Prep football: Edgewood gets back to winning, crushes Talawanda 54-0

OXFORD — Coming off rare back-to-back losses, the Edgewood High School football team went back to the basics Friday night.

Wade Phillips had a monster night, rushing for 229 yards and five touchdowns as the Cougars demolished Talawanda 54-0 in Southwest Ohio Conference play at Talawanda Field.

“We challenged the kids this week,” Edgewood coach Scott Clemmons said. “We moved the ball last week at Winton Woods, but didn’t finish the drives. Tonight we challenged the guys to get back to doing what we do and finish the drives with scores.”

WEEK 8 FOOTBALL COVERAGE

Phillips entered the game as the SWOC’s leading rusher and didn’t waste time putting the Cougars on the board. He took the opening kickoff back 88 yards for a score and Edgewood never looked back, storming to a 40-0 halftime lead.

Phillips had 165 yards and four touchdowns by half as Edgewood outgained the hosts 333-37 in the opening 24 minutes.

Talawanda coach J.D. Vonderheide was asked after if timing was an issue, facing a fired-up Edgewood squad coming off two losing weeks.

“Was it a good time to play them? No obviously,” Vonderheide said. “They are really good and they got rolling so no, it wasn’t a good time to face them.”

Talawanda appeared shell-shocked in the first half as Edgewood scored time and time again.

“They are just so hard to simulate and prepare for,” Vonderheide said. “And they get on a roll and it happens so fast. They are just a really really good team.”

Elijah Williams rushed for 128 yards on 13 carries with a score. for EHS. Quarterback Corbin Craft only attempted five passes as the Cougars rolled up 462 rushing yards on 39 carries.

Clemmons said it wasn’t as hard to get his team focused with rival Talawanda on the schedule following the tough couple weeks.

“Lot of years playing these guys, in Trenton, in Oxford, in Seven Mile, there is a lot of tradition in this game,” Clemmons said. “We take a lot of pride in competing and winning this game.”

Evan Brown picked off Tyler Teeters on the Braves first possession and Phillips scored to quickly make the score 12-0.

The Cougars blitzed Talawanda in the second quarter, running off 28 unanswered points.

Williams scored on a 7-yard run before Phillips capped off a four play, 66-yard drive with a 31-yard scoring jaunt.

Following a short Talawanda punt, Alex Gavern scored from 22 yards out before Phillips ended the first-half onslaught with a 65-yard run on a third-an- 16 handoff with under two minutes left in the half.

Already injury depleted, Talawanda suffered a big blow when junior Kyle Campbell was lost for the game.

“(Campbell) is a kid we couldn’t lose,” Vonderheide said. “He is our leading receiver and also plays defense. Losing him was almost as important as losing our quarterback, but I am proud of the kids who came in the game and played hard tonight.”

For Talawanda, Tyler Teeters finished 7-of-26 passing for 39 yards, while Terell Wills had 42 yards rushing.

The Braves, 2-6 overall and 0-4 in the SWOC, travel to Northwest next Friday.

Edgewood (6-2, 3-1), the two-time defending SWOC champion, hosts league co-leaders Little Miami next Friday and Mount Healthy in Week 10.

Edgewood 12-28-7-7—54

Talawanda 0-0-0-0—0

E: Wade Phillips 88 kickoff return (Kick failed)

E: Phillips 15 run (Run failed)

E: Elijah Williams 7 run (Kory McCall pass from Corbin Craft)

E: Phillips 31 run (Kick failed)

E: Alex Gavern 22 run (Jonathan Testas kick)

E: Phillips 70 run (Testas kick)

E: Phillips 65 run (Testas kick)

E: Dylan Polisini 15 run (Testas kick)

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