“That was our first time together so we kind of became good buddies. “Last year is when we really started to become friends because I was a freshman and he was a senior,” Philo said. 4 in the 2021 recruiting class, took Philo under his wing last season. The sophomore quarterback has several former teammates and coaches assisting in his recruiting journey, including a local star who has been there since the beginning.įormer PACS quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who signed with UGA as a five-star recruit and the No. Philo’s recruiting pitch is simple: “I have a strong arm and I love to win.” “I loved the atmosphere,” Philo said of Auburn. He’s visited Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and most recently Auburn for the Tigers’ upset-win of Mississippi on Oct. Many of his weekends have been spent on college campuses, attending college football games on recruiting trips. Unfortunately for Philo though, he hasn’t been able to fish much on the weekends this fall. It’s peaceful and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of football. His proudest feat was a 7-pound largemouth and he loves going to his grandparents pond in Jackson County. It’s a lot of fun.” ‘When the time comes’ “I love coming out here every Friday night and playing with these guys. Philo’s going to enjoy the next month of football. There’s still three games until a possible trip to Savannah for the rematch. More: Prince Avenue's first-round opponent forfeits playoff game. If things go their way, Philo and Vandagriff will have an opportunity to avenge their lone loss of the season with a semifinal meeting against Calvary Day, who ended the year undefeated. The path is there, as the Wolverines are already into the second round of the GHSA A-Private playoffs after a forfeit from King’s Ridge. What they’re trying to accomplish is another state championship win. 2 passer in the state in the regular season.” He’s just a sophomore, he’s going to make mistakes, but he’s done a great job and is probably going to end up as the No. “He’s keeping his eyes downfield and understands what we’re trying to accomplish. His coach appreciates that side of Philo, but understands that perfection in football isn’t a reality.Īsked where Philo has improved most as the season has gone on, PACS head coach Greg Vandagriff is quick in his answer. We have to play better.”īased on his postgame assessment, you’d have no idea he went 20-of-28 for 316 yards, scored a touchdown, averaged 15.6 yards per reception and Prince won 44-15. “It’s a little disappointing how we played offensively. “We were a little slow and I feel like we didn’t play our best,” the sophomore said. Philo was critical after the win, a game that held no significance other than giving both teams an opportunity to get another tuneup before playoffs started the following week. Take for example the regular season finale against Athens Christian. More: Prince Avenue locks up 1-seed in playoffs with road win against Athens Christian
He’s a competitor, which is what he tells college recruiters and teammates. Since the season-opening loss, Philo has thrown 34 touchdowns, 2,784 yards and just four interceptions. That type of performance is the one that has defined Philo’s first year as a starter and led PACS to a second-straight region title. He threw five touchdowns and rushed for another two scores. Philo broke Vandagriff’s single-game passing record by putting up 557 yards against one of the top teams in Tennessee. The “CAK'' reference the sophomore made was the second game of the season, against Christian Academy of Knoxville. “It was a bad performance and so the CAK game helped prove people wrong.” “I felt like a lot of people doubted me after our first game,” Philo said.
He broke records, including some created by Vandagriff, and ended the regular season as the second-best passer in all of Georgia high school football. Philo heard the criticism and rather than wallow in the lofty expectations, he used it as motivation and put together nine straight wins to close out the regular season. He threw for 270 yards, completed 26 of his 45 passes and threw a touchdown, but the four interceptions doomed the Wolverines.Ĭould he bounce back? Is the Prince Avenue streak of deep playoff runs over? Who else can the Wolverines turn to at quarterback? The 6-foot-2, 190-pound 16-year-old quarterback looked the part, but his statline allowed doubt to creep in among PACS fans and critics across the state. Starting in Vandagriff’s place was sophomore Aaron Philo. The offense that averaged more than 40-points per game in the state championship season a year ago put up just 13 points in an 8-point loss to Calvary Day. Prince Avenue lost the first game of the Wolverines' post-Brock Vandagriff era.