Sports
Three-Point Stance: Philo Takes The Next Step
By: Eric Singer
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Editor’s Note: Three-Point Stance is Gridiron Glory’s written preview series leading up to its 15th season on WOUB. Gridiron is visiting training camps for all 32 teams in the coverage area as they prepare for the 2013 football season. The series continues in the MVL, where competition is always high from top to bottom.
Philo football has taken a complete 180 during head coach Dirk Lincicome’s tenure. The Electircs were mediocre for years, failing to break .500 from 2001-2009. But in Lincicome’s four years at the helm, Philo has run off four consecutive winning seasons.
In those four seasons, however, Lincicome has not yet guided Philo to the playoffs. The Electrics look to play beyond Week 10 in season five under their current head coach.
Here are three things to know about the 2013 Philo Electrics:
1. Won & Lost in the trenches
Philo’s triple option offense means a lot of rushing attempts for its skill players. But the key to the success of that style of offense is in the trenches, where Philo is a stout unit.
With one of the largest rosters in the area, the Electrics have a lot of depth at those positions, and they return plenty of experience that helped develop one of the top rushing attacks in the MVL. Last season that rushing attack powered the offense to an average of more than 30 points per game.
The Electrics hope to build on that success from 2012 and translate it into even more success in 2013.
2. Stout Defense
In 2012, Philo saw its greatest improvement from the previous season on the defensive side of the football.
Last season, the Electrics' defense gave up an average of only 14.2 points per game, including three shutouts. And if you take away the 56 points given up to league champion Tri-Valley in Week 10, the Electrics’ D averaged less than 10 points against per game.
Compare that to the 2011 season, when the Electrics went 6-4 and the defense gave up an average of 27.4 points per game.
But overall, Coach Lincicome would like to see more consistency from the unit as a whole.
“They need to come together and be comfortable with each other, and push each other to make the next person better,” he said.
3. Win the Next Game
When asked what the team’s goal was for the season, Coach Lincicome gave a simple answer.
“Win the next game.”
The Electrics are looking for their first playoff appearance in more than a decade, and with a 7-1 record through eight of ten games last season, their chances looked bright.
But after a heartbreaking loss to rival Maysville, and the blowout loss to Tri-Valley, Philo saw its season end at 7-3, sitting on the outside looking in on the playoffs.
The Philo Electrics begin their 2013 season on the road at West Muskingum Friday, Aug. 30, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Follow @gridironglory on Twitter and Instagram and Like the Gridiron Glory Facebook page for continued coverage throughout the preseason. Gridiron Glory returns Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB.