Sports
Philo Looks to Defense to Stop Shelby
By: Nick Ursini
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Coming off their first playoff win since 2013, the Philo Electrics take on the Shelby Whippets in the second round of the Division IV Region 15 postseason.
Both the Electrics and Whippets are coming off dominating performances in the first round of the postseason. Philo upset the number one ranked Heath Bulldogs, 42-7, while Shelby picked up their first postseason win in school history, beating Bloom-Carroll 56-13.
Look for the running game to make an impact on this game. Philo rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns in its win against the Bulldogs.
Dylan Tweedy racked up 152 yards and two touchdowns on 15 rushes. Dual-threat quarterback Nate Baker rushed for 140 yards on 19 carries.
Shelby has one of the best running backs in Region 15 with Devon Brooks. Brooks had a monster game last week against Bloom Carroll. Brooks scored his sixth touchdown of the night on the first possession of the second half.
Brooks eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark for the season and finished the game with 182 yards on 23 carries and seven total touchdowns.
Whippets head coach Erik Will knows how big his running back is to the success of his team, “I think there’s no doubt about it, he’s a first team All-Ohio kid, you tell me a kid in Division IV that’s got 30-something touchdowns and 2,000 yards,” Will said. “And here’s the key, he’s averaging near 11 yards a carry. Devon Brooks is the best running back I have coached in my 16 years of coaching.”
On the year, Brooks has 200 rushes for 2,040 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Aside from Brooks, Shelby’s offense is averaging 43.6 points per game.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong has accounted for 31 TDs (16 passing and 15 rushing), along with 1,783 yards passing and 716 rushing. His pass completion percentage is 62 percent, up 12 points from last year.
The winner of the Electrics Whippets matchup will face the winner of Steubenville and Johnstown-Monroe for the regional championship.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Westerville North High School.
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