There are many Princeton ties in this weekend’s IHSA state quarterfinals around the state.
The hometown Tigers make their fifth straight quarterfinal appearance, hosting Montini (9-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals won by the Broncos 27-9.
Suiting up for the visiting Broncos will be Gavin Erickson-Staton, a sophomore lineman. His dad, Tim, is a 1992 PHS graduate and former Tiger football player.
Princeton alum Kirk Becker, a 2004 grad, has returned home to serve as an assistant on Ryan Pearson’s Tiger staff this year. He was a junior on the 2002 Tigers team (11-2) that reached the Class 4A semifinals, falling on the road to eventual state champion Addison Driscoll 23-3.
Becker’s brother, Brent, a 1994 PHS grad, is the head coach at Stevenson, taking his Patriots (10-1) into a quarterfinal battle against No. 1 seed Lincoln Way East (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. This is Becker’s deepest run in three playoff appearances at Stevenson.
Former Princeton head coach Joe Ryan takes his No. 1 Sycamore Spartans (11-0) into 5A quarterfinal play against No. 4 St. Francis (10-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Sycamore.
It is Sycamore’s eighth quarterfinal appearance under Ryan – who coached at PHS from 1995-03 – since 2009 with a 4-3 record.
The Ryan family playoff tree extends to his youngest son, Luke, who is an assistant coach for No. 3 Tolono Unity (8-3), which hosts No. 4 Nashville (10-1) in Saturday’s 3A quarterfinals.
Princeton head coach Ryan Pearson played for Stark County’s 1997 state runner-up. PHS assistants Nathan Black (2005, ‘06) and Patrick Smith (2004, ‘05) played for Bureau Valley quarterfinalists.