The Athens Bulldogs had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24.3 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They managed a 19-13 victory over Nelsonville-York. This was payback for Athens, who suffered a 46-7 loss the last time these two teams met.
Alex Pero continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Pero is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last five games he's played. Braeden Young and his 110 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Athens' victory.
The team's defense also helped out by holding Nelsonville-York to a paltry 250 yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Athens' ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out seven times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Isaiah Roberts and his three sacks.
Despite the loss, Nelsonville-York still got an impressive performance from Gavin Richards, who rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown. Richards was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 62 yards.
Athens is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season. As for Nelsonville-York, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 7-3.
Athens will head out on the road to face off against Bloom-Carroll at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bloom-Carroll is on a five-game streak of home wins, Athens a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the field. Nelsonville-York will take on Bellaire at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
