Princeton alumni come out in force for 7 on 7 help

If there would have been an alumni event for Saturday’s Princeton 7 on 7, the Tigers stacked up real nice.

No fewer than eight former Tigers, including current college players Teegan Davis (Iowa), Drew Harp (North Central College) and Ronde Worrells (Augustana), came out to help wherever they could be it keeping score, officiating or providing moral support.

Augie Christiansen, Danny Cihocki, Keegan Fogarty, Wyatt Davis and Evan Driscoll were also among the faces seen along the sidelines.

“That’s really cool to get a chance to see those guys,” Princeton coach Ryan Pearson said. “To host an event like this, you need a lot of help. I’m very grateful we have so many former players that are willing to come back and help out.

“For them to take time out of their day and come out means a lot. It’s probably pretty boring, standing there keeping score. And we got coach (Dave) Moore out of retirement to help out. It truly takes a village to put on an event like this. I’m really grateful.”

Pearson likes the Tigers’ chances had an alumni game broke out.

“We’d be tough. I think all those guys could line up and really play,” he said.

Pearson’s current class of Tigers also got a good workout competing in the day’s events, placing eighth of 17 teams in the 7 on 7 while winning the Linemen’s Challenge.

“The biggest thing, we’re going to work on things we actually run during a game,” Pearson said. “A lot of times, these teams come out and they’re kind of working on 7 on 7 plays rather than plays they’re actually going to be running during the season. We worked on our stuff. We got better as the day went on. 7 on 7′s not really our thing because we run the football.

“Unfortunately, linebackers don’t really bite on play-action in 7 on 7. It’s still good. We’re getting defensive work. Understanding coverages. Where they’re supposed to go. Understanding landmarks for routes for receivers and where they’re supposed to go. Understanding reads for quarterbacks and stuff like that. We got out of it what we needed to accomplish.”

The Princeton linemen pulled their weight in the Linemen’s Challenge, topping Sandwich by four points. Dixon placed three of its entries in the top seven (third, fifth and seventh) with Ottawa taking sixth.

“That’s always the fun part. Our linemen got to compete too. That’s where we make our living with our guys up front,” Pearson said.

PHS senior Cade Odell said the challenge is always fun, especially having won it each year he’s participated in it.

“We showed some high versatility being able to place in the top three in almost every single event today. So it was nice to see that. We’re in pretty good shape for big guys, which is nice for the first week of practice when we all want to throw up,” he said with a laugh.

Tigers wearing Guardians

Princeton is incorporating Guardians for practices this year, new protective padded head gear. They are designed to provide an extra layer of protection to help prevent concussions.

They are being required by all NFL teams during practices this year.

“As a parent, you always want to be appreciative if you’re putting safety first for our kids,” said Pearson, who has one son, Rhett, on the team. “It’s something we got this year. And I know the NFL is talking about that this year and so they kind of set the model for everyone.

“We got some of those to try. Our kids were kind of hesitant at first a little bit. But after our scrimmage against Washington, we didn’t have any complaints or anybody’s head hurting or anything like that. I think it really does help.”

PHS senior Ace Christiansen said he didn’t really notice them during the Washington scrimmage and that they really don’t add any extra weight while wearing them.

Pearson said the Guardians also help on the wear and tear on the helmets and hopes they will be a cost savings tool when it comes to replacing helmets.

Bureau Valley has worn the Guardians the past three years.

Early vacation

The Tigers will close out the summer season with team camp this week, concluding with a controlled scrimmage/practice with Genoa-Kingston starting from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Little Siberia.

Pearson will give the Tigers an early start to their summer break with an extra week tacked onto the required “dead” week beginning Friday, July 26.

PHS will open the season at home on Friday. Aug. 30 vs. Newman.