Wilmington will close out a wild 2020 football season Friday night as Little Miami visits Alumni Field.
The Panthers are 2-7 on the year. They won their first playoff game 48-40 over Loveland then lost to GCL powerhouse Cincinnati LaSalle 42-14.
Little Miami was defeated by West Clermont 20-14 last week.
Wilmington is 4-4 on the year. After having its second round playoff game forfeited because of Covid-19, the Hurricane bounced back last week with a big win over Batavia.
“This is it,” said WHS head coach Scott Killen. “I am excited for the players to get one more game in, considering we didn’t know if we would get a single game in. Like I have said before, these kids and how they have handled everything, are simply amazing. The seniors have definitely left their mark on this program in how to ‘keep swinging’ no matter what life throws at you. The underclassmen have done a great job of learning how to play at a fast and physical level and, also, how to compete for every rep.”
The Panthers have had several great offensive showings, scoring 40 in the season opener against Anderson, 55 against Loveland in the regular season then 48 against the Tigers in the playoff win.
Other than that, they’ve managed just 69 points in 6 games.
“Their record can be deceiving because of who they have played,” Killen said. “They are a pretty sound football team in all phases.”
Aidan Jones is a dual threat at QB for LMHS. He has 1,425 yards and 16 touchdowns as a passer and went 15-137-1 as a rusher against Loveland in the playoff contest.
Riley Pringle is the leading rusher with 406 yards and 5 scores.
Reis Stocksdale is 33-539-7 as a receiver while Ty Williams is 27-430-6 in the pass catching department.
Nathan Gordon, a 6-0, 210-pound lineman, has 3 sackes and 2 fumble recoveries for the Panthers.
Wilmington used a three-pronged rushing attack of Kendal France, Thane McCoy and Thad Stuckey on offense.
Darrick Perdue is the leader on the defensive line while Carter Huffman is the leader in the secondary.
“These seniors, Carter Huffman, Kendal France, TJ Killen, Peyton Hibbard, Brock Rappach, Bradey Sturgill and Elijah Rockhold, have stuck it out through some tough times during their high school career,” Killen said. “The old saying goes, ‘tough times don’t last, but tough people do’ and these kids are as tough as they come. The lessons they have experienced through their high school journey will pay off in their next chapter and they are going to be successful in whatever their future holds.”
