Friday night was a simple win for Athens.
There was no explosive offense like at Meigs, when the Bulldogs put up 62 points and gave up 46. Though the win was basic, it had merit.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-2, 4-0 Tri-Valley Conference-Ohio to help strengthen its playoff bid with two games left in the season.
With the 36-14 win Friday night, here are three things we learned as the postseason nears.
Sano-Dickelman
Brendan Sano continued his hot streak under center Friday night against Wellston. He wasn’t able to produce as many rushing yards as he normally does, but he didn’t need to. In the past two games, Sano has thrown eight total touchdowns.
Since he has taken over the team as starting quarterback, Sano has lost one fumble and thrown zero interceptions.
He also has a new primary target: Robert Dickelman.
At the beginning of the season, Sano talked about throwing to Andy Kostival as his “go-to” wide out. This year, the height of Dickelman is exactly what Sano needed to be efficient. In the past two games, the two have connected for five touchdowns — all of which were 40-plus-yard touchdowns.
In addition to Dickelman, Treyce Albin is another target for Sano –– the two connected for three touchdowns Friday.
Sano’s efficiency is exactly what Athens needs as the regular season starts to close. Having only one turnover in seven games is something coach Ryan Adams can be proud of and something to fuel Sano, moving forward.
Run defense
Athens came in with a strong run defense. That held up Friday night.
The Bulldogs held the Wellston, triple-option offense to just 14 points. It did give up 300 rushing yards, but the Bulldog goal line defense stopped Wellston almost every time it got in the redzone.
The past few games, the focal point of the defense was the pass defense, and Athens gave up no big pass plays.
Wellston did have a few big run plays — none resulting in touchdowns — but the overall defensive front was not phased by the triple-option/wishbone offense, which it had seen earlier in the year against Watkins Memorial.
Home-Field advantage
Athens hasn’t lost a game at home yet this season. With the possibility of playing a home game or two in the playoffs, each game becomes important for not only playoff contention, but for a chance to play at home.
The Bulldogs average almost 43 points at home, and their average margin of victory is almost 29 points.
Athens is strong at home, and that will be crucial for the team, if it can claim a home game or two in the postseason. The last home game for Athens is against River Valley on Oct. 21.
