Fillis’ three scores put Academy Park where it needs to be

SHARON HILL >> Quarterback Skylor Fillis ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more to lead Academy Park to a 34-0 win over Glen Mills at Knight Field Friday.

The win gives the Knights a 5-2 record overall and a 3-0 record in Del Val League play with rivals Penn Wood and Interboro remaining on their schedule. Academy Park scored its first touchdown on its second possession with Fillis finishing a four-play 50-yard drive with a 23-yard run to give the Knights a 6-0 lead (the two-point attempt failed).

Glen Mills (2-5, 1-2) was unable to move the ball on its next possession, then could not execute the ensuing punt, giving Academy Park a first down at the Bulls’ 25-yard line.

Four plays later Fillis scored on a seven-yard run and with the successful two-point conversion, the score was 14-0.

Glen Mills’ defense started to buckle down and looked like it would keep the Knights off the scoreboard until Fillis hit Jango Keita with a 47-yard strike with just seven seconds left in the half to give the home team a 20-0 lead at intermission.

“Their defensive front gave us fits,” head coach Jason Vosheski said. “Their front seven guys played extremely well and we struggled. We started looking up a little bit, got some big plays which helped a lot.”

The coach credited center Billy Martin for his overall play which for the first time this year, included playing defense.

“He’s one of our best players,” Vosheski said. “In a way it’s nice to have a center who is one of your best players. But today is the first time he was asked to play on both sides of the ball. He’s just that kind of a kid. He’s a gamer.”

Glen Mills’ offense is almost completely centered around workhorse running back Quadir Gibson. The 5-foot-11, 234 pounder is a handful. But the Knights were up to the task, keeping Gibson in check and limiting him to 67 yards on 21 carries and no trips to the end zone.

Vosheski said his team was aware of Gibson and what he can do if he gets it going.

“He is a very good running back,” Vosheski said. “We did a great job of bottling him up.”

Martin said the coaching staff let them know the best way to stop a big back like Gibson.

“He’s really good but we got him,” Martin said. “All week we were stressing gang tackling and that’s what we got today.”

Martin said he loved the idea of not leaving the field.

“I liked it,” Martin said. “It was different, the coaches said I might get tired but I wasn’t tired at all at the end of the game, and my teammates were behind me 100 percent the whole game, so I wasn’t tired at all. It was a great experience.”

Fillis started the game, hitting just four of his first eight passes for 31 yards. The junior signal caller said he listened to advice on what Glen Mills was doing to confuse him and it worked. Fillis finished 9 of 13 for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He second touchdown was a 57-yard bomb to Jermal Martin in the third quarter.

“The coaches told me I had to realize and recognize the blitzes coming in and get the ball out faster,” Fillis said. “And they were playing man-to-man, so the middle of the field was wide open. I had to realize that and relax. I started to get into a groove, realizing how to throw against the man (coverage).”

Vosheski said he is pleased with where his team stands.

“In coach language we’re going to take it one game at a time,” Vosheski said. “But like I told the kids, we’re right where we want to be.”