Sprint Football: Despite close first half, Navy victorious

The sprint football team started strong in Friday’s tilt against Navy, but the Midshipmen (5-0 overall) proved too much to handle in the second half, running past the Tigers (0-5) en route to a 42-0 victory.

With Friday’s loss, Princeton has now been shut out five straight times against Navy, though this game was its best showing in recent memory.

The Tigers had an opportunity to take a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but senior kicker Reid Fritz’ 31-yard field-goal attempt was blocked.

Despite this setback, Princeton stayed close to Navy for the entire first half and trailed by only two scores at halftime.

Yet the Tigers couldn’t execute as well in the second half, and the Midshipmen sailed away with the game.

Freshman wide receiver Kees Thompson noted that the Tigers played much better during the first half.

“In the first half, it seemed like we were all on the same page and weren’t making those little mistakes that can kill the drive,” Thompson said. “Then for some reason in the second half, a couple of us started making little mistakes, and it built from there.”

Navy relied overwhelmingly on its running game, putting the ball on the ground on 63 of 74 plays while gaining 494 yards.

Yet a combination of occasionally sloppy play by Navy and intense defense by Princeton led to nine Navy fumbles, four of which were recovered by the Tigers.

For much of the game, senior safety Eben Novy-Williams drove the tempo on defense, recording a team-leading 11 tackles in the game.

In the second quarter, with Navy deep inside the Princeton red zone, Novy-Williams delivered a hard hit over the middle to force a fumble that he then recovered. Novy-Williams is also an Associate Editor for Sports for The Daily Princetonian.

Offensively, the Tigers had mixed results. Despite making occasional threats, they were unable to avoid a third straight shutout loss.

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Freshman Jay Zachariah, a newcomer to organized football, bore the bulk of the load at quarterback, while freshman quarterback Ned Moffat saw significant action at other offensive skill positions.

Thompson touted the benefits of having both Moffat and Zachariah able to run the offense.

He said he anticipates that the two will split time for the remainder of the season, as head coach Tom Cocuzza will try to play into each quarterback’s strengths.

“[Zachariah] has a good arm and can throw the deep ball really well,” Thompson said. “[Moffat] knows the offense well, and he is a great athlete in his own right. If he’s not at quarterback, he’s not going to go to waste for us.”

Moffat was fairly successful playing on the other end of pass attempts, as he was second on the team with three catches for a total of 17 yards. Senior tight end Bobby Addis was Zachariah’s most productive target, hauling in four catches for 36 yards.

Thompson, who is a quickly rising star on offense, led the team in rushing for the second straight week, producing 22 yards on two carries as well as catching a 27-yard pass in the first quarter.

Thompson attributed his early success to his high school football experience, where he played his current position — slot receiver — in a spread offense similar to Princeton’s attack.

In this position, Thompson has ample opportunity to use his athleticism to help the team win.

“A lot of my work has to do with being more a speed position,” Thompson said. “I’m not really a big guy, but I’m more agile. A lot of my routes have to do with finding space quickly through the middle.”

Thompson is one of several freshmen playing key roles for the Tigers this year, and the development of this young talent is a big reason the Tigers said they feel that they will be ready for their rematch with Mansfield on Friday.

“[The team] is really starting to come together,” Thompson said. “I think the first half [against Navy] shows us that we can go out and compete and can execute the way we want to. If we can do it against Navy, we can definitely go out and do it against Mansfield. We’re extremely fired up.”