Princeton falls in final minute

BELLE - Clean out the lockers.

A feisty Riverside football team put Princeton's playoffs hopes to bed on Friday night, outlasting the Tigers in a 40-33 shootout at Warrior Stadium.

In a game that featured more than 800 yards total offense by both clubs, Riverside broke a 33-33 tie on Dustin Williams' 4-yard run in the final minute to win the game.

The tightly contested match up saw the teams deadlocked at 13-13, 20-20, 26-26 and 33-33.

Princeton drew first blood on its opening possession with a 71-yard scoring run by Brandon Croy. Riverside answered on a 72-yard drive, with Matt Rowsey scoring from a yard out to give the Warriors at 7-6 lead. After Riverside added another score, William Gardner knotted the score at 13-13 with a three-yard run.

Riverside (5-5) then took a 20-13 before the first quarter ended on a Charles Veasey 49-yard scoring pass to Chad McClure. Princeton tied it at 20-20 at the break on a 30-yard scoring toss from Chris Belcher to Mark Corvin.

A two-yard run by Croy put the Tigers up 26-20, but the Warriors came right back to tie it again, with Veasey hitting Steve Ranbottom on a 68-yard touchdown strike. Veasey then scored on a 22-yard keeper to put the Warriors back on top, but Princeton tied early in the fourth on a 33-yard scoring run by Gardner.

That set the stage for Williams' 4-yard game winning run in the final minutes.

Princeton ended the season at 6-4, finishing a game out of the Class AAA playoffs.

at Belle

Riverside........................20 0 13 7 - 40

Princeton........................13 7 6 7 - 33