ALBANY— Head coach Nathan White mingled with the scant crowd that had formed outside the Bulldogs’ visiting locker room at Alexander Spartans Stadium.
Athens had just defeated Alexander 20-13 for its first win of the season. Players were heard shouting and celebrating inside the locker room while their parents celebrated on the track.
To White, the win was too close to go home satisfied.
“We were not very sharp at all offensively,” White said. “Our kids played hard football but scheme-wise we were not doing our jobs and we’ve got to get a lot better.”
A 20-13 victory Friday night over the Spartans isn’t impressive given the history between the two schools. Athens (1-0, 1-0 Tri-Valley Conference-Ohio) has regularly dominated its TVC-Ohio opponents in past seasons. The Bulldogs outscored conference opponents 252-137 in 2019 and had a 5-1 conference record.
Friday was a different story. Athens didn’t score once in the second half. The game almost went to overtime after Alexander recovered a fumble in Athens’ territory with 31 seconds left in the game.
Flaws in the Bulldogs’ offense were apparent from the opening kickoff. After scoring on their opening drive, the Bulldogs didn’t score again until the middle of the second quarter.
The Spartans found their footing after halftime and threatened to break past Athens’ tiring defense with every drive. Many of Athens’ defensive line were also offensive linemen, and had been on the field for almost the entire game.
A 25-yard pass attempt by quarterback Joey Moore to Landon Wheatley could’ve given the Bulldogs a bit of breathing room. What the Bulldogs needed was to pad the lead and give their defenders a break.
Instead, Wheatley dropped the pass and Athens was forced to punt.
Wheatley wasn’t alone. Athens’ receiving corps had forgotten how to catch a pass. Multiple on-target passes from Moore slipped out of his receivers’ hands and forced Athens to punt.
“The dropped passes are the mistakes that are glaring when you’re watching the game but we had plenty of other things we need to fix,” White said. “Our kids catch 1,000 balls a week. I think it’s an execution thing more than making a mistake.”
White believes that time and momentum were large factors in Athens’ performance Friday. The game had been delayed twice due to lightning strikes in the immediate area. The second delay nearly canceled the game, as the storm surrounding Albany worsened.
In spite of Mother Nature, the Bulldogs were able to complete their first game of an already brief six-game season. It was a win, but not one White wanted to celebrate.
Athens’ win is its fifth consecutive win against Alexander. To White, a victory on paper means there is room for improvement. Mistakes means his staff needs to do better for the sake of his players.
“I always, always, always take responsibility,” White said. “If the kids are doing the wrong thing that’s on our staff. Right, wrong or indifferent is on us because we have to teach them to do the right thing.”
