Athens Academy is 1-0 against Banks County since October of 2022, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Athens Academy Spartans will head out on the road to face off against the Banks County Leopards at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Athens Academy focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up four on Friday.
Athens Academy unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak. Their tough 52-28 loss to Fellowship Christian might stick with them for a while. The match was a 21-21 toss-up at halftime, but Athens Academy was blown out by Fellowship Christian in the second.
Athens Academy might have lost, but man, Jamari Welch was a machine: he rushed for 200 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.0 yards per carry. Welch's longest rush was for an incredible 70 yards. Jeremiah Wingfield also helped out as he racked up 120 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Banks County's recent rough patch got a bit rougher two weeks ago after their third straight loss. They suffered a rough 27-7 loss at the hands of Union County. The game was over by the end of the first half, with no points scored by either team from that point forward.
Aucy Jacobs put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.6 yards per carry.
The losses dropped both teams to an identical 4-3.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Welch and Jacobs. Welch has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages of 123 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Jacobs has averaged 95.3 rushing yards per game this season.
Everything came up roses for Athens Academy against Banks County when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 70-13 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Athens Academy since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
