Zacciah Saltzman’s 303 rushing yards and seven touchdowns helped Athens win (49-34.)
Heading into week seven, Athens was coming off two straight wins to get back to an even record. Meigs came in with a 5-1 record and looked to earn its fourth-straight victory.
Athens (4-3) running back Zacciah Saltzman had other plans.
Saltzman ran the ball 36 times for 303 yards and seven touchdowns to give Athens Bulldogs a 49-34 win over the Meigs Marauders on Friday night. This is the second time Saltzman's scored seven touchdowns in a single game this season.
“Our offensive line had a great week of work … and (Saltzman) has so much heart and desire and he’s trying to get some success and satisfaction,” Athens coach Ryan Adams said. “It was a big gut check for all of us and our kids really pulled through.”
Meigs held Saltzman to just six yards rushing in the first quarter and had the lead (8-0) heading into the second frame.
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On one of the first plays of the second quarter, however, Saltzman took a direct snap and went 84 yards for his first score of the game.
After the Bulldogs' defense forced a Marauders punt, Saltzman went to work again.
The Bulldogs marched down the field on a 10 play, 74-yard drive, which Saltzman scored the touchdown to make it 15-8. A Robert Dickelman interception gave Saltzman and company a short field, and they capitalized. Saltzman scored from 20 yards out to extend the lead to 22-8. A key defensive stop deep in Bulldog territory helped preserve that lead going into the half.
After punts on the opening possession for both teams, Athens found success through Saltzman for the fourth time, as he raced 11 yards into the end zone to make it 29-8.
After a Meigs drive that cut the lead to 29-16, Saltzman caught the ensuing kickoff and took it 81 yards down to the Marauder 2-yard line, then punched it in himself. Two more Meigs touchdown drives cut the lead to 35-28, but Saltzman scampered 55 yards for a touchdown to give Athens the edge, 42-28. Saltzman added a 1-yard touchdown run to the stat book with 3:42 left to play.
With Saltzman's heroics, Athens remain in contention for the Tri-Valley Conference crown.
“(The win) is huge. Our kids knew the situation we were in and when (Meigs) came out and scored early, our kids did a great job of not flinching too much and kept on the game plan,” Adams said.
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