Athens (9-1) was handed its first loss of the season by the Nelsonville-York (8-2), 19-14, in a game that captured what high school football is all about.
Everything was perfect for the contest. Fans of the Buckeyes got to witness a truly terrific victory, and the Bulldogs, despite being on the losing end, played well enough for their head coach in an environment that felt like playing in the Super Bowl.
“This loss is on me,” Athens coach Nathan White said. “Our boys played so hard and they really deserved to win this game tonight. Any faults we committed were on my part and I need to be a better coach.”
In the first quarter, the Buckeyes established dominance with amazing defensive effort, not allowing the visiting team to get a chance at scoring early like previous games on Athens’ schedule.
The Buckeyes would get possession of the ball and implement a clever tactic to increase their chance of winning while decreasing their opponent’s chances. The tactic: spending as much time as possible in between plays right down until they have to snap the ball.
The home team spent the entire beginning quarter knocking time off the clock until finally scoring early in the second with a touchdown from junior tailback Austin Gautier. A successful PAT from senior Logan Meek made the score 7-0 Buckeyes.
However, the Bulldogs answered with a touchdown from senior running back Alex Pero. Junior kicker Griffin Porter tied the score 7-7 with a successful PAT of his own.
Both teams displayed superb defense, each trading ball possession back and forth. Once the Bulldogs failed to convert on a fourth down, the Buckeyes took control, and sophomore quarterback Cameron Sullivan threw an extravagant pass to junior wide receiver Alec Thompson for a first-and-goal opportunity.
The Buckeyes wasted no time in scoring again with a rushing touchdown from junior fullback Dakota Cunningham. The PAT from Meek was unsuccessful, and the score at this point in the contest was 13-7 Buckeyes going into halftime.
Similar to a game Athens played two weeks ago against Wellston, the team struggled to limit penalties such as offsides and encroachment.
In the third quarter, Athens kicked the ball and it was recovered by the home team. But, in this instance, the Buckeyes started to get a little jumpy before snapping the ball. Twice in a row, the Buckeyes committed false starts plus a holding call.
With ten minutes left in the fourth, the Bulldogs scored a touchdown with a long pass from Heightland to senior wide receiver Leo Martin. The Bulldogs got the upper hand with the extra point from Porter to make it 14-13 Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs prevented the Buckeyes from scoring on a drive and they received the ball. There was light at the end of the tunnel for Athens, but the Buckeyes weren’t done yet. They too stopped their opponent with clutch defense and the final minute of action had everyone from the coaches and players on the sidelines to the people watching in the bleachers on the edge of their seats.
Athens did a stellar job keeping Nelsonville-York at bay, but, on a fourth-and-goal opportunity, the Buckeyes came through with Cunningham using all of his strength and power to get the game-winning touchdown.
The game’s final score was 19-14 Buckeyes in an epic rivalry showdown. At the moment, it is unclear what team each plays as the postseason begins.
“I’m just happy to get to be with these kids for another game,” White said. “We’ll find out tomorrow who we play and we’ll move on from there.”
