DUNCAN FALLS — For three quarters, there were smiles in every corner of a vibrant Sam Hatfield Stadium. And it wasn’t just because of the hints of bratwurst and popcorn emanating through the air from the Philo concession stand.
In this case, fans from Heath and the host Electrics were treated to big plays, a litany of highlights and a close enough game to keep everyone a little restless as running backs Slade Sprankle and Tristyn Jones traded body blows.
By nightfall, it was the 5-7, 180-pound Sprankle who left the Bulldogs woozy with a jolt of haymakers in a 50-21 nonleague win — the 100th in the career of Electrics coach Dirk Lincicome.
‘He has earned it’
Sprankle ran 40 times for a school-record 342 yards and six touchdowns, shattering the former mark of 323 yards set by Carter Paul in 2007. He had 24 carries for 150 yards in the first half, then added 93 in scoring runs alone in the second.
Sprankle and the speedster Jones (17 carries, 233 yards, 3 TDs), who raced untouched for scores of 54 and 86 yards on toss plays before halftime, combined for 57 carries, 556 rushing yards and nine TDs.
It was the last one Sprankle won’t soon forget.
He was on the sideline with his team leading, 43-21, with six minutes left in the fourth, when Lincicome summoned him to re-enter. It took only one play for him to sprint 31 yards to the end zone through a big hole on the right side to take his place in history.
Lincicome had no plans of sending him back until an assistant coach informed him that Paul’s record was within reach. Lincicome said he was giving Sprankle two carries to break it.
“Because it was kind of silly putting him back in the fourth quarter with six minutes to go, when he’s going to carry the ball over 200 times this year,” Lincicome explained. “I’m just grateful that he took it to the house on his first carry.”
It was one of those uneasy moments coaches face, where the line between sensibility and making history is as thin as a Depression-era paycheck. As Lincicome noted, “there is no right way to do it.”
In this instance, he felt Sprankle deserved his shot.
“If he hadn’t been such a hard worker I wouldn’t have put him back in,” Lincicome said. “But he has earned it. I’m so happy for him.”
Another Electric standout confirmed as much.
Kole Cash, Sprankle’s backup and the defensive hero with an interception, fumble recovery and fourth-down tackle-for-loss in the fourth quarter, said it was Sprankle who was lifting 90 minutes prior to scheduled 9 a.m. workouts in the summer. It didn’t take long for others to follow, at Sprankle’s urging.
It wasn’t just lip service.
“All credit to Slade — he has earned it,” Cash said. “He outworks everyone in the (Muskingum Valley League), including people on this team. No one will ever work as hard as him.”
Sprankle deflected the praise to his linemen, citing most by name, and even his receivers, such as Hunter Hoffer and K.J. Philip, for maintaining blocks on his long runs. He had six of at least 20 yards, including additional scoring totes of 34 and 54, respectively, and a 45-yarder to set up another TD after Heath got within 22-21 with 5:07 left in the third.
It was clear by then that something was in the air. Philo, as if it stepped into a time warp back to the Rob Mack era, when Lincicome was a lineman, ran 53 times in all.
It averaged seven yards per carry.
“I mean, they’re big, they’re physical,” Heath coach Tim Ward said. “We knew they were going to be — they always are. I think up front we just kind of wore down. Our guys are physical, but they’re not real big. Eventually, that kind of just wears on you.”
‘I’ve had a lot of good players’
Lincicome, the Dean of Muskingum Valley League coaches, and one of the most tenured in the East District at 16 years, was awarded a Gatorade bath for his efforts as time wound down.
It was a night of elation — and a tribute to the Philo grit that its leader has spent years instilling.
“Everything is better when you win at home,” Lincicome said. “It has been a long time coming. To win 100 games is amazing. I’ve lost a bunch, too, and that’s all part of it. One thing that has taught me is that every time you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up. And I think this milestone, for me, just proves I’ve had a lot of good players. I’ve had amazing coaches.”
One was the late Josh Wright, his longtime offensive coordinator, who died unexpectedly in June 2025, shortly after being named Tri-Valley’s head coach. He and Lincicome helped coached the Muskingum All-Stars to a win just eight days prior.
“I wore my Josh Wright T-shirt today when I was weed eating, before I came to the field, and we connected again,” Lincicome said. “As you know, this is for him, too.”
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sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Sprankle’s run to record book nets Lincicome landmark win vs. Heath
Reporting by Sam Blackburn, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sam Blackburn, Zanesville Times Recorder | USA TODAY Network
