WHO: #3 Greenbrier East (4-1) at #2 Princeton (5-0)
WHEN: Friday, October 10 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: H.P. Hunnicutt Field at Princeton High School in Princeton, WV
LAST WEEK: GE (defeated Shady Spring 43-6) P (beat Winfield 59-21)
LAST MEETING: Princeton defeated Greenbrier East 81-6 in 2024
It’s a showdown in Mercer County this Friday night when the third-rated Greenbrier East Spartans hit the road for the first time in a month to battle the Class AAA no. 2 Princeton Tigers at H.P. Hunnicutt Field. Princeton has been one of the best teams in West Virginia for the last few years and are navigating 2025 well so far under first-year head coach Nate Tanner.
The Tigers come in at 5-0 and have looked rather dominant pretty much all season. They are scoring at a 45.4 per game clip and only allowing their opponents to score 13.6 per contest. Their closest game they have played so far was a 19-point victory over Graham (VA) and they have one common opponent to compare with the Spartans in the Oak Hill Red Devils. Greenbrier East beat Oak Hill 45-7 and the Tigers got them by a score of 56-20.
Players to Watch for Greenbrier East:
Brody Hamric: 56-of-95, 748 yds, 10 TDs– 128 rush yds, 2 TDs
AJ Godfrey: 127 carries, 660 yds, 10 TDs
Nate Suttle: 312 total yds, 5 total TDs
Grant Burdette: 18 rec, 275 yds, 3 TDs
Harrison Smith
Gage Blevins
Jy Green: 8 rec, 70 yds, cover corner
Hamric has been as steady as a QB cab be during the last three weeks. He’s controlled the pace and the offense for the Spartans and has kept the offense in high gear. Helping Hamric have success is Godfrey. The big bruising back ran for 137 yards and a TD last week and will get his first taste of action with a formidable Princeton front-7. Suttle and Burdette have been Hamric’s favorite targets lately, along with senior Kaden Stone, and that trio is in as good of a rhythm right now as they have had in their respective careers. A key factor in this matchup will be the play of Green. The corner will have his hands full with either Mossor or Cline and it will be an opportunity for him to shine on a big stage.
Players to Watch for Princeton:
Chance Barker: 918 pass yds, 12 total TDs
Brad Mossor: 200+ rush yds, 500+ receiving, 12 total TDs
Wyatt Cline: 300+ receiving yds, 6 TDs
Brady Cline
Jake Campbell
Alex Cox: 98-yd TD run vs. Graham, int ret TD
Damien Thomas
If you’ve followed Princeton football at all over the last three seasons, you have probably heard the names Chance Barker and Brad Mossor. Barker recently became the school’s all-time touchdown pass leader passing his predecessor, Grant Cochran. Mossor has been a Spartan killer to say the least, especially last season. In Princeton’s 81-6 victory in Fairlea last year, Mossor had three interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. He also had a TD catch to go along with 109 yards.
Princeton’s offense hasn’t missed a beat even with the transfer of Penn State commit Daniel Jennings. Barker, Mossor, and Cline have all improved and taken yet another step in the right direction and are the clear three-headed monster for the Tigers.
Tale of the Tape Outlook:
Princeton is a pass-first football team. They like to pass to set up the run while for most teams, it’s the opposite of that. But Barker is an all-state selection and Mossor is a legit next level receiver ala his former Tiger teammate Dom Collins who leads Division 2 in receiving at Concord. But don’t let the passing numbers fool you. Princeton can also run the ball when they choose to. Just two weeks ago, Cox got loose for a 98-yard TD run and Mossor likes to sneak into the backfield every now and then and take a handoff. Jake Belcher is another ball carrier who can break a big run.
The Spartan defense is going to be the key this Friday. They will have to limit the big plays the Tigers always inevitably make. East has allowed just 6.5 points per game over their last two, but these Tigers are a different animal than the one Shady Spring brings to the table. If Smith, Brayden Brown, Blevins, Jackson Morgan, and the rest of the bodies up front for East can help contain Princeton’s attack in space, the Spartans could find themselves in a good position on the road against a top 3 opponent and mid-season state championship hopeful.
It is going to be really interesting to watch this battle of two teams who are off to incredible starts at the halfway point of the year.
Something to Watch:
Revenge.
Last season’s matchup between these two programs was the worst game in the Spartans history. They allowed the most points ever and lost by the biggest point margin, ever.
Contributing to those two factors was the Tigers kicking a late onside kick and throwing the ball at the same point of the game like they were behind, when they were literally ahead by 60.
I doubt the East coaches have forgotten about that little tidbit, so it should make this matchup even more intriguing than it already is.
