Heath, Philo, Coshocton air it out in 7-on-7 at Sam Hatfield Stadium

DUNCAN FALLS ― Passing scrimmages present opportunities for all kinds of offenses, as teams gear up for "real football" in about five weeks.

That includes even run-oriented attacks like Coshocton and its Wing-T.

Friday morning, Coach Dirk Lincicome was happy to see Coshocton compete with his Philo Electrics in the 7-on-7s. Heath and Marietta were also at Philo's Sam Hatfield Stadium. The Electrics (5-6), Bulldogs (9-3) and Tigers (5-6) are all coming off playoff seasons.

"Yes, they (Coshocton) run the Wing-T, but it gives you a chance to see something else, and the different motions and looks they use out of it," Lincicome said.

His team had competed earlier in the week at Muskingum University against Maysville, John Glenn, Buckeye Trail and Strasburg.

"We threw it pretty well at Muskingum," he continued, "and today we dropped a couple of passes, but our communication was better today, especially on defense and our coverages. We went hard and competed."

Heath coach Tim Ward also saw improvement in his team's third 7-on-7. The Bulldogs are looking to fill gaping holes created by the loss of a large, talented senior class.

"Normally, we install our skill-based stuff during the summer, but we've had turnover on our roster and with our coaching staff, plus we won a state baseball title and those kids got a late start," he said. "So we've had to take a different approach, but we're getting there and it will come. Today, we wanted to play fast and compete, and I thought we did that."

The Bulldogs have a new quarterback in junior Braden Gibson, and twice he hooked up for touchdowns with classmate Drew Gostrue. At 6-foot-3, Gostrue brings size and length, as does senior Josh Jones, who hauled in a long pass for a score. Heath was without stellar running back Connor Corbett and senior wideout Kevin Dunlap, but sophomore Joe Ward caught a TD and classmate Tyler Marks was also a threat. Cornerback Jahki Royster picked off three passes on defense.

"Gibson and I have still have that connection," Gostrue said. "Since eighth grade, we've been working and throwing together. We're kind of coming in as underdogs this year. We lost a lot, but we still have good receivers and as long as we play together, we'll still be good. This is our third one (7-on-7) and we've definitely gotten a lot better."

Lincicome's son, rangy lefthander Jack Lincicome, looks comfortable running the Philo attack, which on Friday, featured touchdown grabs by Talon Preston and Alex Evans. Jake Savage snagged a two-point conversion.

"Our quarterback gets the ball where it needs to be, and I just try to do what I need to do," Preston said. "He throws a nice ball, and it's up to the receivers to catch it. We have length and speed, and we played really well at Muskingum. We have an amazing group of guys. We're developing some depth this year, in case someone has to come out of there."

Lincicome has seen plenty of growth from his son.

"He's more comfortable in a leadership role, and he leads by example," the coach said. "Jack is more poised and is pretty patient."

Coshocton, which lost three games by a point to playoff teams during last year's 3-7 season, graduated its top three running backs, but on Friday, showed it has plenty of firepower.

Senior Colton Conkle returns at quarterback and threw TD passes to Blayden Workman and Jackson Smith against Heath. Sophomore Logan Wince was a revelation, leaping for an end zone touchdown, chalking up big gains on other routes and coming up with an interception.

"You did well," coach Steve Smith told his team after its first passing scrimmage of the summer. "We just have to work on our conditioning. We got tired at the end. We have a lot playing on both sides of the ball, but that's just how it is."

Conkle feels very confident in his team as it prepares for another challenging year of Muskingum Valley League action.

"We went 2-1 today, and we have a good team culture," he said. "We don't pass a lot, but when we do, we have a lot of weapons. We can do a lot out of our play-action. Scrimmages like this get us better athletically."

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Heath, Philo, Coshocton air it out in 7-on-7 at Sam Hatfield Stadium