Prince Avenue Christian School Quarterback Aaron Philo Named ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month for July 2023
Our ITG Next Georgia Male Athlete of the Month, presented by Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance, for July is also an athlete who we think is “One to Watch,” and who could be poised to have a great 2023 season. We gave our readers several nominees to vote for, and in the end the most votes went to Aaron Philo as the top athlete to watch for in 2023.
The Prince Avenue Christian senior quarterback will most certainly be one to watch in the upcoming Georgia high school football season as he attempts to become the state’s all-time leader in career passing yards. Philo needs 4,576 passing yards to surpass former Cartersville star Trevor Lawrence, and if his 2023 season is anything like the last two years, he’ll have a pretty good shot at claiming the record. He has thrown for 9,326 yards over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, including 4,598 yards last year.
While Philo would love to claim the passing yards record, he would likely love it even more if he could lead Prince Avenue Christian to a second straight state championship. Last year he and his Wolverine teammates capped off a perfect 14-0 season with a 52-34 victory over Swainsboro to capture the GHSA Class A-D1 state title.
Looking ahead to the 2023 season, many see Prince Avenue Christian as one of the favorites to win it all, but there will be two big challenges facing both the Wolverines and Philo:
For the team, several key players who contributed to last season’s title run are not returning. For Philo, those key contributors just happen to be the team’s top three receivers, which could make it tougher for him to claim the personal record. Gone are Ethan Christian, Bailey Stockton, and Josh Britt. Together the three accounted for much of the team’s passing yardage in 2021 and 2022. But if that seems to bother Philo, he isn’t showing it.
“I’m excited about seeing our new receiving corps,” Philo said. “We will have Thornton Hester, Gaines Scoggins, Brody Tolbert, Nick Hurley, and Hudson Hill. Seeing those guys step up this year will be cool.”
This offseason has been a busy one for Philo and the Wolverines. Coach Greg Vandagriff’s offense is built around throwing the football, and the team has worked on perfecting that craft in several 7 on 7 events this summer. Among the passing tournaments they competed in was the Hustle Up 7 on 7 in Hoover, AL, where Philo looked impressive, especially throwing on the run and threading the needle on tight passes to his receivers.
He’ll be doing the real thing shortly, as the start of the 2023 regular season is just a few weeks away. Philo will head off to Georgia Tech following his senior season; he committed to the Yellow Jackets earlier this offseason.
