around, and we all really look forward to the challenge of playing them. We aren’t satisfied with making it to this point in the playoffs, and we are pushing toward the bigger picture.”

“It’s great being able to play them again and get another shot at them and have the chance to beat them,” PHS senior running back/linebacker Common Green said. “I know that this game will be a hard fought battle, and it’s going to be a fight in a phone booth. This game means a lot to everyone on the team and we have been waiting a whole year just to play them again, and I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team get the win and advance to the next round.”

The Landry Shift

The Tigers had just made a key goal line stand, stopping King at the Tigers 5-yard line. With their backs against the goal line, Pearson took a page out of the playbook from his favorite childhood coach, Tom Landry.

The Tigers’ offensive linemen all bent over as if to take their stance, but without putting their hands to the turf, they all stood in unison. The Jaguars took the bait and jumped offsides.

The Tigers repeated the sequence and again the Jaguars jumped offsides. Two penalties and 10 yards later, the Tigers gained some breathing room at the 15.

Ten plays later, the Tigers scored a 1-yard touchdown by Etheridge to take a 34-16 lead with 9:03 left in the game.

“We worked on that ... a lot. We worked on that cadence and snap freeze and those type of things. Helped us get a couple cheap 5-yard penalties,” Pearson said. “Actually worked better than what I anticipated. Got us out of a hole when we stopped them and got the ball at the 2-yard line. Got them to jump two times. It comes down to our kids executing. We can call the plays. They have to execute.”

It was reminiscent of the old Dallas Cowboys days using the “Landry Shift.” When asked if he picked that play up from his favorite football team, Pearson smiled.

“I’m a die-hard Cowboys fan. I love Tom Landry. That’s exactly where I stole it from, his 1982 playbook,” he said.

Key plays

Princeton linebackers Common Green and Arthur Burden and lineman Cade Odell each made key sacks Saturday.

Odell caught shifty King quarterback Jaden Thomas for a 1-yard loss at the Jaguars 41 on a fourth-and-17 play following two King penalties, forcing the the Jaguars to punt late in the second quarter. Nine plays later, Noah LaPorte caught a 21-yard TD pass from Tiger QB Will Lott to send the Tigers to a 27-8 halftime lead.

King later mounted a nine-play drive behind its talented quarterback in the fourth quarter only to be thwarted by Green and Burden.

Green threw Thomas for a 14-yard loss right at midfield and Burden chased down Thomas for a 11-yard loss to end the Jaguars’ drive.

“That sack was a very moving part of the game for the team that helped seal the win for us, I think,” Green said. “Their QB was very elusive and hats off to him he was a very good player, and I have a lot of respect for him being able to move around like that when under pressure.”

Jace Stuckey then made a fumble recovery on a wild play two plays later. King recovered a Tiger fumble near midfield and made a long recovery only to lose the ball into the hands of Stuckey at the PHS 24.

Instead of King knocking on the door, the Tigers regained possession and were able to run out the clock.

Quarterfinal history

Princeton will be making its eighth quarterfinal appearance and fifth straight.

The Tigers are 3-3 at home in quarterfinal play with wins over Alleman in 1989 (27-14), Rochester in 2002 (48-21) and Paxton-Buckley-Loda in 2019 (38-12) and losses to IC Catholic in 2015 (37-12) and 2022 (27-20) and Montini in 2023 (27-9).

In 2021, the Tigers lost to IC Catholic (31-17) on the road.

Montini is 2-0 in quarterfinal play against Bureau County teams, including a 48-34 win over Hall in 1993.

Smooth operation

Some Princeton fans were a bit apprehensive traveling for a playoff game on the South Side of Chicago. Their nerves were quickly calmed by a smooth operation by the Chicago Public Schools event staff at Gately Stadium from the ticket takers, well-marked security staff, chain gang and other on-field members.

Pearson was very pleased with the Tigers’ game experience.

“I was really impressed with Chicago King. Their coach was a great man, and their kids were very respectful and played the game the right way, out on the field,” he said. “The venue staff did a great job making sure everybody got shuffled out of the stadium. I just thought they were great to work with and very, very accommodating.”

Overheard

A King player told PHS senior Ace Christiansen walking through the handshake line after Saturday’s game, “Man, you’re fast.”

A King coach walked through the line telling the Tigers to “Win the whole thing.”