Princeton senior Jaks Craig reaches up with his hands to catch a touchdown pass during the second of Friday’s game against Plano West. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Princeton Panthers struggled to contain the Wolves’ vaunted rushing attack. Senior Jordan Grant rushed for four touchdowns in less than three quarters of play before handing the quarterback duties to junior Blake Tevis, and Plano West finished with 348 yards rushing in a dominant 56-22 win at John Clark Stadium on Friday.
The loss dropped Princeton to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in District 6-6A, falling from third place to fifth. The Panthers can still reach the playoffs with wins over Prosper and McKinney Boyd — and a Plano West (6-3, 4-3) loss to Prosper.
For a moment, it appeared Princeton would continue trading scores with Plano West.
After the Wolves took a 7-0 lead on a nine-yard touchdown run by Grant and the ensuing PAT from junior Max Poscik, the Panthers quickly answered.
Despite not having Fannin-White or Mosley available, quarterback Marcus Flowers looked confident leading Princeton’s offense. He quickly found chemistry with junior running back/receiver Dakota Lee, senior tight end Gabe Pattin, senior receiver Mayan Washington and junior wide receiver Daniel Luster.
Lee advanced Princeton into Plano West territory with a 30-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass from Flowers. Seven plays later, Princeton reached the end zone when Flowers eluded a potential sack in the backfield, rolled to his right and ran in for a three-yard touchdown. A low snap on the PAT attempt, however, kept Plano West ahead 7-6.
It didn’t take long for the momentum to swing back in the Wolves’ favor — one play, to be exact.
Senior Carson Kolb fielded the ensuing kickoff, found a crease and sprinted 72 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-6.
Kolb’s return sparked 42 straight points by Plano West. The Wolves took a 35-6 halftime lead after Grant’s four-yard touchdown with four seconds left in the second quarter, then pushed the margin to 49-6 with 6:53 remaining in the third following a six-yard score by senior Tobi Adeoye.
Princeton finally stopped the bleeding with 3:57 left in the third when Jaks Craig hauled in a five-yard touchdown pass from Flowers. Flowers then connected with Pattin for the two-point conversion, trimming the deficit to 49-14.
The Panthers’ final touchdown came on a 57-yard burst up the right sideline by Lee with 1:36 left in the game.
Lee shined in the loss, carrying 19 times for 140 yards and adding four receptions for 47 yards. Pattin led Princeton with 54 receiving yards, while Flowers completed 16 of 27 passes for 193 yards.
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