Sports

Philo Upsets Top-Seeded Heath


Posted on:

< < Back to philo-upsets-top-seeded-heath

With help from scrambler quarterback Nate Baker and a lights out defensive performance, the Philo Electrics beat an undefeated Heath Bulldogs team 42-7 to get their second playoff win in school history.

The Bulldogs had no answer for the Electrics stifling defense in the second half as Philo finished the night with four interceptions and four sacks. The lone Bulldogs touchdown came in the final minutes of the game against the Electric’s second and third string players.

Senior running back Dylan Tweedy was the only player to reach the end zone in the first half on a four-yard run. But the floodgates opened in the second half as the Electrics dropped 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Although Philo played some of the best football they have this year, it may have caught a break when Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Latiolais did not play the second half of the game due to an injury. Latiolais finished his senior season with over 3,000 total yards and more than 40 touchdowns.

Philo was the dominant team in the trenches on both sides of the ball and it showed, as the Bulldogs were unable to move the ball with Latiolais on the sideline. But even with Latiolais on the field, the Electrics were still pressuring the quarterback and forcing him to make mistakes.

Nate Baker came out early in the fourth quarter when the lead was secured and the running clock was activated. Regardless of limited playing time the senior quarterback still finished the night with two touchdowns off of 87 passing yards and 140 rushing yards.

The Bulldogs averaged over 40 points a game this season and held opposing teams to under 14 points. Before running into this stout Philo defense, Heath’s offense had never been held to fewer than 20 points. When all was said and done, the Electrics picked up 419 yards and held the explosive Bulldogs offense to just 186 yards.

If Philo wants to move on to the regional final it will have to go through a 10-1 Shelby team that topped Bloom-Carroll 56-13 Friday night. Although Shelby is a four seed in the playoffs, Philo has shown that it can compete with anybody in the region.