Football Recap: Atkins' Undefeated Season over After Six Games

After flying high against Mountain View last Friday, Atkins came back down to earth. The Red Devils fell 20-14 to the Salem Greyhounds on Friday. The matchup marked the Red Devils' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

When it comes to explaining why Atkins lost, don't look at Cole Crawford. Despite the final result, he threw for 130 yards and a pair of TDs, and also rushed for 34 yards.

While Atkins came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Salem: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 40%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from five players: John Davis, Wyatt Hern, Austin Martin-Trussell, Aithyn Langley, and Tanner Hegeman, who each logged one passes deflected. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Atkins; they were averaging 64.9%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three games they've fallen to only 64.9%.

Salem was led to victory by Jackson Taylor and Kaden Brink. Taylor rushed for 72 yards, while Brink rushed for 92 yards and two scores. Brink didn't just play on offense: he also made six total tackles and defended two passes.

Having lost for the first time this season, Atkins fell to 5-1. As for Salem, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 6-0.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Atkins is set to square off against their familiar foe Melbourne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Salem will face off against rival Yellville-Summit at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.