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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Circle, Stem Named 2007 Football Captains Prior To Spring Game
April 14, 2007 | Football
First-team All-Ivy wideout Brendan Circle and starting linebacker Jon Stem led the defending Ivy League champion Princeton football team out of the locker room and on to Powers Field at Princeton Stadium for the annual Spring Game Saturday afternoon. They will do the same thing during the 2007 season, as they were named co-captains today by head coach Roger Hughes.
"I'm really pleased with this decision," Hughes said following the game, which was highlighted by several impressive plays on both sides of the ball. "We have a number of great leaders in the senior class, but I think Jon and Brendan have earned this right through hard work and character. They are two great choices, but the last two senior classes have been great examples that it takes more than two guys to lead a successful team. We need leaders everywhere, at every position."
Circle certainly proved to be an offensive leader in 2006, when he led the Ivy League with 83.5 receiving yards per game and finished second in the league with 5.6 receptions per game. Never was the first-team All-Ivy selection more impressive than in the thrilling 34-31 comeback win against Yale; Circle had an all-time Princeton performance with 12 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a two-point reception on the go-ahead score. In the consecutive wins over Penn and Yale, two teams Princeton defeated by a combined total of four points, Circle caught 21 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns.
"It's certainly an honor for me to be named captain," he said afterwards. "There are a lot of leaders on this team, so to be named by my peers is a great honor. I'm certainly fired up for the season, and it was good to see the younger guys step up into our system. If you look at the younger classes, usually attrition has cost us a number of players, but these guys are staying around more."
Those younger guys are growing in a winning culture and will be expected to produce next season, just as Stem was during the past season. Following the graduations of Justin Stull, Abi Fadeyi and a handful of other important defensive players, Stem moved into the linebacking corps and helped lead the Tigers to No. 2 Ivy League rankings in rush, pass and scoring defense. He made 35 tackles on the season, including five for losses, and added four sacks and three pass breakups.
"This is a great honor for me," Stem said. "I've been waiting for today, with refs and tackling and everything. We know we lost some key guys, so we need to see the young guys step in. They young players are great workers because past seniors like Luke Steckel taught them how to work."
As for the game itself, Hughes was pleased with the "mechanics of the game," especially the lack of penalties. He worked his three quarterbacks - Bill Foran, Greg Mroz and Brian Anderson - in a rotation and felt good with what he saw.
"Bill has clearly earned the right to go into fall camp as the No. 1 guy," Hughes said. "Today, he had some spurts of very good play, and some of not-so-good, but a lot of that is my responsibility because we haven't worked on every aspect of the game this spring. I think he has outperformed the competition throughout the spring, but I thought that today, Greg and Brian both stepped up and made plays. So in that area, I was pleased."
A fourth quarterback on the roster, Kenny Gunter, was moved to running back during the spring to utilize his athleticism. Hughes compared the move to what he has done with Foran over the last three years and hopes to see an offense with as much versatility as anything. He watched several players make plays, including a one-handed touchdown catch by tight end Billy Mitchell, a reverse score from wideout Adam Berry and a bruising score from fullback Evan O'Reilly.
The defense was limited in its blitzing to allow the offense a chance to work on the passing game, but it did get to work in several candidates in the defensive backfield, including sophomore cornerbacks Dan Kopolovich and Carlos Roque, as well as junior Evan Ayasso, who leveled Circle on a deep ball that earned several approving comments from his fellow defensive teammates.
As usual, Hughes will wrap up the spring with his annual chat with GoPrincetonTigers.com, where he will look back one more time on the exciting 2006 season, as well as break down his current thoughts on the offense, defense and special teams for the 2007 squad. Check back with GoPrincetonTigers.com over the coming weeks for both parts of the chat.