The atmosphere was festive. The stadium was packed. The crowd was raucous. Yes, it was a homecoming celebration. But no, it wasn’t at Ohio University.
The Athens High School football team celebrated its homecoming in a different way, avenging last season’s one-point loss with a 40-7 route of crosstown rival Alexander.
Though it was supposed to be a competitive game, there really was not much doubt from the beginning as to who was in control. Both teams came out hyped, but only Athens was able to sustain its intensity.
Head coach Ryan Adams said he appreciated the atmosphere but that his team was more focused on revenge.
“It didn’t really take anything homecoming related, that was just icing on the cake,” Adams said. “We’ve been waiting for this football game for a calendar year. It was time for us to get back at them, there’s no doubt about it.”
Despite being a blowout, the game produced lots of exciting moments — for Athens fans, that is. Whether it was a broken tackle, a big hit, a long pass, a forced turnover or a blocked punt, Bulldogs fans had plenty to cheer about.
One play in particular stood out. After breaking multiple tackles on an outside pitch, running back DeVon Sharp had one player between him and the end zone. The defender, as taught, went for the legs. Sharp anticipated this and completely hurdled the hapless defender and kept his feet on his way into the end zone. It was something rarely seen by a high school athlete, and resembled the infamous leap by Reggie Bush during his playing days at USC.
Adams didn’t seem too surprised.
“I’ve actually seen him do that before in practice,” Adams said. “He’s a special talent.”
Sharp finished with 102 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, giving him 20 scores on the year.
The Bulldogs defense was also dominant, flying around the field and playing with physicality above and beyond what the team typically displays in a game.
Nick Stanley ran his team-leading sixth interception back for a touchdown, and Tyler McIntosh added two more picks for Athens.
“They’re just highly motivated,” Adams said. “They came up with a slogan about redemption this year, and this was one that we needed to redeem from last year. They played lights out.”
Things seem to be coming together at the right time for the Bulldogs, who have a very good chance of making the playoffs after their eighth victory in as many games.
“When you get a homecoming atmosphere in here and are trying to get redemption from last year’s game, it was kind of a perfect storm coming together for the team,” Adams said. “We were clicking on all cylinders and highly motivated and just really wanted this win.”
as506610@ohiou.edu
