WASHINGTON — Washington and North Daviess hope to overcome losses last Friday in road conference games today.

The Hatchets rallied before falling to Evansville Bosse, 25-19, at Hatchet Hollow, while the Cougars are smarting in more ways than one following a 42-18 loss to North Central.

Washington

The Hatchets play their second Big Eight Conference game at Princeton, where football is enjoying a rejuvenation.

Princeton enters the game with wins over Wood Memorial (42-34) and Pike Central (44-26) on the heels of a 29-game losing streak, covering a three-year span.

Coach Waylon Schenk has the Tigers on the prowl with the start of a new season in his first year.

“Princeton has a lot of athletes that can hurt you in the open field,” Washington coach Kelly Brashear said. “(Deon) Hardiman (5-10, 215 pounds) is a load as a running back — a very physical runner. He has good speed and good athletisicm. He has run the ball very well.”

Hardiman burned Pike Central for 274 yards on 27 carries. The Tigers gained 314 yards on 40 carries.

But the offense didn’t end there. Quarterback Colton Wilder (6-1, 185) passed for 206 yards on 19 of 27.

“Their quarterback does a good job of running the offense,” Brasher said. “He’s accurate, and he can run.”

Jayson Jamerson (5-11, 185) is one of Wilder’s main targets. He caught touchdown passes of 8 yards and 15 yards against Pike Central.

Brashear did note the Tigers allowed 204 yards and 26 points against Pike Central.

“Their defense may be suspect,” Brashear said. “Wood and Pike both scored on them. I have confidence that we have the offensive ability to score points.”

That confidence comes partly from the final half against Bosse. The Hatchets scored all 19 of their points in the second half after trailing 12-0 at the half.

And the Hatchets may have found a running back in Kane Waggoner (5-7, 150). Waggoner gained 137 yards in 17 carries during the rally.

“He ran the ball very well,” Brashear said. “We did a nice job up front blocking.”

Brashear noted that Tyler Edmiston remains at fullback. Jaden Arvin remains an option, as well as Edrwin Revoloria.

Also giving Brashear hope his team can find its first win in two outings was the play in the second half. Heading into the contest at 0-2 and 0-1 in the Big Eight, there is little doubt in Brashear’s mind that the game is vital.

“The second half was a step forward,” Brashear said. “We didn’t hang our heads and got in a position to possibly win the game. I had not seen that type of fight in the first six quarters of the game. It was refreshing to see the kids with a sense of urgency and confidence. Winning this game is not only important for us to win a first game, but also for us to get in the hunt for the conference.”

The Tigers will be hosting a ceremony for the military before the game.

North Daviess

North Daviess hopes to get on the winning track in conference standings at Eastern Greene. North Daviess is 1-1 overall, and 0-1 in the conference.

Eastern Greene is 0-2 for both the season and conference. They have been outscored 59-6.

“They are a better football team than they have shown,” North Daviess coach Scott Helms said. “They were better in the first week than at North Knox last Friday. Maybe it was their first road game, but they are a lot like us. They rely on the run and are geared to stop it. It probably will come down to who is ready to play.”

That appeared to be the question of the week for the Cougars after North Daviess suffered injuries during the North Central outing.

Brady Helms will be at quarterback after leaving last Friday’s game.

“He was cleared to play Wednesday,” Helms said.

The junior quarterback left after suffering a knee injury. The prognosis was good, and after undergoing therapy this week, he’ll start the game.

He should be joined by teammates Dakota Adams, Logan Turpin, Doug Bays, Austin Byrer, Colton Lengacher, Nathaniel Gingerich, Tommy Newby and possibly Ezra Thompson. Thompson is a question mark.

“I guess you could say we’re back healthy,” Helms said with a wry chuckle. “You wonder if this (early injuries) will be an ongoing thing, or if we’re just having misfortune early on. I want to be optimistic and say it will be the latter of the two. The sad thing is that we’re getting the injuries through our own contact. We’ve been getting hurt by being the aggressor.”

Despite the early injury woes, Helms said his Cougars are still ready to go.

“The kids have been just fantastic,” Helms said. “They have an incredible attitude. This hasn’t dampened their spirits one bit.”