Sports
Philo Meets Tri-Valley With MVL Title At Stake
By: Sam Mullan
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After nine weeks, the MVL comes down to one game: the Philo Electrics vs. the Tri-Valley Scotties.
The Scotties are coming off a big win against the Maysville Panthers, one where they needed to come back from a 21-7 halftime deficit. With that win, the Scotties have wrapped up, at worst, a share of the league title. Coach Justin Buttermore wanted his team to know how important this win is.
“We told the boys that this was the first time Tri-Valley has won three straight league titles in school history,” Buttermore said. “But it’s important to take care of this game because we need to win to get in.”
Coming into this week, the Scotties sit at the No. 8 spot in Division III, Region 9. Buttermore said that his team only has about a 10 percent chance of making the playoffs if they lose Friday’s game.
As for the Philo Electrics, they’ve all but locked up a home game in the first round of the Division IV Region 13 playoffs, where they currently sit at No. 2. However, they would like to call themselves MVL champions this season, something that could only happen if they’re able to win this game.
Philo’s wins have been riding on the play of their high-powered rushing offense, headed by Zak Sheridan and Nathan Delozier. However, Buttermore has seen something out of this Philo team that isn’t normal for an option-based offense – the ability to pass the ball.
“Zak Sheridan has been passing the ball great this year,” Buttermore said. “It’s a part of their offense we can’t forget. Playing defense against them doesn’t allow us to focus in on one guy because if we leave someone open, they’ll burn us.”
Tri-Valley’s offense will look to keep up with the dominant offense of Philo, and that will come down to the play of Brock Fargus. Fargus has been up and down all season, and the Scotties will need the good side of Fargus in a tough matchup on Friday night. Buttermore constantly preaches a short memory to his first-year quarterback.
“When things don’t go well, we just tell him ‘play the next play,’” Buttermore said. “Whatever happened the play before, we always say ‘play the next play.’”
Fargus showed that short memory in the win against Maysville, by keeping calm and leading his team to a win where the Scotties outscored the Panthers 35-6 after halftime. It’s something he may need to do again this Friday against the Electrics.
The Scotties will host in the Electrics on Friday night in Dresden at 7:30 p.m.