WEEK 10: Killen likes growth of young Hurricane

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Wilmington head coach Scott Killen knows any talk of a post-season berth begins and ends with the outcome Friday night.

Lose to Chillicothe and the Hurricane season ends.

Win against the Cavaliers and there’s a chance — but no guarantee — of a Week 11 game.

“We need to worry about Chillicothe before we can think about Week 11,” said Killen. “We win and then we can look at the scenarios.”

Wilmington will host Chillicothe 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Alumni Field in the regular season finale. The two teams are tied in the South Central Ohio League standings with 5-1 records. They both trail unbeaten Clinton-Massie.

Like Wilmington, Chillicothe has playoff hopes riding on this game. With a win, the Cavaliers will continue their season next week. Lose and they’re future is up in the air.

Brandon Maughmer, the CHS quarterback, leads the Cavaliers.

“Maughmer is a player,” said Killen. “He can hurt you on the ground and through the air but he also has a lot of weapons around him that make tremendous plays for him. Their defense is athletic and run to the football.”

Regardless of Friday’s outcome, the season has been a successful one for the Hurricane. After a crushing loss to Butler in Week 3, the Hurricane reeled off five straight wins to put themselves in a position to battle Clinton-Massie for a league championship.

While Wilmington came up short, 23-21, against the Falcons, it was the way the team responded after being down 14-0 at halftime to even make a game of it.

“The kids played hard and kept fighting,” said Killen. “I am proud of them for that. I have been saying it all year that we are very young and for them to have their backs against the wall, versus a team like Massie, and keep fighting like that says a lot about how far we have come this year.”

The true measuring stick may come Friday night. The odds again are stacked against the young Hurricane. They have no guarantees with a win while Chillicothe has its future riding on the outcome.

“We are going to keep plugging away,” Killen said. “There is still a lot to play for and the kids understand what is at stake.”

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By Mark Huber

[email protected]

Playoff possibilities

What are the Hurricane’s playoff chances? Matt Sexton breaks down the playoff scenarios for Wilmington in a story posted on-line at www.wnewsj.com.

Reach Mark Huber at 937-556-5765, or on Twitter @wnjsports

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