FOOTBALL

First place on the line in Sheridan, Philo clash

Brandon Hannahs
Zanesville Times Recorder
Philo defenders swarm Tri-Valley's Blake Sands during last week's game in Dresden. The Electrics knocked off perennial power Tri-Valley for the first time in 15 years. This week the Electrics will host Sheridan.

ZANESVILLE - What a difference a week made in the Muskingum Valley League.

Philo went to Dresden and knocked off perennial power Tri-Valley for the first time in 15 years, while John Glenn used another strong defensive effort to shut down Maysville.

The league standings are more scrambled as five teams have one league loss or less entering the second half of the season.

Sheridan is the league's only unbeaten at 3-0 and is 4-1 overall. The Generals visit the Electrics (3-2, 3-1) with first place on the line on Friday.

The Scotties (3-2, 2-1) head to New Lex (4-1, 2-1), John Glenn (3-2, 2-1) travels to West Muskingum (1-4, 1-3) and Maysville (2-3, 2-2) entertains Morgan (0-5, 0-4) in other MVL contests.

Zanesville (4-1) aims to rebound by welcoming Mount Vernon (4-1), Crooksville (1-4) hosts Coshocton (1-4) and Rosecrans (2-1) makes a road trip to Holgate in other area action.

Sheridan at Philo

Sheridan, which sits eighth in Division III, Region 11, has been carried by its defense, which has allowed less than 12 points per game.

Sheridan coach Paul Culver III has been impressed with that unit, which returned three starters.

Will Hamilton runs with the ball for Sheridan in the win over John Glenn. The league-leading Generals head to Duncan Falls to battle Philo for first place in the MVL. Five teams have one loss or less in the league.

"I feel good with where our defense is and how far it has progressed," Culver III said. "We've worked hard and spent a lot of time on that side. It can still get better just like our offense."

Sheridan has been in several fourth-quarter battles. The Generals fell late in Week 1 to Licking Valley, 21-7, but has found success in the second half in wins over Maysville, Logan and John Glenn.

Culver III believes being in close games will help his team over the next three weeks. The Generals face Tri-Valley and New Lex after Philo.

"In some ways, being in tight games has been in our favor," he said. "We expect this one to be another dog fight. Our guys won't be scared or shy away. They've embraced being in those moments."

The MVL has had several close games among the top tier teams. The Electrics have been on both sides, falling short to John Glenn in Week 4 before topping Tri-Valley.

Culver III noted watching film of the Electrics from those two games pointed to the first team making the big play came away with the win.

He expects a similar situations to continue to happen, especially with several teams still in the hunt for the league title and playoff berths.

"The league has good parity. Whoever can get their game established early seems to have the best chance," Culver III said. "We've played good defense, but we have struggled to score. That can lend to special teams being a big factor or the defense will have to create something.

"We've been fortunate to have that happen for us so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if those play roles in Friday's game."

Mt. Vernon-Zanesville

Both teams are coming off their first loss. The Blue Devils squandered leads of 21-0 and 34-28 to lose at Wheeling Park, while the Yellow Jackets saw Ashland score on its first two possessions of the third quarter to secure a 42-27 win.

Zanesville, which is tied for fifth in Region 11, must take care of the little things. The Blue Devil defense failed to get off the field, especially on Park's game-winning drive, on third or fourth down, while the offense sputtered after a strong first quarter.

Against Mt. Vernon, which leans on the run, Zanesville must keep the Yellow Jackets behind the chains and force them into second- and third-and-long situations.

Wyatt Gregory, who has more than 950 yards on the season, will carry the offense. He ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries against Ashland.

Wyatt Davidson, the quarterback, completed 11 of 17 passes for 173 yards with two scores and an interception in the loss, while his top two targets were Spencer Stanley, who had four catches for 92 yards, and Ryan Tiell, who chipped four receptions for 69 yards.

The Mt. Vernon defense had also not allowed more than 21 points in a game so the Blue Devils will look to replicate the success Ashland had.

Ben Everson continued his strong senior season, going 18 of 31 for 187 yards with two scores. He connected with six different receivers, while Jordan Martin ran for 78 yards on 13 carries in the loss to Park. That balance will be critical to get back on the winning track.

Tri-Valley-New Lex

The Panthers look to end their own losing streak to the Scotties with their last win in the series coming in 2008.

New Lex exploded for 82 points and 600 yards of total offense against Coshocton. Logyn Ratliff was efficient, completing 16 of 21 passes for 376 with five TDs, while Christian Vance remained a force with 265 total yards of offense.

That unit could give the Scotties defense problems after they surrendered more than 200 yards on the ground to Philo.

Tri-Valley must find balance on offense. Aidan Fritter struggled, completing just 7 of 21 passes for 38 yards with an interception against the Electrics, while Blake Sands and Jordan Pantaleo combined for more than 160 yards on the ground.

New Lex had problems against the Coshocton running game. The Panthers gave up around 400 yards on the ground, including 260 to Cameron Johns.

The defense that makes the stops consistently should be the difference.

bhannahs@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

740-450-6763

Twitter: @brandonhannahs