PHILADELPHIA — Wilkinson County High School was unable to overcome a strong defensive effort by Philadelphia High School in a 34-14 loss in the second round of the MHSAA Class 3A playoffs Friday.

The loss ended Wilkinson County’s season, and head coach Kenneth Brown said his team simply ran into a good defense.

“They attacked the ball pretty well and kept us from doing things we wanted to do,” Brown said.

“They’re aggressive, but they’re not as big as they looked on film. They have four to five people on the ball at all times trying to get tackles.”

Offensively, Brown said Philadelphia didn’t do anything too complex.

“They line up and basically run the football,” Brown said. “You’re not going to get much penetration on their offensive line.”

With the Wildcat’s season now over, Brown said he’s looking forward to next fall, especially since Wilkinson County stands to lose fewer than 10 seniors.

“We feel really good about next season, but we’re going to have to find some linemen,” Brown said. “We’ll lose three to four offensive lineman, and we’re going to have to get the younger kids in the weight room, get them stronger and get their minds right.”

Brown also said a year’s worth of maturity will hopefully get the Wildcats farther into the playoffs next year.

“We have to continue the process so we can get back in next year and get past this second-round jinx,” Brown said.

The Wildcats finished the season 9-3.