Licking Valley staves off Philo

DUNCAN FALLS -- Two touchdowns in a 30-second span of the third quarter gave Philo life Friday night

Licking Valley watched the Electrics cut a 14-0 halftime deficit to 14-13, but the Panthers responded behind their seniors.

Senior wide receiver Elijah Brechbill hauled in a 42-yard touchdown to halt the Electrics' momentum, and Bailey Hayden ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns, as Licking Valley walked out of Sam Hatfield Stadium with a 27-13 victory.

"I challenged our senior linemen and running back and said it was on you," Licking Valley coach Randy Baughman said. "Our line really stepped up in the last quarter, Bailey ran really hard, and Elijah ran a nice route and made a phenomenal play when he was pinned along our sideline (on our final scoring drive)."

The Panthers (1-1) had a chance to put the game out of reach to open the third. A kickoff return to midfield and a face mask penalty by Philo put Licking Valley at the Philo 36-yard line. However, the Panthers couldn't get past the 20, and Brechbill's 37-yard field goal attempt fell short.

On the next play, Philo quarterback Nathan Baker hit Dylan Tweedy for an 80-yard touchdown, and Chris Rinehart's extra point cut the lead to 14-7 at the 8:55 mark of the third.

Licking Valley fumbled two plays later at its 18, setting up Cody Wickham's 2-yard scoring run to cap a 5-play drive.

However, the Panthers blocked the extra point and another big kickoff return had them near midfield. Zack Hatfield found Luke Kozlowski for 14 yards on a third-and-5 and two plays later, Hatfield hit Brechbill for the 42-yard score. A missed extra point kept Philo within 20-13.

"Give Philo credit, they're a good team," Baughman said. "There's a natural ebb and flow to the game, but I was happy to see our seniors respond."

Philo (1-1) reached the Licking Valley 7 on its next possession, but a fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the corner of the end zone.

Hayden took the Panthers on his back, carrying the ball seven times for 56 yards on the ensuing drive. But, Brechbill's nifty moves converted a third-and-16 when he cut back across the field for 34 yards.

Hatfield capped the 12-play, 93-yard march with a 1-yard touchdown sneak, and Brechbill's extra point made it 27-13 with 4:47 left in the fourth.

"We were able to keep our heads when the momentum went against us," Hayden said. "We wanted to show we could come back as a team.

"The line was outstanding. Those were the biggest holes I've seen," he added. "Brylan Taylor and Jaqui VanMeter did a nice job on the front side, and the back side stepped up."

Despite the third-quarter outburst, the Electrics struggled most of the night. They opened the game by driving to the Panthers 38, but were stopped on a fourth-and-1.

Hayden went 61 yards for a score on the next play and added a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put Valley up 14-0.

Allowing 210 rushing yards and failing to move the ball consistently on offense were areas of concern for Philo coach Dirk Lincicome.

"We slept walk through the first half before those two quick scores woke us up," he said. "We didn't have any continuity on offense, and we didn't tackle well except for that stretch in the third quarter.

"Their tailback is a good kid, and they have a good football team," he added.

Wickham finished 87 yards on 20 carries and Baker was 13-for-29 passing for 184 yards in the loss.

Lincicome hopes his team can rebound with Maysville looming next week in a critical Muskingum Valley League game.

"I like this team, but we haven't played four quarters yet," he said. "We're going to have to grow up quick and come back ready to work."

bhannahs@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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Twitter: @brandonhannahs