BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Princeton won their sixth consecutive meeting with their Mercer County rivals from Bluefield by defeating the Beavers, 32-30, despite allowing a pair of touchdowns to BHS on the first two possessions of the game. The Tigers shutout Bluefield in the second and third quarters to collect their 16th consecutive victory dating back to the start of the 2025 season.
“Once we settled in and did our jobs, we did OK. It was a gut check for us tonight though, man,” said Princeton head coach Nathan Tanner. “A lot of kids had to step up. A lot of kids had to play a lot of snaps tonight. Kudos to Bluefield. They are a great program, a great team and they are going to win a lot of ball games. I am super-proud of our kids and our staff.”
The teams traded touchdown drives twice on the first four possessions of the game. A Jeremiah Jones 1-yard run was answered by a Jake Belcher 50-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hood. Bluefield’s Chaney Stanback reeled in a 25-yard touchdown strike from Max Simpson before Belcher found Isaias Selen on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Bluefield led 14-13 at the end of the first quarter and at halftime.
However, Princeton (2-0) turned momentum in their favor in the third quarter. A pair of lengthy scoring drives were capped by a 1-yard run from R.J. Coatney and a Belcher-to-Daethon Thomas 20-yard strike. The Tigers led 25-14 after the third quarter.
Final: Princeton 32 – Bluefield 30. Jake Belcher 25-28 234 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Hood 166 yards of offense (107 rushing, 59 receiving) and two scores. Bluefield’s Max Simpson throws for 394 yards and three scores #wvprepfb
— Wesley McKinney (@WesMacAttack) September 5, 2026
“I thought it tipped it quite a bit. I thought if we could get up two scores and eat some clock, I thought that would shift momentum a little bit. They had a lot of guys playing both ways like we did. I saw some of their skill guys and we started grinding on them a little bit.”
Belcher finished the game with three touchdown passes without turning the ball over.
“Impressed is a good work for it. But I am not surprised. Jake practices really good every day. If he is off a little bit, he owns it. It takes a lot for young men to do that. He is a great competitor, a great kid and is really fun to coach. He operates the system really well. There were some people doubting him coming into this year. I am glad he is showing people. It is pretty cool to see.”
Willis Wilson scored a pair of touchdowns for Bluefield (0-2) in the fourth quarter, but the Beavers were unable to complete the comeback. Hood’s 38-yard scoring run for the Tigers midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the game.
“Anytime you have a game like tonight, that’s what it is all about. Mitchell Stadium, the place was packed. Shoutout to our community, man. There were thousands of people here tonight. Our kids showed their grit and showed how tough they really were.”