After scoring 20 points through the first three quarters Friday night against Little Miami, Wilmington raced up and down the field in the final period, scoring 28 points en route to a 48-26 win.
But disparity such as that is something Killen would like to even out as the season progresses for the Hurricane.
“We have to work at being more consistent throughout the game,” he said.
Wilmington will continues searching for that consistency Friday night when Bellbrook provides the opposition. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Bellbrook High School.
The defense had some inconsistency against the Panthers. The final numbers show a solid effort, allowing just 204 total yards.
But Killen saw his Hurricane allow two plays of more than 20 yards in the first half and then mental letdowns in the fourth quarter.
“We had let downs in the fourth quarter because we couldn’t get lined up and break downs in gap responsibilities that led to Little Miami scoring drives,” he said. “Eliminating big plays and getting lined up correctly are areas we need to clean up.”
Marlyn Frisco led WHS on the ground with 102 yards on just nine carries. Matt Creditt added 92 yards and a couple touchdowns on 16 attempts. Dylan Beaugard ran six times for 61 yards. In all, Wilmington rushed 33 times for 260 yards, an average of 7.9 per carry.
“(Our offensive line) played outstanding and are continuing to get better,” said Killen. The linemen Friday were Connor Barton, Zane Stevens, Gage Smith, Briton Kessler, Wes Lunsford and Cameron Pace, Killen said.
Creditt was 9-for-19 passing for 109 yards and a couple scores. He also threw an interception. Alex Miller was on the receiving end of four passes which turned into 58 yards and a TD. Beaugard caught four passes for 50 yards and a score.
On defense, Brady McCune led the attack with 13 tackles, nine of them solo. Briten Kessler had six tackles while Frisco was credited with five.
Chad Davis had three and a half tackles and TraLee Joiner was in on three. Cam Stewart also had three while Beaugard was credited with two and a half. Frisco, TraLee Joiner, Alex Muslar and Porter Pagett had one sack each.
Bellbrook opened its season over another Warren County foe, Waynesville, 26-21.
“Bellbrook is a spread to run team,” Killen said of the Golden Eagles offense. “They are going to spread you out and try to out-formation us and take advantage of that. Their quarterback and running back are two hard-nosed kids. Defensively, they run a 4-4 and are very disciplined.”
