SHARONVILLE, Ohio — Princeton senior linebacker Paul Nelson stood on Pat Mancuso Field in early July and couldn’t help but think weeks ahead toward the season opener against visiting Moeller.
That much-anticipated time is here this week as Moeller visits Princeton for the WCPO 9 Friday Football Game of the Week. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
“I’m ready for the environment, ready for the competition, the trash talking, the play after play competitiveness,” said Nelson, the Division I state defensive player of the year in 2023. “I’m just ready for it.”
Friday will be the first regular-season meeting between the storied programs since 2008, a game in which Moeller won 27-17. The teams met during the 2021 postseason with Moeller winning 28-21.
Moeller leads the all-time series 38-7.
“We haven’t won a lot but we’re coming for it all,” said Nelson, an Indiana University verbal commitment. “This class is different. We’re coming for it.”
Princeton (12-1 in 2023) won the outright Greater Miami Conference championship last season for the first time since 1993. The Vikings also won two playoff games. But, no one in the program is dwelling on that success.
“We don’t even remember last year,” Princeton coach Andre Parker said. “We just remember what we have to do and each day at a time what we have to take care of this year.”
Princeton returns several key other players including senior cornerback Airriss Rosemond, an Army commit. Junior quarterback De’Angelo Birch threw for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 422 yards and two touchdowns.
Moeller (10-5 in 2023) is a Division I state semifinalist for three consecutive seasons entering this year. The Crusaders are ranked No. 4 statewide by the MaxPrepspreseason Ohio rankings.
“I’m really happy with our commitment,” Moeller coach Bert Bathiany said. “I’m really happy with our effort. I’m really happy with guys coming together. We have a lot of new faces which is awesome about high school football because every time you have a graduating class and we had a really good senior class that’s an opportunity for some of the other guys to step up.”
Former Moeller star running back Jordan Marshall, the 2023 Ohio Mr. Football recipient, is now a freshman at the University of Michigan. But the Crusaders have plenty of other talented players.
“The one thing I’m really glad about this group is we’re really good at being comfortable in uncomfortable situations,” Bathiany said. “The brighter the lights I think our guys rise to the occasion and they handle that really well. I think that’s kind of a byproduct of just how Moeller football has been operated in general with how we do things.”
There are several leaders on both sides of the football.
Junior quarterback Matt Ponatoski threw for 3,344 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.
Senior defensive back Micah Rice is verbally committed to the University of Louisville.
Senior edge rusher Jonah Hayes is verbally committed to Northwestern.
Suffice to say, this is a team that is hungry to make a trip to Canton this season.
“They have that 'dawg' in them,” Moeller senior wide receiver Jovan Love said. “We all have that look in our eyes that we really want it. Of course our freshman, sophomore and junior year we’ve all seen our team go down in the state semis. It’s been a pain to watch but we’re really looking to come back this year and make a big statement that we’re just looking to change the culture.”
Tune in for WCPO 9 Friday Football every Friday night at 11:15 p.m. for a full slate of high school football highlights from around the region. Those highlights will also be posted on WCPO.com.
Looking ahead:
Moeller plays at Bishop Dwenger (Ind.) Aug. 30. Princeton plays at Sycamore Aug. 30.
