Philo and Maysville showdown in a Region 15 play-in game
By: Andrew Bowlby, Hailey Hollinger
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ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Philo Electrics traveled along the Muskingum River to face off against their rival, the Maysville Panthers. The two teams are in the same town, the same county, and they have the same colors. This rivalry has been around for over a decade.
The two teams have only played each other in week ten for the past two years, but Philo has had a victory for the last four years. This year, they were looking to do it again and they did. Edging out Maysville 28-14.
In the first quarter, the electrics started hot. They forced a turnover on downs during the Panthers’ first possession, allowing them to take control offensively. The team ran nineteen plays before getting into the red zone with two minutes left. Philo ran a quarterback keeper to protect quarterback Talon Preston as he charged two yards into the endzone. The team would also try for a two-point conversion but would fall short. Maysville was trailing the Electrics 0-6 going into the second quarter.
In the second, the Panthers were looking to pay it forward. Quarterback Alex Bobb threw a 39-yard bomb to Wesley Armstead who brought it down at the electrics two. That would be the end of the possession for Maysville. The rest of the half would belong to Philo. After a -8-yard punt from the Panthers, Philo’s Blake Linkous ran it ten yards and in.
Drew Wright would then secure two extra points to go up 14-0. The momentum was in the Electrics’ favor for the rest of the half, and they used it too. Philo scored one more touchdown with 42 seconds left. Preston tossed it up again, this time for 20 yards, to Drew Wright to extend Philo’s lead.
Coming out of the half, Philo makes it known that they’re not going to quit. In the fourth minute of the third quarter, Griffey Wells would rush down the middle of the field and into the endzone to put the Electrics up 28-0, and to put the Panthers in danger of a running clock. Maysville would prevent that from happening by scoring their first points of the game with a 29-yard touchdown rush from Bobb. At the end of the third, the Panthers would throw away their momentum with a fumble, giving Philo good field positioning to start the fourth.
The Panthers would score one more touchdown in the last 12 minutes, gaining speed a little too late. Hayden Jarrett would also drive it in for an extra two points. To catch up to the Electrics’ Maysville tried an onside kick but was unsuccessful. The final score was 28-14, Philo. This will mark the fifth year that the Electrics have bested Maysville.
Philo will move onto the playoffs next week and play Indian Valley, while the Panthers will have to hang up the cleats until next season.