Athens is now 6-0 after defeating Warren at home in a win that, unlike previous games, proved to be more difficult to earn.
The Warriors’ defense held the Bulldogs to only 27 points, the lowest they’ve scored so far this season. Thanks to the excellent play of Bulldogs Daniel Heightland and Anthony Sutton and a few timely stops, Athens was able to pull through and get the win.
“Those are guys who earned what they did today,” Bulldogs coach Nathan White said. “As a coach, you’re just so happy to see that work pay off, and you're so happy to see that their teammates have confidence in them.”
Indeed, they did. For the game, Sutton had two touchdowns and Heightland proved he is capable of being a solid quarterback in the face of adversity. Really, every member of the Bulldogs proved they could perform well under pressure.
“In the game of football there are good and bad plays,” White said. “Our kids have matured to a point where we stay even-keeled and it’s fun to have a mature group that doesn’t overreact to anything. They did a great job with that today.”
On the defensive end, the Bulldogs came roaring with an excellent interception by senior defensive back Kaiden Bycofski to gain possession of the football. A nine-yard rushing touchdown from Sutton with eight minutes to go in the first quarter would get the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.
The second quarter saw much of the same thing. Heightland threw a touchdown pass to Bycofski and a successful PAT by junior Griffin Porter to make it 14-0 Bulldogs. However, momentum for the Warriors began to pick up with Warriors senior Landon Fairbanks muscling his way to the endzone for a touchdown to tally up the score at 14-7.
After senior standout Leo Martin recovered the kicked ball for the Bulldogs, this was when things became a little shaky for the home team. On the first down, Sutton carried the ball and after getting tackled he fumbled the ball. Luckily for the Bulldogs, it was immediately recovered by them.
Soon later, the Bulldogs received a five-yard penalty. Some hope was given to the Bulldogs when a personal foul was called on Warren, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs inched closer and closer to a third touchdown and eventually got it when Heightland passed the ball to senior tight end Seth Hart in the endzone to make it 21-7.
The Warriors would get possession of the ball back, but the suffocating defense of the Bulldogs resulted in them having to punt with only a few more minutes until halftime. In the second half, the Bulldogs received ball possession, but the Warriors' defense was too much for them to get by.
Misfortunes for the Bulldogs continued with another penalty called on them. When it seemed inevitable that the Warriors would score again, a pass thrown by Warriors senior quarterback Jacob Sealey ended up being an interception by Hart.
The Bulldogs capitalized off this with a running touchdown by Sutton. It was 27-7 Bulldogs, with an unsuccessful PAT. Even though it was the fourth quarter at this point, the Warriors weren’t done yet. The opposing team scored their second and final touchdown of the game with less than four minutes to play in the fourth to make it 27-14 Bulldogs.
Keeping their composure, the Bulldogs didn’t allow for any more mistakes and took the win at home and a final score of 27-14.
