West Johnston is making a trip to the coast for a playoff game, and as it turns out, Princeton will be doing the same. The Bulldogs will head southeast to Beaufort to take on East Carteret in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A State Football Playoffs.
Records: Princeton 6-4; East Carteret 6-4
How they got here: Princeton earned an automatic bid after finishing second in the Neuse 6, while East Carteret was the champion of the Coastal Plains 1A/2A.
Simmons Ratings pick: Princeton -13
On the road: Google says it’s 111 miles from the parking lot at Princeton to the parking lot of East Carteret High School. It will take about two hours on U.S. 70 to get there.
Series: Princeton has a 5-0 lead in the MaxPreps era (2004-present), including a 62-7 playoff win back in 2019.
Stat pack: East Carteret has actually been outscored this season, 246-302 (there’s a 2-0 forfeit in there, too). Scheduling quality games as a 2A school in that part of the state can be tricky, and the best win is against Northside-Pinetown. The four losses were all blowouts against bigger schools White Oak, Ashley, Croatan and West Carteret — all with winning records.
This is where I’d normally post some stats, but because the rushing leader for a 6-4 team in North Carolina is some sort of state secret, stats have not been entered into MaxPreps.
Luke McIntosh is the quarterback, and the video I’ve seen (and his baseball work) suggests he has a big arm. And the Mariners have fared far better against schools their own size than they did against those bigger teams early on.
As for Princeton, we obviously know much more. Like East Carteret, the Bulldogs opened the campaign against bigger schools, falling to South Johnston and Harnett Central. There are only two wins over playoff teams (Rosewood and North Johnston), however.
The offense tallies about 39 points per game, while the defense (which has been a sore spot at times) is allowing 24.5 points per night.
As for the numbers:
East Carteret has seen some run-first offenses this season, but Princeton’s version of the single wing is a different deal.
Teo Mcphatter has grown into the offensive leader of this team, and he’s in the midst of a remarkable freshman season. Kadyn Haire’s return to health gives Princeton three talented, experienced ball carriers — all of whom bring something a little different to the table.
Keys to the game: The Mariners are going to score some points. On video, they’ve got enough speed to cause problems for the Princeton defense. It’s safe to pencil them in for a total around their season average (27.1).
The question, quite simply, is this: Can the Mariners keep the Princeton running game under control? They gave up 481, 213, 197 and 190 rushing yards in that 0-4 start against the bigger schools. Pamlico County, which finished 1-9, piled up 225 yards on the ground a few weeks back.
Those numbers bode well for the Bulldogs’ chances of running the football effectively, which is always the main ingredient in any winning recipe for Princeton.
Prediction: Both teams are riding winning streaks and have feasted on schools of similar size. I just get the feeling that this game might be a shootout, and that, I believe, favors Princeton.