McPhatter rushes for 378 yards, five TDs as Princeton pulls away from Rosewood

GOLDSBORO - For nearly three quarters Friday night, Rosewood had an answer for everything Princeton threw its way.

But when the Eagles needed one more response, Teo McPhatter and the Bulldogs had other plans.

McPhatter rushed for an unofficial 378 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries, leading Princeton to a 52-28 victory over Rosewood in a physical, emotional regular-season finale Friday night.

The longtime rivals were tied at 28 with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter before Princeton scored 24 unanswered points to secure its seventh consecutive victory over the Eagles.

Princeton coach Travis Gaster knew exactly what to expect from the rivalry.

“It’s every year, man. It’s a fun game to coach in. It’s stressful, just like you want it to be,” Gaster said. “You know that it’s going to be physical. It’s going to be everything that small-town high school football is supposed to be.”

The game featured big plays, momentum swings and heightened emotions, particularly in the first half.

Rosewood coach Josh Smith acknowledged that those emotions ultimately affected his team’s performance.

“We let our emotions get the best of us, and it hurt us,” Smith said. “It put us behind depth-wise. By the end of the game, we were putting in guys that hadn’t seen much playing time.”

A first-half shootout

Princeton opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run by McPhatter midway through the first quarter.

Rosewood responded with a promising drive that reached the Bulldogs’ 22-yard line before ending on downs.

However, the Eagles’ defense quickly delivered a momentum-changing play, forcing a Princeton fumble and recovering the football at the Bulldogs’ 26.

Sophomore quarterback Connor Smith capitalized on the short field, connecting with Josiah Williams for a 12-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7 early in the second quarter.

McPhatter answered with another touchdown, this time from 12 yards out, putting Princeton ahead 14-7.

Rosewood refused to back down.

A 38-yard run by senior Aldinio “Dino” Previl helped set up another Smith-to-Williams touchdown connection, covering 14 yards.

Princeton regained the lead when senior Taylor Parrish finished a four-play, 75-yard rushing drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

But the Eagles answered again.

Smith connected with Previl for a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 31 seconds remaining before halftime, sending the teams into the locker room tied at 21.

The first half was marked by a level of physicality that reflected the intensity of the rivalry. Previl was ejected just before halftime, leaving Rosewood without one of its primary offensive weapons for the remainder of the contest.

Gaster said his message to Princeton throughout the emotional matchup was simple.

“Just focus on football,” Gaster said. “There’s a lot of extracurricular, a lot of stuff being said, of course before the game, during the game. None of that affects the scoreboard. What we’re concerned with at the end of the game is the scoreboard.”

Rosewood answers for a fourth time

Princeton wasted little time reclaiming the lead in the third quarter.

After Rosewood punted on its opening possession, McPhatter broke free for a 41-yard gain before scoring on a 34-yard touchdown run, giving the Bulldogs a 28-21 advantage with 6:13 remaining.

Once again, Rosewood had an answer.

Sophomore Elijah Parker exploded for a 49-yard run on the Eagles’ next possession, setting up Smith’s fourth touchdown pass of the evening.

Smith found Williams for a 14-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, tying the game at 28 with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter. It was Williams’ third touchdown reception of the night.

For Connor Smith, the matchup carried special significance.

“I grew up around this rivalry, and I knew how heated it would get,” Smith said.

Despite entering the contest with nerves, the sophomore quarterback said he focused on maintaining his composure and leading the offense.

“The outcome wasn’t what we wanted, but I saw a lot of success in our guys tonight,” Smith said.

McPhatter takes over

The fourth tie proved to be Rosewood’s last.

McPhatter scored on a 20-yard touchdown run and added a two-point conversion, giving Princeton a 36-28 advantage late in the third quarter.

Rosewood’s next possession stalled, and a short punt early in the fourth quarter gave Princeton possession at the Eagles’ 37-yard line.

The Bulldogs capitalized with a time-consuming possession that ended on Parrish’s 1-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 44-28 with 7:15 remaining.

Rosewood threatened again, driving inside Princeton’s 5-yard line before being pushed backward and turning the football over on downs.

Princeton then marched 85 yards, with McPhatter scoring his fifth touchdown on an 8-yard run. Parrish added a successful two-point conversion to make it 52-28 with 1:37 remaining.

Rosewood’s final possession reached the Princeton 14-yard line, but four dropped passes contributed to another turnover on downs.

Princeton had outscored the Eagles 31-7 after halftime.

A relentless performance

McPhatter’s 378 rushing yards highlighted another dominant performance from one of North Carolina’s leading running backs.

The junior entered the matchup with 2,130 rushing yards and added five touchdowns to his already impressive season total, bringing his calculated rushing total to 2,508 yards pending official statistics.

However, McPhatter credited Princeton’s offensive line and his teammates rather than focusing on his individual accomplishments.

“I couldn’t be none of that without the boys up front and my blockers,” McPhatter said.

McPhatter also praised Parrish, who finished with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.

“The boys up front, they work every day too,” McPhatter said. “Everybody just feed off each other and just want to be great together.”

For Gaster, McPhatter’s value goes far beyond his Friday night statistics.

“What he brings to our program just in belief,” Gaster said. “Y’all just see Friday night. But I see Monday in the weight room, I see Tuesday on the practice field, I see Wednesday in the weight room.”

Gaster described the junior as a player whose work ethic influences the entire program.

“His effort is nonstop. He’s relentless in his pursuit for success, and that rubs off on the rest of our kids,” Gaster said.

“He’s got a heart of a lion. He’s going to give you everything he’s got. There’s never any quit in him,” Gaster said.

Smith, Williams shine in defeat

Despite the loss, Rosewood received an impressive performance from Connor Smith.

The sophomore quarterback completed 17 of 34 passes for 196 yards and four touchdowns. Williams was his primary target, finishing with seven receptions for 73 yards and three scores.

Parker stepped into a larger role following Previl’s departure, rushing for 86 yards on 12 carries and adding a 31-yard reception. Zamarrian Richardson contributed five receptions for 46 yards, while Previl finished with 39 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown before his ejection.

Rosewood also received a flawless performance on extra points from sophomore kicker Brady Wheeler, who converted all four attempts for the Eagles.

Rosewood finished with 340 yards of offense, but its inability to finish several promising drives ultimately proved costly.

Still, Josh Smith remained proud of his team’s effort.

“Our guys fought hard,” Smith said. “I’m super proud of what they’ve done this year.”

Smith also emphasized the challenges Rosewood has faced while competing against larger schools.

“We’re thin in numbers, but that’s what we do. There’s a rich tradition here at Rosewood,” he said.

A new season begins

Princeton finished the regular season 5-5, while Rosewood closed at 3-7. Both coaches turned their attention toward the postseason following Friday’s rivalry showdown.

For Gaster, the victory provided momentum, but the regular season was already in the rearview mirror.

“Well, it’s a new season,” Gaster said. “The regular season, that book’s closed. It’s a new chapter, and how do they want to write that book?”

“Does it got a lot of pages? Does it have one page? You know, we don’t know,” Gaster said.

For Rosewood, Josh Smith believes the challenges his team has endured will prepare the Eagles for what comes next.

“Anytime that you can put yourself in a situation where you’ve got to fight, cause when you get to the playoffs, you want to have already gone through those things,” Smith said.

Despite the defeat, Smith’s pride in his program remained evident.

“I love this place,” Smith said. “And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Friday’s contest marked another high-scoring chapter in the rivalry. After combining for 92 points in Princeton’s 50-42 victory last season, the teams produced another 80 on Friday night.