The Athens Red Hawks will venture away from home to take on the Oxford Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Athens turned things around against Bloomfield Hills on Friday. They took down the Black Hawks 35-21. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Red Hawks were the better team in the second half.
Cainan Hanbury continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 143 yards and three TDs while picking up 8.9 yards per carry. He didn't just play on offense: he also picked up 0.5 sacks, made six total tackles, and defended one pass. Max Hladiy made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Athens was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Athens' defense stepped up as well, laying out Rocco Colosimo 5.5 times. Charles Young IV refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Hladiy got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Oxford hadn't done well against West Bloomfield recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Wildcats pulled ahead with a 34-33 photo finish over the Lakers.
Athens better keep an eye on Chris Pullman. He was instrumental in Oxford's win, rushing for 88 yards on only ten carries, while also catching one touchdown.
Athens' win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-4. As for Oxford, their record is now 4-2.
Athens took a serious blow against Oxford when the teams last played back in October of 2018, falling 35-0. Can the Red Hawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
