Athens (7-14, 6-6 Tri-Valley Conference) will attempt to survive and advance in the first game of the playoffs when it takes on Circleville (6-16, 3-11 Mid-State-Buckeye) Tuesday night.
Game information
Opponent: Circleville
Location: Athens High School
Time: 7 p.m.
Game notes
After a rocky start to the season, Athens has stabilized at the end of the season. The Bulldogs have won their last two games at home, including an upset over Meigs and a 22-point squashing of River Valley. However the Bulldogs have cooled off in the last week. They lost their last two games to Alexander and Trimble, respectively.
Unlike Athens, Circleville got off to a strong start this season. It won its first two games of the year, including a win over co-champion of the Tri-Valley Conference, Vinton County. The Tigers slowed down as the season went on, though. They only won four games the rest of the season. Also, the Tigers just earned their first — and only — road win of the season four days ago.
The Tigers and Bulldogs have already squared off once this season at Athens High School. The Bulldogs used a suffocating defense to fend off the Tigers and win the game 46-34. The win was the Bulldogs' only nonconference win of the season. If the Bulldogs want to keep their season alive, they will need to replicate their efforts from earlier this season.
