Football Game Preview: Athens Academy Spartans vs. Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears + How To Watch

The Athens Academy Spartans will face off against the Holy Innocents Episcopal Golden Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Athens Academy comes in on nine and Holy Innocents Episcopal on three.

Athens Academy proved they can win big back in October (they won by 34) and back in October they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Rabun County 49-46. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Spartans have posted since October 18, 2024.

Keyon Standifer had another great game (as he tends to do), picking up 218 receiving yards and four TDs, while also rushing for 34 yards. His longest reception was for an incredible 71 yards. Chap Chapman was another key player, throwing for 338 yards and six touchdowns on only 16 passes.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Athens Academy, adding 11 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Standifer, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Holy Innocents Episcopal had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Mount Paran Christian 50-7. The result was nothing new for the Golden Bears, who have now won six contests by 30 points or more so far this season.

Holy Innocents Episcopal's win came from a few key players Athens Academy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ryan Woods, who threw for 174 yards and four TDs on only 12 passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. Denim Stevens helped Woods out on the ground, rushing for 134 yards and one touchdown.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Holy Innocents Episcopal proved: they limited Mount Paran Christian to a paltry 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Bennett Burroughs for the heroic effort on defense: he. Holy Innocents Episcopal's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 5.3.

Holy Innocents Episcopal didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aj Donnelly and Sam Chasteen.

Athens Academy's win bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Holy Innocents Episcopal, their victory bumped their record up to 8-3.