There was early excitement for Center after they claimed the first score on Friday, but it was Athens who ended up claiming the real prize. The Center Roughriders received a blow as they fell 43-26 to the Athens Hornets. Despite 134 more yards than the Hornets, the Roughriders couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Center's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Timothy Johnson, who picked up 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Johnson showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 56 yards. Center also got a significant boost from Jaysis Villegas, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 116 yards.
Even though they lost, Center was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Center's loss dropped their record down to 7-2. As for Athens, the victory made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 7-2.
Center and Athens should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Texas Rankings. Center (ranked 209th) will meet Rusk (ranked 715th) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Center is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 34.4 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Athens will square off against Bullard at 7:30 p.m. on Friday up 402 places (186 vs. 588).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
