Princeton welcomes 14 schools for annual 7-on-7/Linemen’s Challenge

Princeton will welcome 14 schools to participate in its annual 7-on-7/Linemen’s Challenge on Saturday. A strong representation of Friday Night teams will be on hand with Dixon, Eastland-Pearl City, Ottawa, L-P, Marquette, Sandwich and Seneca.

Princeton will welcome 14 schools to participate in its annual 7-on-7/Linemen’s Challenge on Saturday. A strong representation of Friday Night teams will be on hand with Clifton Central , Dixon , Eastland-Pearl City , Ottawa, L-P, Marquette , Sandwic h and Seneca . Also participating will be Canton, Mercer County, Rockridge, Stockton and United.

Dixon, EPC and Princeton will each bring JV teams to round out the 17-team field. “I’m excited for it because we get a great mix of 6A schools all the way down to 1A schools,” Princeton coach Ryan Pearson said. “We think everybody gets a great gauge of where their teams are when they leave that event.

It’s exciting we get the 7-on-7, but we always show some love for the big boys and have the Linemen’s Challenge. You always hear roars over where the tug of war is going. “It’s fun for the kids and the biggest thing we hope everybody gets something out of it and No. 1 stays healthy.”

Pearson said he updated the scheduled due to the heat with games starting a half hour earlier at 8:30 a.m. at Bryant Field and the Little Siberia practice field and teams playing four games rather than five. Among matchups of note, Princeton will play L-P at 8:30 a.m., Ottawa at 10:45 a.m., and Canton, which was Tiger coach Ryan Pearson’s previous coaching stop, at 12:15 p.m. Rivals Marquette and Ottawa will meet at 10 a.m. while the Pirates open against Seneca at 8:30 a.m.

It will be a homecoming for first-year Marquette head coach Drake Davis, who brings his Crusaders to where he spent most of his childhood.