You can’t put a price on a signature win. But you can look ahead and avoid a let down.

That’s the attitude John Glenn will be taking into Friday night’s game against New Lexington, following a stunning upset of Tri-Valley. Matt Edwards loved seeing his team do something they were unable to accomplish since 2007, but he had a very realistic take on the kind of game they just played.

“It was an ugly game,” he said before Thursday’s practice. “A lot of penalties, a lot of turnovers. But our kids made some plays when they needed to. Can’t give enough credit to our defensive unit though.”

The Muskies held a normally lethal offensive attack for the Scotties to just 122 total yards of offense while forcing three turnovers and holding their offense to just 1-for-16 on third down conversions.The dynamic duo of Luke Fargus and Aiden Fritter at quarterback was bested by a defense that snuffed out nearly every play.

Against New Lexington, however, things are a little more complicated.

While Tri-Valley tuns a similar spread attack that the Muskies do, albeit with a few more passes thrown in, the Panthers run an offense most teams used years ago.

“They’re not like anybody else,” Edwards said. “They’re going to line up with two tight ends and two tailbacks. They do go with a little bit of spread, but they’re kind of old school. And that’s concerning because we haven’t seen it and it’s something that’s difficult to duplicate in practice because it’s something we’re not familiar with.”

The Panthers have had an up and down season, picking up three wins to start the season but falling in their three toughest match-ups with Maysville, Tri-Valley and, most recently, Sheridan. The duo of Logyn and CJ Ratliff have provided much of the offensive firepower for New Lexington.

If John Glenn can find receivers in space, they will have success against the Panthers, much like Sheridan did last Friday. But the offensive line will continue to be the biggest question mark for the Muskies, who will have to deal with a sizable front seven.

The New Lexington offensive line has shown promise and has the size to move a defensive front, but will have to deal with the stout running defensive combination of Parker Zachrich and Ben Larson from the safety position, and Blaize Baker, Eric Stillion, Josh Conner and Brady Emerson at linebacker.

The playoff hopes of John Glenn hang gently on the balance, teetering on the edge of glory and disaster. With New Lexington likely stuck on the outside looking in for the rest of the year, they can gain some comfort in accomplishing one thing — playing the spoiler for the Muskies.

While it’s unlikely that will be the message conveyed to the Panthers Friday night before kickoff, a win for New Lexington would likely mean the end of Edwards team’s playoff hopes.

Nothing too important, right?