Philo strives to correct mistakes ahead of 2022
By: Tim Hanna
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DUNCAN FALLS, Ohio (WOUB) — After a 5-1 start to the 2021 season, the power went out on the Philo Electric. They dropped critical division games against Tri-Valley, Sheridan, and John Glen to finish the year 6-5 before ultimately losing in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs to Indian Valley.
Ball security was an issue for the Electrics in that closing stretch of the season, and head coach Dirk Lincicome said that has been an emphasis of the off-season program.
“Ball security and decision making have been a big part of what we have tried to get fixed for this year,” Lincicome said. “We found that when we take care of the football, the other things take care of themselves.”
The high-intensity practice energy gives the Philo defense a plus-two mentality.
“We figure at the end of the day, end of the game, end of the season, those two’s add up,” Lincicome said. “If we’re blocking two steps past the whistle, or we’re running two more yards on every sprint or we’re doing two more pushups than what was asked to do then we figure those add up over time.”
One big area of improvement this off-season has been the wide receiver core. after graduating all-state honorable mention Jaxon Radcliffe, the Electrics needed someone to step up. Senior Dylan Carpenter says the wide receivers know the playbook and this has allowed him to set high expectations this season.
“This year we have done a good job at knowing where we’re lining up, knowing what to do on each play, and not having to second guess,” Carpenter said. “I’d like to have the most receiving yards in the MVL this year.”
Philo will begin its quest for MVL supremacy on August 19th as they host the Athens Bulldogs in a rematch of last season’s opener.